Pika Research and Conservation at Craighead Institute
 photo by Greg Winston |  |
American pika
The American pika (Ochotona princeps) is the smallest member in the rabbit family that includes rabbits and hares. Pikas are plant generalists but habitat specialists in that they require cool microclimates to regulate their body temperature. Pikas are distributed throughout the western United States and are found mainly in moist subalpine and alpine habitats that are dominated by talus slopes. They are extremely well adapted to montane environments, but are sensitive to climatic extremes and temperatures above 80oF can be lethal to pikas in as little as six to eight hours. To stay cool, pikas will stay in rock crevices or under large boulders until the ambient temperature cools. Pikas can also inhabit non-alpine environments at lower elevations that include lava fields and mining areas. In these areas the temperatures tend to be much higher and pikas must adjust their foraging behaviors to cooler times of the day and utilize the cool microclimates for longer periods of time.
Pikas do not hibernate and remain active all winter long. They store large “haypiles” or stores of vegetation in the late summer and fall that they cache and will utilize all winter long. In Montana pikas typically range between 5,500-10,500 feet in elevation and inhabit rocky talus or boulder fields throughout the western part of the state.
Pikas do not hibernate and remain active all winter long. They store large “haypiles” or stores of vegetation in the late summer and fall that they cache and will utilize all winter long. In Montana pikas typically range between 5,500-10,500 feet in elevation and inhabit rocky talus or boulder fields throughout the western part of the state.
Effects of Climate Change on Pika Populations
Photo by A. Craighead
Climate change and its effects on all species may be one of the most difficult challenges to be faced in the twenty-first century. The most notable changes will be felt at high latitudes and at the poles. As humans, we will be able to mitigate some of the climate challenges through migration, innovative technologies and change in political policies. Plant and wildlife species on the other hand will be limited in their ability to withstand climate change. Species will either adapt by migrating latitudinal or altitudinal within their ranges, finding microclimate refugia that are buffered from extremes, or perish.
One species that is threatened by climate change is the pika (Family Ochotonidae). Pikas are highly sensitive to warm temperatures and are physiologically unable to survive if the temperature exceeds a certain threshold. Therefore they serve as excellent indicators of a changing climate. These denizens of high alpine environments are already feeling the heat. Populations are being extirpated in the United States’ Great Basin of Nevada, and in the Tian Shan mountains of China. Evidence suggests that increased temperatures and a changing climate are to blame.
One species that is threatened by climate change is the pika (Family Ochotonidae). Pikas are highly sensitive to warm temperatures and are physiologically unable to survive if the temperature exceeds a certain threshold. Therefore they serve as excellent indicators of a changing climate. These denizens of high alpine environments are already feeling the heat. Populations are being extirpated in the United States’ Great Basin of Nevada, and in the Tian Shan mountains of China. Evidence suggests that increased temperatures and a changing climate are to blame.
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Montana Pika Survey-Citizen Science
Photo by Becka Barkley
This program began in 2010 to engage citizens to provide GPS locations of pikas in Montana by filling out a simple pika survey and collecting spatial data on pikas in the field. The program was modeled after the very successful Teton Science Schools pika project survey which began in 2009. Accurate locations can be gathered with the use of a handheld GPS, smart phone application (app) or using Google earth. Locations are then mapped and the information catalogued to provide a simple yet biologically relevant data base to be used by researchers and agency personnel.
Pikas are an ideal species to engage the public in citizen science, they are charismatic, easy to identify, amenable to being watched and are found in spectacular alpine settings. Only a limited amount of training is required to have volunteers ready to participate in scientific research and assure that quality data are collected. Similar projects throughout the Rocky Mountains are providing crucial data on pika habitat and distribution to researchers that will help guide conservation efforts in the future. Gathering data from Montana will fill in data gaps needed for the Northern Rockies.
The first year, April Craighead, Craighead Institute's wildlife biologist, targeted agency personnel (Forest Service, National Park Service and interested non-profit organizations) by offering educational presentations with limited success. April had four observers that provided data for five new pika locations. Many people were interested in the project but did not carry a GPS or were confused about taking the data. In 2011, she conducted more public meetings regarding pikas, targeted citizens as well as agency personnel and conducted training sessions specifically geared to collecting data with a GPS. This strategy was more successful and by the end of 2011, and April had observations from at least 20 different individuals that provided 71 pika locations from seven different counties throughout Montana.
Pikas are an ideal species to engage the public in citizen science, they are charismatic, easy to identify, amenable to being watched and are found in spectacular alpine settings. Only a limited amount of training is required to have volunteers ready to participate in scientific research and assure that quality data are collected. Similar projects throughout the Rocky Mountains are providing crucial data on pika habitat and distribution to researchers that will help guide conservation efforts in the future. Gathering data from Montana will fill in data gaps needed for the Northern Rockies.
