Dissertation Research: Climatic constraints on American pika distribution and abundance

美国鼠兔是一种小型哺乳动物，栖息在美国西部的高海拔岩石斜坡上。有报告称，大盆地地区的鼠兔种群正在下降，这引起了人们的担忧，即这些种群可能对气候变化特别敏感，部分原因是高海拔生态系统受到气温变暖的不成比例的威胁。69个地点两年的初步数据表明，降水模式影响了落基山脉南部鼠兔的分布。这项研究将通过重点监测25个地点的气候和鼠兔密度来扩展。将比较鼠兔种群之间的基因频率，以确定气候和栖息地如何限制鼠兔在该地区的扩散。这项研究的学术价值在于它调查了为什么气候会影响鼠兔和类似的敏感物种。这项研究将产生几个更广泛的影响。它将为鼠兔和其他可能受到气候变化威胁的物种的保护工作提供信息。诸如此类的机制研究对于在不断变化的世界中发展对生物资源可持续管理所需的理解至关重要。第二，本科生将继续在这项研究中发挥不可或缺的作用。最后，它将支持科罗拉多鼠兔公民科学计划的发展，该计划将使当地公民能够参与科学和保护。

The American pika is a small mammal that inhabits high-elevation rock slopes throughout the western United States. Reports that pika populations are declining in the Great Basin region have raised concerns that these populations may be particularly sensitive to climate change, in part because high-elevation ecosystems are disproportionately threatened by warming temperatures. Two years of preliminary data across 69 sites suggest that precipitation patterns impact pika distribution in the southern Rocky Mountains. This research will be extended through focused monitoring of climate and pika densities at 25 sites. Gene frequencies will be compared among pika populations to determine how climate and habitat may have constrained the dispersal of pikas across this region. The intellectual merit of the proposed research lies in its investigation of why climate is impacting the pika and similar sensitive species.This research will have several broader impacts. It will inform conservation efforts for the pika and other species that may be threatened by climate change. Mechanistic studies such as this are critical to developing the understanding needed for sustainable management of biological resources in a changing world. Second, undergraduate students will continue to play an integral role in this research. Finally, it will support develoment of a Colorado pika citizen science program that will empower local citizens to get involved in science and conservation.