1
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McGinn KA, Zuckerberg B, Pauli JN, Zulla CJ, Berigan WJ, Wilkinson ZA, Barry JM, Keane JJ, Gutiérrez RJ, Peery MZ. Older forests function as energetic and demographic refugia for a climate-sensitive species. Oecologia 2023; 202:831-844. [PMID: 37642742 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05442-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
More frequent and extreme heat waves threaten climate-sensitive species. Structurally complex, older forests can buffer these effects by creating cool microclimates, although the mechanisms by which forest refugia mitigate physiological responses to heat exposure and subsequent population-level consequences remain relatively unexplored. We leveraged fine-scale movement data, doubly labeled water, and two decades of demographic data for the California spotted owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) to (1) assess the role of older forest characteristics as potential energetic buffers for individuals and (2) examine the subsequent value of older forests as refugia for a core population in the Sierra Nevada and a periphery population in the San Bernardino Mountains. Individuals spent less energy moving during warmer sampling periods and the presence of tall canopies facilitated energetic conservation during daytime roosting activities. In the core population, where tall-canopied forest was prevalent, temperature anomalies did not affect territory occupancy dynamics as warmer sites were both less likely to go extinct and less likely to become colonized, suggesting a trade-off between foraging opportunities and temperature exposure. In the peripheral population, sites were more likely to become unoccupied following warm summers, presumably because of less prevalent older forest conditions. While individuals avoided elevated energetic expenditure associated with temperature exposure, behavioral strategies to conserve energy may have diverted time and energy from reproduction or territory defense. Conserving older forests, which are threatened due to fire and drought, may benefit individuals from energetic consequences of exposure to stressful thermal conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate A McGinn
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
| | - Benjamin Zuckerberg
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
| | - Jonathan N Pauli
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
| | - Ceeanna J Zulla
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
| | - William J Berigan
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
| | - Zachary A Wilkinson
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
| | - Josh M Barry
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
| | - John J Keane
- U.S. Forest Service - Pacific Southwest Research Station, Davis, CA, USA
| | - R J Gutiérrez
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
| | - M Zachariah Peery
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
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2
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Lambert JP, Zhang X, Shi K, Riordan P. The pikas of China: a review of current research priorities and challenges for conservation. Integr Zool 2023; 18:110-128. [PMID: 34937133 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Of the approximately 30 extant species of pika (Ochotona; Ochotonidae; Lagomorpha), at least 23 occur in China. Of these, 8 are endemic, and 3 are classified as Endangered by the IUCN. Research into most Chinese species is scarce, and there is much to learn about basic aspects of their ecology. We reviewed the literature on the 23 Chinese Ochotona species, with the aim of highlighting knowledge gaps and biases in research allocation. Specifically, we identify (1) which pika species receive the most attention from researchers, (2) which topics are the most frequently studied, and (3) how well research satisfies conservation priorities. We covered a total of 879 articles, most of which were written in English or Chinese. Around 75% of all publications focused on the plateau pika Ochotona curzoniae. Seven species were represented by 10 or fewer publications each. Endangered and endemic species were particularly poorly represented. 204 papers treated pikas as a pest, while 13 studied conservation issues. Nine species were considered possible targets for pest control, including some poorly known endemics. We make some recommendations on how research into Chinese Ochotona could be improved, including: (1) recognizing that the current species-level taxonomy may be an ineffective way to prioritize conservation research in Ochotona, (2) directing more research toward threatened and endemic species, subspecies, and populations, (3) researching the ecosystem engineering effects of pikas, (4) collecting basic data on natural history of the many understudied species, and (5) researching threats, including climate change and pest control campaigns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph P Lambert
- Wildlife Institute, School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | | | - Kun Shi
- Wildlife Institute, School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.,Eco-Bridge Continental, Haidian District, Beijing, China
| | - Philip Riordan
- Wildlife Institute, School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.,Marwell Wildlife, Winchester, Hampshire, UK
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3
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Occurrence of favorable local habitat conditions in an atypical landscape: Evidence of Japanese pika microrefugia. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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4
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Benedict LM, Wiebe M, Plichta M, Batts H, Johnson J, Monk E, Ray C. Microclimate and Summer Surface Activity in the American Pika (Ochotona princeps). WEST N AM NATURALIST 2020. [DOI: 10.3398/064.080.0303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Meghan Wiebe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado–Boulder, Boulder, CO