The first year, April Craighead, Craighead Institute's wildlife biologist, targeted agency personnel (Forest Service, National Park Service and interested non-profit organizations) by offering educational presentations with limited success. April had four observers that provided data for five new pika locations. Many people were interested in the project but did not carry a GPS or were confused about taking the data. In 2011, she conducted more public meetings regarding pikas, targeted citizens as well as agency personnel and conducted training sessions specifically geared to collecting data with a GPS. This strategy was more successful and by the end of 2011, and April had observations from at least 20 different individuals that provided 71 pika locations from seven different counties throughout Montana.
Pika Survey
Resurveying Historic Pika Locations
Gardener Lake, WY
Future predictions regarding climate change predict that temperatures in the Northern Rockies may increase by 4-7 oF by 2100. This increase in temperature could prove disastrous for pikas that depend on cool microclimates to provide them the ability to regulate their temperature.
To understand what habitat may be available to pikas in the future it is important to identify areas where they have existed in the past. From museum records and researchers we can identify areas where pika populations have been identified and then resurvey those areas to determine which populations remain extant and where they have been extirpated. There are drawbacks in using museum records from the middle 20th century since much of the location data is inadequate to determine exact locations.
This project began in 2009, when the Craighead Institute was able to resurvey three historic pika locations to determine if pika populations were extant. These areas were all located in southwestern Montana and included areas in the Bridger Mountains, Crazy Mountains and Tobacco Root Mountains and April found that two of three areas still contained extant pika populations.
In 2010, we were able to resurvey five other locations in Wyoming and Montana (Beartooth Mountains and Gallatin Mountains). All of these locations contained extant populations. In 2011, we resurveyed two additional sites and found that one site had extant pika populations and the other site appeared to be extirpated. Further investigations needs to be conducted at the extirpated site in the Bridger Mountains to determine if pikas have been extirpated and this work will continue in 2012.
To understand what habitat may be available to pikas in the future it is important to identify areas where they have existed in the past. From museum records and researchers we can identify areas where pika populations have been identified and then resurvey those areas to determine which populations remain extant and where they have been extirpated. There are drawbacks in using museum records from the middle 20th century since much of the location data is inadequate to determine exact locations.
This project began in 2009, when the Craighead Institute was able to resurvey three historic pika locations to determine if pika populations were extant. These areas were all located in southwestern Montana and included areas in the Bridger Mountains, Crazy Mountains and Tobacco Root Mountains and April found that two of three areas still contained extant pika populations.
In 2010, we were able to resurvey five other locations in Wyoming and Montana (Beartooth Mountains and Gallatin Mountains). All of these locations contained extant populations. In 2011, we resurveyed two additional sites and found that one site had extant pika populations and the other site appeared to be extirpated. Further investigations needs to be conducted at the extirpated site in the Bridger Mountains to determine if pikas have been extirpated and this work will continue in 2012.
Monitoring active pika locations in southwestern Montana
This project is an extension of the work that Dr. Chris Ray began in 1998 with pikas at Emerald Lake in the Gallatin Mountains. April was interested in continuing a monitoring project in a nearby location and historic records from researchers indicated that pikas are located within Gallatin Canyon at much lower elevations (5,500 ft). April began to wonder if pikas at these lower elevations were still extant and how temperatures differ for these pikas at lower elevations. April began systematic surveys for pikas in Gallatin Canyon from approximately MP 63 (Hellroaring trailhead) to MP 47.5 at Big Sky and along adjacent drainages at higher elevations. By the end of 2011, she located 33 active pika locations in that study area and will be monitoring pika activity for the next few years. Pika data collected included GPS location, talus measurements and pika activity.
A total of eighteen temperature data loggers were placed to record under talus temperatures as well as ambient temperatures. In some of these locations April has two years of subsurface talus temperatures. Hobo’s are placed approximately 20 cm underneath the talus near an active haypile and are enclosed in a waterproof box. All dislodged rocks are replaced to conceal the Hobo. Hobo’s recording ambient temperatures are placed within two staggered quart sized yogurt containers and hung in a tree approximately two meters above the ground. Hobo’s are programmed to record temperatures every 90 minutes and the data is retrieved and downloaded in August or September and relaunched to record data for another year.
With two years of data at the Moose Ck. site the data show that there is quite a bit of daily and seasonal variation from 2009-2011. The maximum and minimum temperatures experienced at this site are quite similar but the yearly average is warmer in 2010-2011 with an average temperature of 37.35 o F compared to 33.53 o F in 2009-2010.
From the graphs you can see that pikas endure very cold temperatures in the winter months even with a snow layer to provide some insulation. They also experience very warm temperatures in the summer even though these data loggers are buried underneath the talus. The data indicate that between March and May the temperatures within the talus begin to warm above the freezing point this also coincides with spring green-up that provides pikas with fresh forage.
