Pika - Mt & Desert

The pika is an alpine _____ species

indicator

Origin, Habitat & Range

• evolved from Siberian ancestors that crossed former bridge between Asia and Alaska

  • bering land bridge

  • beringia

• Range: N.America, high-elevation cool mountains above treeline

  • Rocky Mtns

  • Sierra Nevada

  • Cascade Ranges

Behavior

• store food

  • collect and dry plant forage material in “hay piles” near their rock homes, on talus slope

  • cache plants with high phenolic toxins

    • antimicrobial properties; preserve plants

• alarm calls

Physiology

• cold tolerance

  • extremely high metabolic rate & body temp

  • compact body shape (rounded), with short appendages and small, rounded ears

    • reduces surface area = reduced heat loss

  • low thermal conductance (rabbit-like fur), heat is held in

• heat intolerance

  • cannot pant or sweat

  • temps above 75 can be lethal

Diet

high protein—toxic phenolics for winter food preservation

• cecum - ferments fiber in plants they eat

• microbial activity produces heat

Global warming effects

Pika are a sentinel species for detecting ecological effects of climate change

• declining within large portion of their range

• are at the top of mountains, they cannot go farther up

• highly vulnerable to global warming

Sentinel species

Indicators of environmental health, often used to monitor and signal changes in ecosystems that can also impact humans

• species sensitive to pollutants, toxins, and environmental shifts (e.g. temperature) making them early warning systems for ecological threats