This information is especially useful if certain microhabitats within the pika’s range are impacted by a warming climate. Identifying how pikas are related gives researchers a road map to the critical corridors in the park that connect pika populations. Only a small portion of those who try will succeed, but this dispersal is crucial to maintaining pika presence and genetic flow across their range.
Combating threats from the sky and the ground, young pikas set out to find a new home. These talus fields are essentially rock islands, separated from one another by large gaps, making any dispersal of pika young a dangerous feat. Each pika needs a 400 square meter territory so each talus field can only support a certain number of them. Pikas don’t have it easy when it comes to finding a new place to live. This information tells wildlife biologists the genetic linkages between pikas–or who is related to who. Why collect those cute pika pellets? According to biologist and citizen science coordinator Jami Belt, pika scat can be analyzed for its DNA. Essential supplies–plastic bags, gloves, and collection envelopes–were passed out and teams of two set out to search, gather, and document collected pika scat. Volunteers were given an overview of the project and trained on collection protocols. This year’s volunteer day focused on collecting pika poop, or scat, in a talus slope near Piegan Pass. Citizen science coordinator Jami Belt shows volunteers where to search for pika scat. American pikas spend their days mowing the grass in montane meadows, providing meals for owls and weasels and, like all lagomorphs, eating their own feces.
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