Mountain ecosystems offer substantial ecosystem services but are highly sensitive to climate change. The American pika (Ochotona princeps) serves as an indicator species of climate change and a model organism for studying its impacts on mountain mammals. Certain aspects of plant community composition and structure can function as predictors of pika distribution, but understanding the links between climate, forage quality, and foraging behavior is necessary to identify the mediating mechanism. Pika foraging pressure help shape the local plant community, which can confound modeling efforts and must be considered when evaluating the influence of vegetation on pika persistence. Plant Secondary Metabolites (PSMs) appear to be the most important indicators of forage quality, driving winter diet selection, especially in high elevation areas with extreme seasonality. Nutritional components, such as protein, nitrogen, and water content, are more important to summer diet. Foraging selectivity for nutritional components changes in response to environmental conditions and forage availability, suggesting increased importance as climate warms and dries. While metrics of heat stress, cold stress, and water budget appear to be significant divers of pika distribution, the heterogeneity with which climate impacts pikas across their range calls for a place-based perspective. The transformation of alpine plant communities in response to climate change may further stress pika populations as preferred forage items become scarcer. Pikas highlight the complexity and idiosyncrasy of alpine ecosystems. In order to address the challenges faced by pikas, managers should identify refugia and vulnerable populations, install plants high in PSMs and nutritional components, work to control invasive plants, consider legal and regulatory protections, and expand monitoring efforts.
","abstract_html":"<p>Mountain ecosystems offer substantial ecosystem services but are highly sensitive to climate change. The American pika (<em>Ochotona princeps</em>) serves as an indicator species of climate change and a model organism for studying its impacts on mountain mammals. Certain aspects of plant community composition and structure can function as predictors of pika distribution, but understanding the links between climate, forage quality, and foraging behavior is necessary to identify the mediating mechanism. Pika foraging pressure help shape the local plant community, which can confound modeling efforts and must be considered when evaluating the influence of vegetation on pika persistence. Plant Secondary Metabolites (PSMs) appear to be the most important indicators of forage quality, driving winter diet selection, especially in high elevation areas with extreme seasonality. Nutritional components, such as protein, nitrogen, and water content, are more important to summer diet. Foraging selectivity for nutritional components changes in response to environmental conditions and forage availability, suggesting increased importance as climate warms and dries. While metrics of heat stress, cold stress, and water budget appear to be significant divers of pika distribution, the heterogeneity with which climate impacts pikas across their range calls for a place-based perspective. The transformation of alpine plant communities in response to climate change may further stress pika populations as preferred forage items become scarcer. Pikas highlight the complexity and idiosyncrasy of alpine ecosystems. In order to address the challenges faced by pikas, managers should identify refugia and vulnerable populations, install plants high in PSMs and nutritional components, work to control invasive plants, consider legal and regulatory protections, and expand monitoring efforts.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Cole, Evan"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Environmental Management (MSEM)","degree_level":"Project/Capstone - Global access","degree_discipline":"Environmental Management","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["John Callaway"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-05-19T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-05-19T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:43:52Z","subjects":["pika","climate change","ecology","Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/566","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["John Callaway"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Cole, Evan"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-05-25T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Environmental Management"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Project/Capstone - Global access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Environmental Management (MSEM)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["pika","climate change","ecology","Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/566"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Mountain ecosystems offer substantial ecosystem services but are highly sensitive to climate change. The American pika (Ochotona princeps) serves as an indicator species of climate change and a model organism for studying its impacts on mountain mammals. Certain aspects of plant community composition and structure can function as predictors of pika distribution, but understanding the links between climate, forage quality, and foraging behavior is necessary to identify the mediating mechanism. Pika foraging pressure help shape the local plant community, which can confound modeling efforts and must be considered when evaluating the influence of vegetation on pika persistence. Plant Secondary Metabolites (PSMs) appear to be the most important indicators of forage quality, driving winter diet selection, especially in high elevation areas with extreme seasonality. Nutritional components, such as protein, nitrogen, and water content, are more important to summer diet. Foraging selectivity for nutritional components changes in response to environmental conditions and forage availability, suggesting increased importance as climate warms and dries. While metrics of heat stress, cold stress, and water budget appear to be significant divers of pika distribution, the heterogeneity with which climate impacts pikas across their range calls for a place-based perspective. The transformation of alpine plant communities in response to climate change may further stress pika populations as preferred forage items become scarcer. Pikas highlight the complexity and idiosyncrasy of alpine ecosystems. In order to address the challenges faced by pikas, managers should identify refugia and vulnerable populations, install plants high in PSMs and nutritional components, work to control invasive plants, consider legal and regulatory protections, and expand monitoring efforts.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Understanding the complex relationships between climate, vegetation, and foraging behavior of a climate-sensitive alpine mammal in order to explain patterns of persistence"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["John Callaway"],"dc:creator":["Cole, Evan"],"dc:date.available":["2017-05-25T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Mountain ecosystems offer substantial ecosystem services but are highly sensitive to climate change. The American pika (Ochotona princeps) serves as an indicator species of climate change and a model organism for studying its impacts on mountain mammals. Certain aspects of plant community composition and structure can function as predictors of pika distribution, but understanding the links between climate, forage quality, and foraging behavior is necessary to identify the mediating mechanism. Pika foraging pressure help shape the local plant community, which can confound modeling efforts and must be considered when evaluating the influence of vegetation on pika persistence. Plant Secondary Metabolites (PSMs) appear to be the most important indicators of forage quality, driving winter diet selection, especially in high elevation areas with extreme seasonality. Nutritional components, such as protein, nitrogen, and water content, are more important to summer diet. Foraging selectivity for nutritional components changes in response to environmental conditions and forage availability, suggesting increased importance as climate warms and dries. While metrics of heat stress, cold stress, and water budget appear to be significant divers of pika distribution, the heterogeneity with which climate impacts pikas across their range calls for a place-based perspective. The transformation of alpine plant communities in response to climate change may further stress pika populations as preferred forage items become scarcer. Pikas highlight the complexity and idiosyncrasy of alpine ecosystems. In order to address the challenges faced by pikas, managers should identify refugia and vulnerable populations, install plants high in PSMs and nutritional components, work to control invasive plants, consider legal and regulatory protections, and expand monitoring efforts.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/566"],"dc:subject":["pika","climate change","ecology","Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology"],"dc:title":["Understanding the complex relationships between climate, vegetation, and foraging behavior of a climate-sensitive alpine mammal in order to explain patterns of persistence"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Environmental Management"],"thesis:degree_level":["Project/Capstone - Global access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Environmental Management (MSEM)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:43:52Z"}