{"id":239215,"date":"2026-01-06T07:33:54","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T12:33:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=239215"},"modified":"2025-12-22T13:12:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T18:12:32","slug":"snapshot-tracking-adorable-climate-change-indicators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/01\/snapshot-tracking-adorable-climate-change-indicators\/","title":{"rendered":"Snapshot: Tracking Adorable Climate Change Indicators"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Potato-sized and undeniably cute, American pikas are mountain-dwelling canaries in the coalmine for climate change. Though they live in cold, mountainous regions like the Rockies, pikas are surprisingly sensitive to temperature fluctuations. So, as the climate warms, some populations are moving further up the mountains, whereas other populations have already gone extinct, says Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Ph.D. student Peter Billman<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Billman\u00a0currently\u00a0studies\u00a0pika populations\u00a0at 240 sites\u00a0in\u00a028\u00a0watersheds\u00a0across\u00a0the\u00a0Southern\u00a0Rocky Mountains,\u00a0where he hikes\u00a0far and wide\u00a0to collect data.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

“We like to focus on pikas because they’re charismatic, but they are also a very good indicator species that are remarkably easy to find and study, unlike many mammals like wolverines,” says Billman.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Billman explains that globally, many alpine species are declining and retracting upslope. In the case of pikas, their habitats have contracted around an average of 1000 feet further up the slopes, and results of his work indicate the apparent causes of population losses at lower elevations in the region include high summer temperatures and low snowpacks. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n

In addition to his work,\u00a0the Denver Zoo and Rocky Mountain Wild\u00a0have introduced a new\u00a0citizen science\u00a0app<\/a> called Pika Patrol, where anyone can document where they find pikas, which has yielded an abundance of data in its first year. They are pretty easy to spot if you know what to look and listen for, since pikas vocalize by letting out loud “eeps!” and will sometimes come right up to people, says Billman. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Conserving pikas is a challenge, Billman explains, because they have a very narrow range of temperatures they can tolerate, and are extremely prone to heat stress. These strict temperature requirements limit some types of management interventions like relocating individuals to new areas, leaving few intervention strategies. Ultimately, without addressing the root cause of declines (i.e., climate change), pikas will continue to face population losses across many portions of their range. For example, pikas are now extinct in Zion National Park, along with numerous populations now extinct in Nevada and California.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Meanwhile, there are many dedicated researchers like Billman working to learn more about this endearing species, because this information can lend insights into how other species may adapt or otherwise respond to climate change.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

“It’s a really fun species to work with, because there are a ton of people doing work from many different angles. Not all species have that and we’re very lucky to have so many dedicated scientists and wildlife managers,” he says.<\/p>\r\n

\"A (Contributed photo)<\/p>\r\n

Billman\u00a0hikes\u00a0across picturesque landscapes as he\u00a0studies\u00a0pika climate adaptation.\u00a0He is\u00a0trying to answer questions about what\u00a0is\u00a0causing shifts\u00a0in where they live, where\u00a0they’re\u00a0moving, where\u00a0populations\u00a0have already\u00a0been\u00a0lost,\u00a0and where they\u00a0may be\u00a0more robust\u00a0in the future, Billman says.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

“Unique to pikas and only a few other mammals, we can easily find where they used to live because their fecal pellets are small and round like BBs and survive for a long time. Some pellets have been dated back decades to centuries,” says Billman. “When we do these surveys, we are looking for pika evidence from low to high elevations in each watershed to quantify where they are now versus where they used to be. In terms of how much they have retracted in the Southern Rockies, we have seen about 1000 feet of low-mid elevation habitat that pikas no longer occupy, a comparable result to previous research in the Northern Rocky Mountains of Idaho and Montana.”\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