This data will be used to build a long term temperature profile of these low elevation sites as compared to higher elevation pika locations at Emerald Lake (~8,500 ft). These data can be used to compare the daily and seasonal differences pika endure at lower elevations and provide baseline data for climate modeling.
A total of eighteen temperature data loggers were placed to record under talus temperatures as well as ambient temperatures. In some of these locations April has two years of subsurface talus temperatures. Hobo’s are placed approximately 20 cm underneath the talus near an active haypile and are enclosed in a waterproof box. All dislodged rocks are replaced to conceal the Hobo. Hobo’s recording ambient temperatures are placed within two staggered quart sized yogurt containers and hung in a tree approximately two meters above the ground. Hobo’s are programmed to record temperatures every 90 minutes and the data is retrieved and downloaded in August or September and relaunched to record data for another year.
With two years of data at the Moose Ck. site the data show that there is quite a bit of daily and seasonal variation from 2009-2011. The maximum and minimum temperatures experienced at this site are quite similar but the yearly average is warmer in 2010-2011 with an average temperature of 37.35 o F compared to 33.53 o F in 2009-2010.
From the graphs you can see that pikas endure very cold temperatures in the winter months even with a snow layer to provide some insulation. They also experience very warm temperatures in the summer even though these data loggers are buried underneath the talus. The data indicate that between March and May the temperatures within the talus begin to warm above the freezing point this also coincides with spring green-up that provides pikas with fresh forage.
This data will be used to build a long term temperature profile of these low elevation sites as compared to higher elevation pika locations at Emerald Lake (~8,500 ft). These data can be used to compare the daily and seasonal differences pika endure at lower elevations and provide baseline data for climate modeling.
Changes in alpine plant communities
Photo by C. Eldridge
As climate changes, plant communities will respond by moving to different elevations or latitudes in response to new temperature and climate regimes. For many species this shift will be upward in elevation and northward in latitude. This trend is already being documented in the United States and in Europe as plant communities are slowly moving in response to climate change.
Pikas are plant generalists feeding on a wide array of grasses, graminoids, shrubs and trees however not all plants contain the same nutritional value. Grasses tend to be eaten sooner and forbs tend to be stored and consumed later in the winter. Changes in plant communities due to climate change could change the nutritional balance of plant species that pikas forage on thus lowering the overall fitness of pikas. These changes are already being recorded in high alpine areas in Colorado.
Resurveying of plant communities began in 2010 with approximately nine long term sites being resurveyed near Emerald Lake in the Hyalite Mountains. In 2011, 12 more sites were resurveyed and that data is still being analyzed. In 2012, the Craighead Institute is planning to survey a series of older sites using a different plant survey methodology to determine if plant communities have changed over time. These multiple comparisons will allow researchers to determine if plant communities are beginning to change due to climate change in alpine areas in the Gallatin Mountains.
Pikas are plant generalists feeding on a wide array of grasses, graminoids, shrubs and trees however not all plants contain the same nutritional value. Grasses tend to be eaten sooner and forbs tend to be stored and consumed later in the winter. Changes in plant communities due to climate change could change the nutritional balance of plant species that pikas forage on thus lowering the overall fitness of pikas. These changes are already being recorded in high alpine areas in Colorado.
Resurveying of plant communities began in 2010 with approximately nine long term sites being resurveyed near Emerald Lake in the Hyalite Mountains. In 2011, 12 more sites were resurveyed and that data is still being analyzed. In 2012, the Craighead Institute is planning to survey a series of older sites using a different plant survey methodology to determine if plant communities have changed over time. These multiple comparisons will allow researchers to determine if plant communities are beginning to change due to climate change in alpine areas in the Gallatin Mountains.
PikaNet and Pikas in Peril
In 2010 the National Park Service (NPS) Climate Change Response Program funded research on the American pika (Ochotona princeps) titled "Pikas in peril: multi-regional vulnerability assessment of a climate-sensitive sentinel species." The pikas-in-peril (PIP) project involves research on patterns of pika habitat occupancy in eight national park units, as well as a public outreach component, PikaNet. PikaNet is a coordinated network of citizen-science programs designed to engage the public in pika habitat occupancy research throughout the species' range.
Craighead Institute has been involved in coordinating the efforts of non-profit groups by facilitating regular communications between PIP researchers and non-profit groups, developing training manuals for a “Pika How to Manual” and developing web based maps of citizen science projects throughout the western United States. Updates for the participating parks can be viewed at http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/ucbn/monitor/pika/pika_peril/index.cfm
Craighead Institute has been involved in coordinating the efforts of non-profit groups by facilitating regular communications between PIP researchers and non-profit groups, developing training manuals for a “Pika How to Manual” and developing web based maps of citizen science projects throughout the western United States. Updates for the participating parks can be viewed at http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/ucbn/monitor/pika/pika_peril/index.cfm
Thanks in large part to the following organizations, foundations, and individuals who have supported our pika research programs:
 April Craighead presenting to a sold-out REI workshop
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