| | - Maxwell Plichta
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado–Boulder, Boulder, CO
| | - Heather Batts
- Department of Biology, Advanced Inquiry Program, Miami University, Oxford, OH
| | - Jessica Johnson
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
| | - Emily Monk
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado–Boulder, Boulder, CO
| | - Chris Ray
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado–Boulder, Boulder, CO
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5
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Abstract
Abstract
The American pika (Ochotona princeps) is commonly perceived as a species that is at high risk of extinction due to climate change. The purpose of this review is two-fold: to evaluate the claim that climate change is threatening pikas with extinction, and to summarize the conservation status of the American pika. Most American pikas inhabit major cordilleras, such as the Rocky Mountain, Sierra Nevada, and Cascade ranges. Occupancy of potential pika habitat in these ranges is uniformly high and no discernible climate signal has been found that discriminates between the many occupied and relatively few unoccupied sites that have been recently surveyed. Pikas therefore are thriving across most of their range. The story differs in more marginal parts of the species range, primarily across the Great Basin, where a higher percentage of available habitat is unoccupied. A comprehensive review of Great Basin pikas revealed that occupied sites, sites of recent extirpation, and old sites, were regularly found within the same geographic and climatic space as extant sites, and suggested that pikas in the Great Basin tolerated a broader set of habitat and climatic conditions than previously understood. Studies of a small subset of extirpated sites in the Great Basin and in California found that climate variables (most notably measures of hot temperature) were associated more often with extirpated sites than occupied sites. Importantly, upward contraction of the lower elevation boundary also was found at some sites. However, models that incorporated variables other than climate (such as availability of upslope talus habitat) often were better predictors of site persistence. Many extirpations occurred on small habitat patches, which were subject to stochastic extinction, as informed by a long-term pika metapopulation study in Bodie, California. In addition, several sites may have been compromised by cattle grazing or other anthropogenic factors. In contrast, several low, hot sites (Bodie, Mono Craters, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Lava Beds National Monument, Columbia River Gorge) retain active pika populations, demonstrating the adaptive capacity and resilience of pikas in response to adverse environmental conditions. Pikas cope with warm temperatures by retreating into cool interstices of their talus habitat and augment their restricted daytime foraging with nocturnal activity. Pikas exhibit significant flexibility in their foraging tactics and are highly selective in their choice of available vegetation. The trait that places pikas at greatest risk from climate change is their poor dispersal capability. Dispersal is more restricted in hotter environments, and isolated low-elevation sites that become extirpated are unlikely to be recolonized in a warming climate. The narrative that American pikas are going extinct appears to be an overreach. Pikas are doing well across most of their range, but there are limited, low-elevation losses that are likely to be permanent in what is currently marginal pika habitat. The resilience of pikas in the face of climate change, and their ability or inability to persist in marginal, hot environments, will continue to contribute to our understanding of the impact of climate change on individual species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew T Smith
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
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6
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Ruperto EF, Taraborelli PA, Menéndez J, Sassi PL. Developmental environment influences activity levels in a montane rodent, Phyllotis xanthopygus. ZOOLOGY 2020; 142:125818. [PMID: 32745957 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2020.125818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Ambient temperature and thermal variability play a crucial role in diverse aspects of organisms' biology. In the current context of climate change, it is critical to understand how temperature impacts traits that could affect fitness. In Phyllotis xanthopygus, a small altricial rodent inhabiting an altitudinal gradient in the Andes Mountains of Argentina, the behavioral response to temperature varies between populations from different altitudes. Animals from high altitude (cold environment) reduce their activity rate at high temperatures, in contrast to animals from low altitude (relatively warmer environment). The goal of this study was to unveil the mechanism underlying such intraspecific behavioral variability in P. xanthopygus. We characterized activity rates under different thermal treatments both for wild-reared and lab-reared animals. As we expected, the intraspecific variability shown by animals raised at different altitudes in the field disappeared in animals raised under homogenous conditions in the laboratory. Our results are indicative of ontogenetic plasticity in P. xanthopygus and suggest that the behavioral versatility of adult individuals to deal with thermal challenges is shaped by the range of environmental conditions experienced during their early life. This adds to the list of features that modulate the biological performance of individuals and could influence the relative vulnerability of populations inhabiting different elevations under the global disturbance of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Fabián Ruperto
- Grupo de Investigaciones de la Biodiversidad, Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Áridas, CCT-Mendoza, CONICET, Av. Ruiz Leal s/n - Parque Gral, San Martín, M5500, Mendoza, Argentina.
