j_b Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 link to story American pika doomed as 'first mammal victim of climate change' Paul Brown, environment correspondent Thursday August 21, 2003 The Guardian Scientists believe the American pika, a mountain-dwelling relative of the rabbit, is heading for extinction and will be one of the first mammals to fall victim to climate change. Ochotona princeps, a stocky tail-less animal about the size of a hamster, lives between the tree-line and mountain peaks. As the climate heats up it is having to go to higher altitudes to find suitable habitats. In the winter it lives under the snow in tunnels, feeding off piles of hay it has stored inside. A study reported in the US Journal of Mammalogy found that in pika populations at 25 places nearly 30% of the animals had gone. The locations are so remote that there seemed to be no other factor than climate change. The study between 1994 and 1999 surveyed the sites in the Great Basin, east of Sierra Nevada and west of the Rocky Mountains, where pikas had been recorded. Although the habitat had apparently changed little in that time, pikas had vanished from seven of the 25 places during the past 86 years: a period shown by the data to have experienced climate change. Research shows that American pikas are particularly vulnerable to global warming because they live in areas with a cool, fairly moist climate. They are active above ground in the early morning and retreat to their nests in rock crevices shortly after sunset. "Losses of pikas are disturbing because pikas are often locally abundant and scientists had assumed that alpine and sub-alpine ecosystems were relatively undisturbed because of their isolation," said Erik Beever of the US geological survey's forest and rangeland ecosystem science centre, the lead author of the report. "The responses of pika populations are a signal of the impacts of climate change in alpine and sub-alpine systems." Many northern hemisphere mountain animals are expected to migrate north or seek higher ground to find suitable habitats as the climate alters. But the American pika appears not as well-equipped as other species to handle this environmental shift. "American pikas are like the canary in the coal mine," said Caterina Cardoso, head of WWF-UK's climate change programme. "Their disappearance is a red flag that our heavy reliance on dirty fossil fuels, such as coal and gas, is causing irreparable damage to our environment. We must switch to clean, renewable energy resources before it's too late for us and the pika." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sk Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 I sware you are so boring it hurts me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegetablebelay Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offwidthclimber Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 bad news for everywhere... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_b Posted August 21, 2003 Author Share Posted August 21, 2003 Muffy_The_Wanker_Sprayer said: I sware you are so boring it hurts me fancy that! for once, we have reciprocal feelings for one another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sk Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 j_b said: Muffy_The_Wanker_Sprayer said: I sware you are so boring it hurts me fancy that! for once, we have reciprocal feelings for one another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fern Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 heh ... a study on rodents by a guy named Beever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 i read where raptors populations like peregrines and golden eagles have increased to pre-ddt levels, i guess those smart guys who did the study didnt bother to think of increased predation? in canada - the habitat should increase as the glaciers melt! they can eat the corpses of the ice worms....better than nylon j_b do you think the israelis are responsible for this somehow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegetablebelay Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 Predation indeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_b Posted August 21, 2003 Author Share Posted August 21, 2003 Dru said: i read where raptors populations like peregrines and golden eagles have increased to pre-ddt levels, i guess those smart guys who did the study didnt bother to think of increased predation? you may have a good point but i find it hard to believe they did not consider predation more info here: http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/problems/erik_beever_interview.cfm#threatened in canada - the habitat should increase as the glaciers melt! "Work during the 1970's by Andrew Smith demonstrated pikas' vulnerability to high temperatures." David Hik has also reported plummeting collared pika populations during the warm winters from 1998-2000 in the Central Yukon. The dense, insulting fur of pikas provides excellent wamth for them during periods of extreme or prolonged cold temperatuers, but this fur also contributes to pikas' inability to withstand increased temperatures." j_b do you think the israelis are responsible for this somehow? don't feed the trolls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 j_b said: "Work during the 1970's by Andrew Smith demonstrated pikas' vulnerability to high temperatures." David Hik has also reported plummeting collared pika populations during the warm winters from 1998-2000 in the Central Yukon. The dense, insulting fur of pikas provides excellent wamth for them during periods of extreme or prolonged cold temperatuers [sic], but this fur also contributes to pikas' inability to withstand increased temperatures." evolve or die the pikas that survive are gonna look like chihuahuas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fern Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 j_b said: "Work during the 1970's by Andrew Smith demonstrated pikas' vulnerability to high temperatures." David Hik has also reported plummeting collared pika populations during the warm winters from 1998-2000 in the Central Yukon." I visited one of David Hik's field camps in YT in 2001, there was like a 2:1 ratio of biologists to pikas due to so many colonies dying in the winter. Sad but also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomic Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 the pikas that survive are gonna look like chihuahuas. They won't chew through gear anymore. They unzip pouches and steal AmEx cards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EWolfe Posted August 22, 2003 Share Posted August 22, 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_b Posted August 22, 2003 Author Share Posted August 22, 2003 so, does it mean we have to be nice to snaffles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted August 22, 2003 Share Posted August 22, 2003 fern said: heh ... a study on rodents by a guy named Beever. Pika's are not rodents. They're in the Order Lagomorpha, with rabbits and hares. For those who care (?) they have double ranked incisors, that is one pair right behind the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolanr Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 Pikas are my favorite snaffle. I hope they don't go . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtn_mouse Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 One day the pika will be replaced by the mountain mouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Flash_Amazing Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 The pica is a noble and storied measurement. The print industry, and, truly, all areas of production relying on text, would not be the same without the pica. Indeed, without the pica, how would we designate such larger kinds of type as double pica, two-line pice, four-line pica, etc.? We must band together and do all we can to save the pica. DFA recommends a donation to the Save the Pica Foundation, founded in 2002 by the charitable giving arm of AmazingCo, Inc., and recipient of funds from the Dr. Flash Amazing Living Trust. We would appreciate a donation of any size, although your donation of $35 or more will help us do the most good for the embattled pica. Thank you, and good day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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