title: Plastic pikas: Behavioural flexibility in low-elevation pikas (Ochotona princeps).
abstract: Behaviour is an important mechanism for accommodating rapid environmental changes. Understanding a species' capacity for behavioural plasticity is therefore a key, but understudied, aspect of developing tractable conservation and management plans under climate-change scenarios. Here, we quantified behavioural differences between American pikas (Ochotona princeps) living in an atypical, low-elevation habitat versus those living in a more-typical, alpine habitat. With respect to foraging strategy, low-elevation pikas spent more time consuming vegetation and less time caching food for winter, compared to high-elevation pikas. Low-elevation pikas were also far more likely to be detected in forested microhabitats off the talus than their high-elevation counterparts at midday. Finally, pikas living in the atypical habitat had smaller home range sizes compared to those in typical habitat or any previously published home ranges for this species. Our findings indicate that behavioural plasticity likely allows pikas to accommodate atypical conditions in this low-elevation habitat, and that they may rely on critical habitat factors such as suitable microclimate refugia to behaviourally thermoregulate. Together, these results suggest that behavioural adjustments are one important mechanism by which pikas can persist outside of their previously appreciated dietary and thermal niches.
authors: University of Utah, Department of Biology, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Colorado Mesa University, Department of Biology, Grand Junction, CO, USA. Electronic address: jvarner@coloradomesa.edu.
authors: Johanna
authors: J
authors: Varner
authors: University of Utah, Department of Biology, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: Joshua J
authors: JJ
authors: Horns
authors: University of Utah, Department of Biology, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: Mallory S
authors: MS
authors: Lambert
authors: University of Utah, Department of Biology, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: Elizabeth
authors: E
authors: Westberg
authors: University of Utah, Department of Biology, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: James S
authors: JS
authors: Ruff
authors: University of Utah, Department of Biology, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: Katelyn
authors: K
authors: Wolfenberger
authors: U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman, MT, USA; Montana State University, Department of Ecology, Bozeman, MT, USA.
authors: Erik A
authors: EA
authors: Beever
authors: University of Utah, Department of Biology, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: M Denise
authors: MD
authors: Dearing
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression; D000818:Animals; D001070:Appetitive Behavior; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D017753:Ecosystem; D006702:Homing Behavior; D007793:Lagomorpha / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Behavioural plasticity; Caching; Foraging; Home range; Ochotona; Pika; Talus; Thermoregulation