Ochotona Princeps Research Paper

Introduction The Ochotona princeps, better known as the American Pika or Pika, is a small, little creature that is becoming one of the upcoming symbols of global warming ("American Pika"). The O. princeps are beginning to suffer from global climate changes to their habitat in the Western mountains of the United States ("American Pika"). In an experiment by Anna D. Chalfoun, Daniel F. Doak, and Leah H. Yandow, the effects of habitat and climate change on the Pika abundance in two mountain ranges is tested to see how global warming is impacting the species (Chalfoun. Doak, and Yandow). Different climates and habitats are tested to see the scat density of the Pika population (Chalfoun. Doak, and Yandow). The experiment shows that as the temperature

Chalfoun, Daniel F. Doak, and Leah H. Yandow to test how different climate and habitat changes affect the American Pika (Chalfoun. Doak, and Yandow). The abundance of the Pika was tested by measuring the scat density in two mountain ranges, the Wind river and Bighorn mountain ranges (Chalfoun. Doak, and Yandow). The 43 sites for sampling contained different forage availability and throughout time, nine different climate changes that aligned with summer heat and winter snowpack temperatures (Chalfoun. Doak, and Yandow). The experimenters hypothesized that summer heat will limit the Pika abundance due to head stress and limited forage and the winter snowpack would also decrease the Pika abundance in areas with extreme cold temperatures and heavy snowfall (Chalfoun. Doak, and Yandow). They also hypothesized that the Pika abundance would be greatest in climates that support healthy plant growth and forage availability (Chalfoun. Doak, and Yandow). From the experiment, data showed the scat density was highest at mid-elevations with abundant forage availability and at climates that favored forage growth (Figure 1) (Chalfoun. Doak, and Yandow). The higher elevations, with lower temperatures, as well as lower elevations with higher temperatures showed lower scat density, supporting the hypothesis about winter snowpack and summer heat (Figure 2) (Chalfoun. Doak, and