Facing a Changing World: Thermal Physiology of American Pikas (<i>Ochotona princeps</i>)

Otto, Hans W.; Wilson, James A.; Beever, Erik A.

doi:10.3398/064.075.0402

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 82 publications

(120 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In Colorado, pikas were surface active over 30% (Smith and Ivins 1986) and 61% (Conner 1983a) of the time, and Montana pikas were surface active 41% of the time (Barash 1973). Otto et al (2015) found pikas active 27% (Colorado) and 29% (Wyoming) of the time. Pikas in the nearby Sierra Nevada were surface active 36% of the time (Supplementary Material 5).…”

Section: General Activitymentioning

confidence: 87%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Behavioral Ecology of American Pikas (Ochotona princeps) at Mono Craters, California: Living on the Edge

Smith

Nagy

Millar

2016

Western North American Naturalist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: General Activitymentioning

confidence: 87%

“…(2) Because of their sensitivity to warm temperatures, pikas behaviorally avoid activity during midday when temperatures are warmest (Severaid 1955, Smith 1974a, MacArthur and Wang 1974, Otto et al 2015;…”

Section: Behavioral Ecology Of American Pikas (Ochotona Princeps)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral Ecology of American Pikas (Ochotona princeps) at Mono Craters, California: Living on the Edge

Smith

Nagy

Millar

2016

Western North American Naturalist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Where extreme high values would seem to be unfavorable given the thermal physiology of pikas (as in sites with warm summers or cold, dry winters), we suspect that thermal conditions are mitigated by microclimates associated with talus landforms. Rocky landforms have thermal regimes shown to be decoupled from surface air, which results in cooler temperatures with low variance during warm summer days and warmer temperatures under snow in cold winters (Hall et al 2016;Delany 2014b, 2016;Otto, Wilson, and Beever 2015;Rodhouse, Hovland, and Jeffress 2017;Smith, Nagy, and Millar 2016;Wilkening, Ray, and Varner 2015). These landforms also support vegetation in their forefields on which pikas depend for summer forage and winter caching (Millar et al 2015).…”

Section: Extant Pika Populations In the Great Basin And Comparison Wimentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution, climatic relationships, and status of American pikas (Ochotona princeps) in the Great Basin, USA

Millar

Delany

Hersey

et al. 2018

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To advance understanding of the distribution, climatic relationships, and status of American pikas (Ochotona princeps) in the Great Basin, United States, we compiled 2,387 records of extant pika sites surveyed since 2005, 89 records of documented extirpated sites (resurvey of historic sites), and 774 records of sites with old sign only. Extant sites extended across five degrees latitude and ten degrees longitude, encompassed six subregions, traversed forty mountain ranges, spanned 2,378 m in elevation (1,631-4,009 m), and comprised three of five currently described pika subspecies. A climate envelope for extant sites using the PRISM climate model expands the range of temperature and precipitation values that have been previously described. Extirpated and old-sign sites were mostly found within the geographic and climatic space of extant sites, but often in warmer and drier portions. Considerable overlap of extirpated, old, and extant groups within the same climate space suggests that nonclimatic factors have also contributed to population losses. The broad distribution and enlarged climate envelope of extant pika sites indicate that despite some localized extirpations, pika populations are persisting across Great Basin mountains, and appear to be able to tolerate a broader set of habitat conditions than previously understood.

show abstract

“…While much remains to be learned about the role of nocturnal food-collection in pikas, nighttime activity may be constrained by increased predation risk (Maor, Dayan, Ferguson-Gow, & Jones, 2017) and/or other factors (Gaynor, Hojnowski, Carter, & Brashares, 2018). Individuals that collect food at night, therefore, may be more likely to experience temperatures that are below thermoneutrality (Otto, Wilson, & Beever, 2015), which would necessitate increased energy expenditure on T b regulation. At night, interstitial spaces in the talus are warmer than ambient temperatures (Hall et al, 2016;Millar, Westfall, & Delany, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At night, interstitial spaces in the talus are warmer than ambient temperatures (Hall et al, 2016;Millar, Westfall, & Delany, 2016). Individuals that collect food at night, therefore, may be more likely to experience temperatures that are below thermoneutrality (Otto, Wilson, & Beever, 2015), which would necessitate increased energy expenditure on T b regulation. The extent to which populations can temporally expand their activity periods will likely be influenced by both predation and thermoregulatory risk.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural plasticity modulates temperature‐related constraints on foraging time for a montane mammal

Hall

Chalfoun

2018

Journal of Animal Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

Facing a Changing World: Thermal Physiology of American Pikas (Ochotona princeps)

Cited by 13 publications

References 82 publications

Behavioral Ecology of American Pikas (Ochotona princeps) at Mono Craters, California: Living on the Edge

Behavioral Ecology of American Pikas (Ochotona princeps) at Mono Craters, California: Living on the Edge

Distribution, climatic relationships, and status of American pikas (Ochotona princeps) in the Great Basin, USA

Behavioural plasticity modulates temperature‐related constraints on foraging time for a montane mammal

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About