 Photo by Greg Winston  |
Pika Research and Conservation at Craighead InstituteAmerican pikaThe 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. |
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.
Help Support our Pika Research
Pika photos taken by volunteers in Montana
Photo by Tom Forwood
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Photo by Cathy Weeden
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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, we collected data on 1,116 plant plots on the western side of the canyon. In 2013 we will finish the rest of the sampling and begin analysis to determine if these plant communities have changed since they were originally surveyed in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. 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, we collected data on 1,116 plant plots on the western side of the canyon. In 2013 we will finish the rest of the sampling and begin analysis to determine if these plant communities have changed since they were originally surveyed in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. 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.
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 2012, she located 44 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 three years of subsurface talus temperatures. Below is what a typical temperature profile looks like at some of these low elevation sites. This data logger was placed near an active haypile approximately 20 cm below the talus near Swan Creek and recorded temperatures throughout
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 three years of subsurface talus temperatures. Below is what a typical temperature profile looks like at some of these low elevation sites. This data logger was placed near an active haypile approximately 20 cm below the talus near Swan Creek and recorded temperatures throughout
Thanks in large part to the following organizations, foundations, businesses, and individuals who have supported our pika research programs:
 April Craighead presenting to a sold-out REI workshop
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