\"Pika (Contributed photo)<\/p>\r\n

“It is super hard to\u00a0relocate\u00a0pikas.\u00a0It was\u00a0done\u00a0at least\u00a0once across about\u00a010-20 miles\u00a0in\u00a0Idaho\u00a0and it worked,\u00a0and that\u00a0population\u00a0is\u00a0still alive,\u00a0but the concern is they die so easily\u00a0when removed from their habitat.\u00a0Even from us handling them\u00a0for too long, they\u00a0are at risk\u00a0of dying\u00a0from\u00a0heat stress\u00a0fairly\u00a0easily.\u00a0There are many tricky\u00a0considerations\u00a0for relocation\u00a0and there\u00a0are\u00a0not many\u00a0refugia\u00a0that will remain suitable in the long term.”\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Besides the\u00a0risk they may\u00a0not survive relocation efforts, Billman points out that pikas have different dialects or languages from location to location, so researchers are not sure how pikas would handle\u00a0moving\u00a0to a\u00a0distant\u00a0region if they did not speak the native dialect.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

“My master’s work was in the Northern Rockies, so when I started working in the Southern Rockies, I didn’t realize what I was hearing was a pika at first, it sounded super raspy,” says Billman. “In one area of Utah, they even have three chirps instead of one or two, so I didn’t think it was the same species at all until I saw one moving. What happens if you bring an individual from another region that does not recognize that call?”\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

\"Pika (Contributed photo)<\/p>\r\n

“To date, there is fairly little evidence of local adaptation that is sufficient enough for long-term persistence in many areas, but our best plan in some instance might include triage of limited conservation resources. We may have to let some areas go, whereas we may be able to help other populations adapt. Overall, though, there are not a lot of conservation actions that we know will be successful yet,” Billman says.<\/p>\r\n

Pikas have good years and bad years, and thankfully due to the Pika Patrol<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0other\u00a0citizen science projects, there\u00a0will be even\u00a0more\u00a0data\u00a0now\u00a0to study\u00a0their populations\u00a0over space and time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

“It’s\u00a0important to\u00a0note\u00a0that a lot of species have divergent responses\u00a0to climate change. They are\u00a0retracting up\u00a0the slopes\u00a0based on this work,\u00a0and genetics and\u00a0stress\u00a0hormone\u00a0research\u00a0from other resource groups\u00a0also\u00a0indicates\u00a0climate-related stress\u00a0and a\u00a0fairly bleak\u00a0picture for\u00a0many populations,” says Billman.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Rising temperatures, increasing\u00a0prevalence of\u00a0parasites,\u00a0and\u00a0plummeting\u00a0juvenile\u00a0survival<\/a>\u00a0are all potential causes for the decline.\u00a0The evidence consistently points back to climate as\u00a0the\u00a0root cause\u00a0behind\u00a0the\u00a0species\u00a0decline.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

\"A (Contributed photo)<\/p>\r\n

Another aspect that Billman is working to understand is which species might benefit as suitable habitat conditions shift. In territories no longer occupied by pikas, one species that is moving in appears to be the bushy-tailed woodrat. They are colloquially called packrats because they love to collect and stash items in their nests like shiny trinkets, bones, and sometimes entire dead birds, says Billman. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n

While the two species share some characteristics, one difference is woodrats are nocturnal, whereas pikas are active in the daytime. However, these new inhabitants are seen more as a pest when they move into garages, sheds, and cabins and therefore are not as welcomed by many. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n

“I think the woodrats are incredibly cute, but they are a hard sell for many people, relative to pikas,” says Billman. “More welcomed species like pikas are declining whereas some warmer adapted species are benefiting from climate change. In this case the bushy-tailed woodrat appears to be benefiting, likely because their nocturnal behavior allows them to avoid the otherwise high daytime temperatures.”\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

\"A (Contributed photo)<\/p>\r\n

Though pikas have gone extinct in some areas, with many more areas likely to follow suit by 2100, Billman says the species is expected to remain stable in many areas further north in Washington and Canada. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n

“Our models suggest that while several large strongholds are likely to persist well into the future, the overall outlook for the species is concerning in the absence of future adaptation. From a research perspective, this raises\u00a0difficult questions\u00a0about how best to inform wildlife managers, particularly given the limited tools currently available to slow or prevent these declines. Importantly though, we do not expect the species to go extinct entirely. However, continued losses of low- and mid-elevation populations across much of the western United States are likely,” says Billman. “Even so, the persistence of pikas in various strongholds provides hope that\u00a0future conservation efforts might help sustain the species in parts of its range as climatic conditions continue to change.”\u00a0<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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