CU Boulder researcher finds troubling signs for pikas

BOULDER, Colo. — Ten years ago, scientist Chris Ray and a team of fellow researchers predicted that within this century, climate change could cause the loss of half or all pikas in Rocky Mountain National Park. Although pikas — the alpine-dwelling mammals known for their high-pitched chirps — have adapted to survive extreme cold without hibernating, they struggle to shed heat when summer temperatures soar. 

“I was a little skeptical,” said Ray, 61, who began studying pikas as an undergraduate student in 1988.

Ray decided to conduct a follow-up study at Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research station, 10 miles south of Rocky Mountain National Park. 

The study, which she published this fall, found a 50% drop in the number of juvenile pika captured at the site since 1980, when Charles Southwick, a former professor at CU Boulder, began studying the animals at Niwot Ridge. 

Although this study didn’t aim to discover the precise driver behind the decline, Ray said that the results emphasize the need for further research to investigate the link between climate change and population declines. 

It “makes me more concerned for the pika population in Rocky Mountain National Park,” said Ray. 

Because pikas don’t hibernate, they are an important source of prey for predators such as foxes and lynx during the winter. 

Pikas could also provide humans with early-warning signs as to how climate change is affecting high-alpine environments. The same rocky alpine slopes that keep pika cool also guard pockets of seasonal ice and permafrost. 

“Permafrost and seasonal ice are really important for us humans because they melt out a bit at the end of every summer and fill our reservoirs a bit when they're getting low,” said Ray. “Where pikas are disappearing, we have to worry that our water resources are disappearing.” 

Ray said she hopes future research can shed light into how adult pikas are fairing by looking at survival rates, but it’s unclear whether that will be possible. 

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded researchers at Niwot Ridge a $7.65 million grant to extend operations for another six years in 2023, but because of Trump administration cuts to science research, Niwot Ridge has received only enough funding to last another year, said Ray. 

“Uncertainty is not very conducive to long-term research,” said Ray.