Is the Fate of Whitebark Pine in the Beak of Clark's Nutcracker?
NCCN. 2020. Is the Fate of Whitebark Pine in the Beak of Clark's Nutcracker?. National Park Service
Results from research in five mountainous national parks in the Sierra Nevada and North Coast and Cascades Inventory and Monitoring Networks, reported in a recent journal article, suggest that, depending on availability of alternative food sources within or outside each park, Clark’s nutcrackers may leave the areas where whitebark pines are found. This may result in reduced seed dispersal for whitebark pines, threatening their persistence on the landscape. Similarly, Clark’s nutcrackers may disappear from their historic ranges as the distribution of whitebark pine is diminished, leading to a vicious cycle that unravels this mutualistic relationship.
- Type
- Resource Brief
- Authors
- NCCN
- Date of Issue
- 2020-11-16
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- MORA , NCCN , NOCA , SEKI , SIEN , YOSE
- Keywords
- Clark's nutcracker, monitoring, mountains, mutualism, white pines, whitebark pine