| | - Paula Andrea Taraborelli
- EEA BARROW, Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur, Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria and CONICET, Calle 16 Nº 674 M7620, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Josefina Menéndez
- Grupo de Investigaciones de la Biodiversidad, Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Áridas, CCT-Mendoza, CONICET, Av. Ruiz Leal s/n - Parque Gral, San Martín, M5500, Mendoza, Argentina.
| | - Paola Lorena Sassi
- Grupo de Investigaciones de la Biodiversidad, Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Áridas, CCT-Mendoza, CONICET, Av. Ruiz Leal s/n - Parque Gral, San Martín, M5500, Mendoza, Argentina; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, M5502 JMA, Mendoza, Argentina.
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7
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Camp MJ, Shipley LA, Varner J, Waterhouse BD. Activity Patterns and Foraging Behavior of American Pikas (Ochotona princeps) Differ between Craters of the Moon and Alpine Talus in Idaho. WEST N AM NATURALIST 2020. [DOI: 10.3398/064.080.0106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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8
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Rodrigues AV, Kohlsdorf T. Learning skills in
Tropidurus
lizards are associated with territory harshness. J Zool (1987) 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- A. V. Rodrigues
- Department of Biology‐FFCLRP University of Sao Paulo Ribeirao Preto SP Brazil
- Department of Zoology ‐ IB University of Sao Paulo Sao Paulo SP Brazil
| | - T. Kohlsdorf
- Department of Biology‐FFCLRP University of Sao Paulo Ribeirao Preto SP Brazil
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9
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Wilkening JL, Cole EJ, Beever EA. Evaluating mechanisms of plant‐mediated effects on herbivore persistence and occupancy across an ecoregion. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L. Wilkening
- Southern Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive Las Vegas Nevada 89130 USA
| | - Evan J. Cole
- Department of Environmental Science University of San Francisco 1843A Powell Street San Francisco California 94133 USA
| | - Erik A. Beever
- Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center U.S. Geological Survey 2327 University Avenue, Suite 2 Bozeman Montana 59715 USA
- Department of Ecology Montana State University Bozeman Montana 59717 USA
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10
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Hall LE, Chalfoun AD. Behavioural plasticity modulates temperature-related constraints on foraging time for a montane mammal. J Anim Ecol 2018; 88:363-375. [PMID: 30449046 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Contemporary climate change is altering temperature profiles across the globe. Increasing temperatures can reduce the amount of time during which conditions are suitable for animals to engage in essential activities, such as securing food. Behavioural plasticity, the ability to alter behaviour in response to the environment, may provide animals with a tool to adjust to changes in the availability of suitable thermal conditions. The extent to which individuals can alter fitness-enhancing behaviours, such as food collection, to proximately buffer variation in temperature, however, remains unclear. Even less well understood are the potential performance advantages of flexible strategies among endotherms. We examined the degree to which individuals altered rates of food collection in response to temperature, and two potential benefits, using the American pika (Ochotona princeps), a temperature-sensitive, food-hoarding mammal, as a model. From July-September 2013-2015, we used motion-activated cameras and in situ temperature loggers to examine pika food-caching activity for 72 individuals across 10 sites in the central Rocky Mountains, USA. We quantified % nitrogen by cache volume as a metric of cache quality, and the number of events during which pikas were active in temperatures ≥25°C as a measure of potential thermoregulatory stress. We found a strong negative effect of temperature on the rate at which pikas cached food. Individual responses to temperature varied substantially in both the level of food-collecting activity and in the degree to which individuals shifted activity with warming temperature. After accounting for available foraging time, individuals that exhibited greater plasticity collected a comparable amount of nitrogen, while simultaneously experiencing fewer occasions in which temperatures eclipsed estimated thermal tolerances. By varying food-collection norms of reaction, individuals were able to plastically respond to temperature-driven reductions in foraging time. Through this increased flexibility, individuals amassed food caches of comparable quality, while minimizing exposure to potentially stressful thermal conditions. Our results suggest that, given sufficient resource quality and availability, plasticity in foraging activity may help temperature-limited endotherms adjust to climate-related constraints on foraging time.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Embere Hall
