Project Objectives

Pika calling. Photo by Michael Durham

This project will:

1. Document pika occurrence patterns and predict pika distribution across eight National Park Service Units.
2. Measure gene flow and model connectivity of pika populations within five National Park Service Units representing major genetic subdivisions and habitat types.
3. Project climate change effects on the future distribution, connectivity and vulnerability of pika populations in each National Park Service Unit.
   

Parks Involved

The following National Park Service Units are involved in this effort:

• Crater Lake National Park, OR
• Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, ID
• Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, CO
• Grand Teton National Park, WY
• Lava Beds National Monument, CA
• Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA
• Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
• Yellowstone National Park, WY, MT, ID

These parks span over 1300 km in both latitude and longitude. The large geographic scale of this project allows meaningful analysis of drivers of pika occurrence under a shifting climate regime. The research team expects that due to the habitat requirements and limited dispersal ability of American pikas, habitat in national parks may be of increasing importance as refugia and therefore as source populations for future recolonization events.