About the Pika

1. Impacts of Climate Change on Pikas in the North Cascades National Park Service ComplexJason E. Bruggeman1, Roger Christophersen2, Regina Rochefort2, and Robert Kuntz2 About the Pika • The American pika (Photo 1) is a small mammal primarily constrained to alpine and subalpine, or high elevation or latitude, regions in western North America. • Because of their sensitivity to high temperatures, constraints to higher elevations or latitudes, and restricted habitat requirement of talus patches (i.e., rock topples; Photo 2), pikas are considered to be a climate change indicator species, particularly for alpine ecosystems. • Pikas do not hibernate. Instead, they spend part of the summer collecting vegetation, or “haying,” to form “hay piles” (Photo 3) that they use for forage throughout the winter. • Climate change may affect pikas in multiple ways, including through impacts on vegetation, affecting the timing of haying behavior, and behavioral changes owing to temperature increases and their thermoregulation needs. Photo 3. A pika “hay pile” that was found in a talus patch near Fisher Creek. Photo 5. The pika field crew from 2009. Pictured from left to right are Erin Burke, Jason Bruggeman, Rachel Richardson, and Roger Christophersen. Photo 4. Rachel Richardson recording pika data during summer 2009. The Pika in the North Cascades and the 2009 Study • Prior to 2009, little was known about pika populations and their habitat use in the North Cascades National Park Service Complex (NOCA) located in north central Washington (Figure 1). Because of their status as a climate change indicator species and recent petition for listing under the Endangered Species Act, pikas are a high priority for research in NOCA. • The goal of our 2009 study was to begin to investigate climate, habitat, and human-related factors affecting pika populations throughout NOCA. • Our field crew (Photos 4 & 5) gathered data from late June through September 2009 on pika abundance, habitat attributes, and temperature in 115 talus patches contained within 30 1 km2 survey areas throughout NOCA (Figure 1). • We found active pika presence in 90% of survey areas with abundance per area ranging from 0 to 101 pikas. • Within the 30 survey areas, we counted a total of 707 pikas in 115 talus patches, of which 74% had active pika presence. We found pikas in patches ranging in elevation between 351 and 2,130 meters, which spanned the entire range of elevations for patches surveyed. Photo 1. The American pika. Figure 1. The 30 1 km2 survey areas that were surveyed for pikas in summer 2009 in the North Cascades National Park Service Complex, Washington. Photo 2. Pika habitat consists of talus patches, such as these patches near Monogram Lake that were surveyed in 2009. 1--Beartooth Wildlife Research, LLC, Farmington, Minnesota; 2--National Park Service, North Cascades National Park Service Complex, Sedro-Woolley, Washington. Funding for the 2009 study was provided by Seattle City Light