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
| | - Anna D Chalfoun
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
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11
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Wessling EG, Deschner T, Mundry R, Pruetz JD, Wittig RM, Kühl HS. Seasonal Variation in Physiology Challenges the Notion of Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) as a Forest-Adapted Species. Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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12
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Apparent climate-mediated loss and fragmentation of core habitat of the American pika in the Northern Sierra Nevada, California, USA. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0181834. [PMID: 28854268 PMCID: PMC5576638 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Contemporary climate change has been widely documented as the apparent cause of range contraction at the edge of many species distributions but documentation of climate change as a cause of extirpation and fragmentation of the interior of a species’ core habitat has been lacking. Here, we report the extirpation of the American pika (Ochotona princeps), a temperature-sensitive small mammal, from a 165-km2 area located within its core habitat in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. While sites surrounding the area still maintain pikas, radiocarbon analyses of pika fecal pellets recovered within this area indicate that former patch occupancy ranges from before 1955, the beginning of the atmospheric spike in radiocarbon associated with above ground atomic bomb testing, to c. 1991. Despite an abundance of suitable rocky habitat climate warming appears to have precipitated their demise. Weather station data reveal a 1.9°C rise in local temperature and a significant decline in snowpack over the period of record, 1910–2015, pushing pika habitat into increasingly tenuous climate conditions during the period of extirpation. This is among the first accounts of an apparently climate-mediated, modern extirpation of a species from an interior portion of its geographic distribution, resulting in habitat fragmentation, and is the largest area yet reported for a modern-era pika extirpation. Our finding provides empirical support to model projections, indicating that even core areas of species habitat are vulnerable to climate change within a timeframe of decades.
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13
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Rodhouse TJ, Hovland M, Jeffress MR. Variation in subsurface thermal characteristics of microrefuges used by range core and peripheral populations of the American pika ( Ochotona princeps). Ecol Evol 2017; 7:1514-1526. [PMID: 28261461 PMCID: PMC5330895 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2016] [Revised: 12/20/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Microrefuges provide microclimates decoupled from inhospitable regional climate regimes that enable range‐peripheral populations to persist and are important to cold‐adapted species in an era of accelerated climate change. However, identifying and describing the thermal characteristics of microrefuge habitats is challenging, particularly for mobile organisms in cryptic, patchy habitats. We examined variation in subsurface thermal conditions of microrefuge habitats among different rock substrate types used by the American pika (Ochotona princeps), a climate‐sensitive, rock‐dwelling Lagomorph. We compared subsurface temperatures in talus and lava substrates in pika survey sites in two US national park units; one park study area on the range periphery and the other in the range core. We deployed paired sensors to examine within‐site temperature variation. We hypothesized that subsurface temperatures within occupied sites and structurally complex substrates would be cooler in summer and warmer in winter than unoccupied and less complex sites. Although within‐site variability was high, with correlations between paired sensors as low as 47%, we found compelling evidence that pikas occupy microrefuge habitats where subsurface conditions provide more thermal stability than in unoccupied microhabitats. The percentage of days in which microhabitat temperatures were between −2.5 and 25.5°C was significantly higher in occupied sites. Interestingly, thermal conditions were substantially more stable (p < .05) in the lava substrate type identified to be preferentially used by pikas (pahoehoe vs. a'a) in a previous study. Our study and others suggest that thermal stability appears to be the defining characteristic of subsurface microrefuges used by American pikas and is a likely explanation for enigmatic population persistence at the range periphery. Our study exemplifies an integrated approach for studying complex microhabitat conditions, paired with site use surveys and contextualized with information about gene flow provided by complementary studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew Hovland
