Tamias alpinus

Clawson, R.G.; Clawson, Joseph A.; Best, Troy L.

doi:10.2307/3504285

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…This categorization into dietary guild corresponds to other findings that a wider dietary niche breadth was associated with range changes (Angert et al ). We also found that those herbivores generally not synchronous with vegetation dynamics were species that use mostly herbaceous vegetation types, such as open areas [ M. californicus, M. longicaudus (Smolen and Keller ), and S. trowbridgii (George )], meadows [ U. beldingi (Jenkins and Eshelman ), and M. montanus (Sera and Early )], riparian [ Z. princeps (Hart et al )], and rock slab [ T. alpinus (Clawson et al )]. Such vegetation types tend not to be as spatially dynamic because they are mostly tied to the local topography and geologic structure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Synchronicity in elevation range shifts among small mammals and vegetation over the last century is stronger for omnivores

2014

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In mountain ecosystems, species can be said to respond synchronously to environmental change when the elevation ranges of vegetation types and their associated vertebrates expand or contract in the same direction. Conversely, the response is asynchronous when the elevation ranges of vegetation types and associated vertebrates change in different directions. The capacity of vertebrate species to respond synchronously with change in the elevation ranges of the vegetation that comprises their habitat is likely a function of their ecological traits. Here we combine measures of elevation range shifts in 23 vertebrate species with those of their associated vegetation types across 80 yr, on a large elevation transect in California's Sierra Nevada mountains that encompasses Yosemite National Park. Half the species’ shifts were synchronous with vegetation shifts, ¼ of the species were asynchronous, and the others showed no relationship. Most species that responded synchronously to changes in vegetation elevation ranges expanded their elevation range, and are inhabitants of low and intermediate elevations. In contrast, those species whose range shifts were asynchronous to associated vegetation shifts inhabit high elevations. These species experienced contraction in elevation range even while their associated vegetation types expanded. However, these species were responding synchronously to a subset of their associated vegetation types. Considering trait‐based predictors, omnivores were more synchronous than herbivores. Our results on synchronous and asynchronous elevation shifts with vegetation may permit more accurate modeling of future ranges for vertebrates in California's Sierra Nevada. The approach also offers a new method for use in assessment of vertebrate vulnerability in other mountain regions, and can be an important component of assessing their vulnerability to climate change.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Synchronicity in elevation range shifts among small mammals and vegetation over the last century is stronger for omnivores

2014

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“…Tamias alpinus is thought to be more of an ecological specialist than T. speciosus (Grinnell & Storer, ; Best et al ., ; Clawson et al ., ). If this contrast is correct, then the variance of the isotopic ratios of T. alpinus hair (a reflection of their diet) should be smaller than the variance in ratios for T. speciosus .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although these species are partially sympatric in many parts of their ranges, they are believed to differ in their degree of ecological specialization. While T. alpinus is thought to be restricted to high‐elevation alpine habitats, T. speciosus occurs in a variety of habitats extending from tree line down through several types of forest (Grinnell & Storer, ; Best et al ., ; Clawson et al ., ). Efforts to model elevational distributions of these species indicate that the upward range contraction of T. alpinus over the past century is associated with the changes in abiotic conditions such as temperature (Rubidge et al ., ; Rowe et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…A species’ diet provides a direct link to its environment and has important implications for numerous other aspects of its biology, including physiology, behavior, and morphology. Both T. alpinus and T. speciosus are omnivorous, with plants as a major portion of their diet (Best et al ., ; Clawson et al ., ). Over the past century, the vegetation in montane regions of California has changed significantly with respect to elevational distributions (Crimmins et al ., ) and relative abundance of individual plant taxa (Kopp & Cleland, ), as well as landscape‐scale changes in vegetation types and structure (Thorne et al ., ; McIntyre et al ., ), suggesting that diets of these chipmunk species also may have changed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Morphological and dietary responses of chipmunks to a century of climate change

