Parks, pikas, and physiological stress: Implications for long-term monitoring of an NPS climate-sensitive sentinel species
Wilkening JL and Ray C. 2015. Parks, pikas, and physiological stress: Implications for long-term monitoring of an NPS climate-sensitive sentinel species. Park Science. 32(1):42-48
American pikas are widely considered a sentinel species for detecting ecological effects of climate change. They are declining within a large portion of their range, and the National Park Service (NPS) recently initiated a research program, Pikas in Peril (PIP), which is designed to assess pika vulnerability to predicted changes in climate. As part of the PIP program, we collected fresh fecal samples from eight western national parks. We also tested fecal sample storage techniques using feces collected from pikas that were live-trapped, thus validating storage protocols established by NPS surveyors. Finally we measured physiological stress (glucocorticoid metabolites, GCM) in pikas in parks using fecal samples collected non-invasively. Here we present baseline values of GCM concentration for pikas across the western United States, which can be used to identify changes in physiological stress levels for this climate-sensitive species. Our research contributes to the understanding of climate change effects on this sentinel mammal, and provides park managers with baseline information that can be incorporated into long-term monitoring studies.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Wilkening, Jennifer; Ray, Chris
- Units
- CRLA , CRMO , GRTE , LABE , LAVO , ROMO , YELL
- Keywords
- American pikas, climate change, Crater Lake National Park, Craters of the Moon National Mounument and Preserve, Grand Teton National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lava Beds National Monument, non-invasive sample collection, Pikas in Peril program, PWR-toolkit, wildlife