- Department of Fish and Wildlife University of Idaho Moscow ID USA; Present address: Department of Animal and Rangeland Sciences Oregon State University 112 Withycombe Hall Corvallis OR 97331 USA
| | - Mackenzie R Jeffress
- Department of Fish and Wildlife University of Idaho Moscow ID USA; Nevada Department of Wildlife Elko NV USA
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14
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Sutton AO, Strickland D, Norris DR. Food storage in a changing world: implications of climate change for food-caching species. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1186/s40665-016-0025-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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15
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Smith AT, Nagy JD, Millar CI. Behavioral Ecology of American Pikas (Ochotona princeps) at Mono Craters, California: Living on the Edge. WEST N AM NATURALIST 2016. [DOI: 10.3398/064.076.0408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew T. Smith
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501. E-mail:
| | - John D. Nagy
- Department of Life Sciences, Scottsdale Community College, Scottsdale, AZ 85250
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16
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Moyer-Horner L, Beever EA, Johnson DH, Biel M, Belt J. Predictors of Current and Longer-Term Patterns of Abundance of American Pikas (Ochotona princeps) across a Leading-Edge Protected Area. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0167051. [PMID: 27902732 PMCID: PMC5130250 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
American pikas (Ochotona princeps) have been heralded as indicators of montane-mammal response to contemporary climate change. Pikas no longer occupy the driest and lowest-elevation sites in numerous parts of their geographic range. Conversely, pikas have exhibited higher rates of occupancy and persistence in Rocky Mountain and Sierra Nevada montane 'mainlands'. Research and monitoring efforts on pikas across the western USA have collectively shown the nuance and complexity with which climate will often act on species in diverse topographic and climatic contexts. However, to date no studies have investigated habitat, distribution, and abundance of pikas across hundreds of sites within a remote wilderness area. Additionally, relatively little is known about whether climate acts most strongly on pikas through direct or indirect (e.g., vegetation-mediated) mechanisms. During 2007-2009, we collectively hiked >16,000 km throughout the 410,077-ha Glacier National Park, Montana, USA, in an effort to identify topographic, microrefugial, and vegetative characteristics predictive of pika abundance. We identified 411 apparently pika-suitable habitat patches with binoculars (in situ), and surveyed 314 of them for pika signs. Ranking of alternative logistic-regression models based on AICc scores revealed that short-term pika abundances were positively associated with intermediate elevations, greater cover of mosses, and taller forbs, and decreased each year, for a total decline of 68% during the three-year study; whereas longer-term abundances were associated only with static variables (longitude, elevation, gradient) and were lower on north-facing slopes. Earlier Julian date and time of day of the survey (i.e., midday vs. not) were associated with lower observed pika abundance. We recommend that wildlife monitoring account for this seasonal and diel variation when surveying pikas. Broad-scale information on status and abundance determinants of montane mammals, especially for remote protected areas, is crucial for land and wildlife-resource managers trying to anticipate mammalian responses to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Moyer-Horner
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Erik A. Beever
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
| | - Douglas H. Johnson
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
- Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Department, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Mark Biel
- Glacier National Park, National Park Service, West Glacier, Montana, United States of America
| | - Jami Belt
- Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, National Park Service, Skagway, Alaska, United States of America
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17
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Ray C, Beever EA, Rodhouse TJ. Distribution of a climate‐sensitive species at an interior range margin. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Chris Ray
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine ResearchUniversity of Colorado Boulder Colorado 80309 USA
| | - Erik A. Beever
- United States Geological SurveyNorthern Rocky Mountain Science Center Bozeman Montana 59715 USA
- Department of EcologyMontana State University Bozeman Montana 59715 USA
- Ashland Wisconsin 54806 USA
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