Walsh

Assis

Patton

et al. 2016

Global Change Biology

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Predicting how individual taxa will respond to climatic change is challenging, in part because the impacts of environmental conditions can vary markedly, even among closely related species. Studies of chipmunks (Tamias spp.) in Yosemite National Park provide an important opportunity to explore the reasons for this variation in response. While the alpine chipmunk (T. alpinus) has undergone a significant elevational range contraction over the past century, the congeneric and partially sympatric lodgepole chipmunk (T. speciosus) has not experienced an elevational range shift during this period. As a first step toward identifying the factors underlying this difference in response, we examined evidence for dietary changes and changes in cranial morphology in these species over the past century. Stable isotope analyses of fur samples from modern and historical museum specimens of these species collected at the same localities indicated that signatures of dietary change were more pronounced in T. alpinus, although diet breadth did not differ consistently between the study species. Morphometric analyses of crania from these specimens revealed significant changes in cranial shape for T. alpinus, with less pronounced changes in shape for T. speciosus; evidence of selection on skull morphology was detected for T. alpinus, but not for T. speciosus. These results are consistent with growing evidence that T. alpinus is generally more responsive to environmental change than T. speciosus, but emphasize the complex and often geographically variable nature of such responses. Accordingly, future studies that make use of the taxonomically and spatially integrative approach employed here may prove particularly informative regarding relationships between environmental conditions, range changes, and patterns of phenotypic variation.

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“…The alpine chipmunk (Tamias alpinus) is a small-bodied (30-50 g) species that occurs primarily at and above treeline (~3,000 m above sea level; Clawson et al 1994). In contrast, the lodgepole chipmunk (T. speciosus) is larger bodied (50-80 g) and occurs primarily at and below treeline (~1,900-3,200 m above sea level; Best et al 1994, Moritz et al 2008.…”

Section: Study Species and Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glucocorticoid–environment relationships align with responses to environmental change in two co‐occurring congeners

Hammond

Palme

Lacey

2018

Ecological Applications

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As more species undergo range shifts in response to climate change, it is increasingly important to understand the factors that determine an organism's realized niche. Physiological limits imposed by abiotic factors constrain the distributions of many species. Because glucocorticoids are essential to the maintenance of physiological homeostasis, identifying glucocorticoid-environment relationships may generate critical insights into both limits on species distributions and potential responses to environmental change. We explored relationships between variability in baseline glucocorticoids and sensitivity to environmental conditions in two chipmunk species characterized by divergent patterns of spatial, genetic, and morphological change over the past century. Specifically, we investigated whether the alpine chipmunk (Tamias alpinus), which has undergone pronounced changes, displays greater glucocorticoid sensitivity to environmental parameters than the lodgepole chipmunk (T. speciosus), which has exhibited little change over the same interval. From 2013 to 2015, we collected environmental data and fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) samples from these species. Using generalized linear mixed models and a model averaging approach, we examined the impacts of environmental and individual phenotypic parameters on FGMs. We found pronounced interspecific differences, with environmental parameters being better predictors of FGMs in T. alpinus. FGMs in this species were particularly elevated in less climatically suitable habitats and in areas with higher maximum daily temperatures. Individual phenotypic traits were not predictive of FGMs in T. alpinus, although they were highly predictive for T. speciosus. Collectively, these findings support the hypothesis that T. alpinus is more sensitive to environmental change. More generally, our results suggest that both phenotypic attributes and environmental conditions contribute to FGM responses but that the relative contributions of these factors differ among taxa, including among closely related species. Finally, our analyses underscore the value of glucocorticoids as bioindicators of sensitivity to environmental change in species for which the factors affecting stress physiology have been assessed.

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Tamias alpinus

Cited by 14 publications

References 0 publications

Synchronicity in elevation range shifts among small mammals and vegetation over the last century is stronger for omnivores

Synchronicity in elevation range shifts among small mammals and vegetation over the last century is stronger for omnivores

Morphological and dietary responses of chipmunks to a century of climate change

Glucocorticoid–environment relationships align with responses to environmental change in two co‐occurring congeners

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