Pika predicament

A new study by CU Boulder carries a warning for one of the Rocky Mountains’ most iconic animals, the American pika. The small, furry rodents can often be seen scurrying around Colorado’s high country, greeting travelers with their trademark squeaks.

The American pika./ Photo by Steve Torbit/USFWS

However, researchers found these squeaks could be getting less frequent as temperatures across the Mountain West warm. The study, conducted at the Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research site, north of Nederland, discovered that the “recruitment” of juveniles seems to have plummeted since the 1980s. In other words, these populations are becoming dominated by older adults, with fewer juveniles being born or migrating in. 

The study draws on long-running surveys of pikas at the site in 2004 and from 2008-20. Those results were then compared to results of similar surveys taken at the same site, from 1981-90. 

In the latest study, researchers found that the number of juveniles fell by roughly 50% from the 1980s to today. Chris Ray, lead author and a research associate at CU Boulder, noted her results support previous predictions that juvenile pikas may have trouble migrating through the Rockies as temperatures warm. To cross from one mountain habitat to another, pikas first have to climb down in elevation, facing hot conditions in the process.

She added that scientists have long predicted that climate change might threaten pikas in the American West, with summers growing warmer. However, this finding also could be a bellwether for all species, including humans. “The habitats where pikas live are our water tower,” Ray said. “The permafrost melts later in the summer, helping to replenish water supplies at a time when reservoirs are draining.”

The study was published in the journal “Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research.”