Are Alpine Species Are Alpine Species Disappearing?Disappearing?The Effects of Climate The Effects of Climate

Change On AlpineChange On Alpine

Vertebrates In the Rocky Vertebrates In the Rocky MountainsMountains

Winter Ecology – Spring 2005

Mountain Research Station – University of Colorado, Boulder

Chad Chad MartensMartens

Climate Change and the Climate Change and the AlpineAlpine

• Is Our Climate Changing?• Why Are Alpine Ecosystems a Good Place to Study

Climate Change?• How is Climate Change Broadly Affecting the Alpine?• What Are the Effects of Climate Change On Alpine

Vertebrates, specifically:* The Yellow-Bellied Marmot* The Pika* The White-Tailed Ptarmigan

• How do winter stresses corespond with climate change?• What does the Future Hold For These Vertebrates?• What can be done to prevent these species from

dissapearing?

Is Our Climate Changing?Is Our Climate Changing?

Global average temperatures have increased by 0.6 degrees centigrade in the past 100 years

Lowest elevation at which freezing occurs in mid-latitude mountains has climbed 150 meters since 1970

Sub-alpine firs and Engelmann spruces have moved 50 or 60 meters upslope since 1990 in Banff National Park

Why Is The Alpine A Good Why Is The Alpine A Good Ecosystem To Study Climate Ecosystem To Study Climate

Change?Change? Well defined boundaries of

treeline-alpine ecotone (changes can be easily marked)

The biota of the alpine is extremely sensitive to disruption

“Space for time” comparisons (the most rapid changes in the smallest amount of time space)

Fewer direct human influences to interfere with detection

Species are essentially stranded (no place to go)

What Are the Broad Effects of What Are the Broad Effects of Climate Change On the Alpine.Climate Change On the Alpine.Invasion of trees to alpine meadowsRelative increase in height of treeline and

timberlineIncreased snow cover and precipitationChanges in plant vegetationIncrease of invasive species from lower

elevations

How is Climate Change How is Climate Change Affecting the Affecting the

Following Alpine Vertebrates:Following Alpine Vertebrates:• Yellow-Bellied Marmots• Pikas• White-Tailed Ptarmigans

The Yellow-Bellied Marmot (Marmota The Yellow-Bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris) flaviventris)

Characteristics that Make them Susceptible Characteristics that Make them Susceptible to Climate Changeto Climate Change

Need to consume a certain amount of vegetation in order to survive hibernation

Marmots require treeless terrain in order to spot predators so:

If trees invade the alpine, marmots could be more susceptible to hiding predators

Limited suitable Habitat

(disconnected “habitat islands”) Cannot easily migrate (especially

through lower elevation valleys)

How Do Winter Stresses for MarmotsHow Do Winter Stresses for MarmotsCorrespond with Climate Change?Correspond with Climate Change?

Marmots hibernate for the winter in order to avoid the harsh conditions

There emergence from hibernation is based on temperature

Marmots must immediately begin obtaining food when the emerge from hibernation, because they have usually used all of there fat reserves while hibernating over winter

Maintaining body temperature in the spring without an adequate food supply increases stress

Climate Change And Yellow-Climate Change And Yellow-Bellied MarmotsBellied Marmots

Marmots have gone extinct in some Great Basin mountain ranges (Floyd 2004)

Marmots are emerging from hibernation 38 days earlier than they were 23 years ago in response to warmer spring temperatures

There is an average of 57cm more snow when marmots emerge than there was 23 years ago

Even though temperatures are higher, there still might be persistent snowpack, which in turn:

Severely limits available edible vegetation for emerging marmots and requires them to be euthermic (or drawing on remaining fate reserves

Marmots could face starvation if temps continue to rise and increased snowfall continues

First Sighting of Marmots and First Sighting of Marmots and Snowpack at First SightingSnowpack at First Sighting

Graphs from RMBLGraphs from RMBL

The Pika (Ochotona princeps)The Pika (Ochotona princeps)Characteristics that Make them Susceptible Characteristics that Make them Susceptible

to Climate Changeto Climate Change Limited suitable Habitat

(disconnected “habitat islands”) Cannot easily migrate (especially

through lower elevation valleys) Spend entire life within a half-mile

radius Densely furred (cannot dissipate

heat easily) Unable to survive even six hours

in temperatures as low as 77 degrees Fahrenheit when not able to behaviorally thermo regulate

How Do Winter Stresses for PikasHow Do Winter Stresses for PikasCorrespond with Climate Change?Correspond with Climate Change?

Pikas are highly active throughout the year so:They must gather and cure vegetation

throughout summer for over winter survivalHot temperatures force pikas inside, therefore

reducing there amount of foodHigh activity in the hot summer months can

create direct thermal stressEarly maturation of vegetation associated with

increased temperatures can increase stress Increased snow cover limits foraging

Climate Change and the Climate Change and the PikaPika

“American pikas are like the canary in the coal mine” Caterina Cardosa (WWF)

In the past 86 years, Pikas have vanished from 9 out of 25 or 36% of the test sites in the Great Basin.

In a study published in 2003, pika populations were detected in only five out of seven re-surveyed sites that had pikas in the mid to late 1990’s.

The White-Tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus The White-Tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucurus leucurus

Characteristics that make them susceptible Characteristics that make them susceptible to Climate Changeto Climate ChangeHeavy plumage

(feathered legs, feet, and nostrils)

Die from overheating when temperatures exceed 95 degrees Fahrenheit for one

Can only survive in very selective habitats

How Do Winter Stresses for How Do Winter Stresses for Ptarmigans Correspond with Climate Ptarmigans Correspond with Climate

ChangeChangePtarmigans are dependent on snow drifts for

protected roosting hollows, so If climate change reduces snowfall and

protection is reduced, ptarmigans can die from exposure

In winters with extreme weather, reproduction and subsequent recruitment are lowered

High winter minimum, high mean monthly, and high mean winter monthly temperatures retard growth rates

Climate Change and the White-Climate Change and the White-Tailed PtarmiganTailed Ptarmigan

Decline to about 1/3 of its peak size Decline in populations form 1975 to 1990 Heavy and persistent spring snowfall delayed nesting success

and decreased breeding by four times the natural rate Median hatch dates advanced significantly (about 15 days)

from 1975 to 1999 in response to increase temperatures in April and May

Future warming will accelerate declines of ptarmigan abundance

*The CCC (Canadian Climate Center) predicts a temperature increase of 2.3 degrees centigrade by 2030

*This prediction coupled with the Ricker ptarmigan populations study suggests that in the area studied there might be a decline from 30 to 40 ptarmigans today to only 2 or 3 individuals by 2030!

What Does the Future Hold For What Does the Future Hold For These Vertebrates?These Vertebrates?

While other species are able to migrate to higher elevation in response to climate change, these species can only move so high before they run out of room

A warming of 3 degrees centigrade over the next century will wipe out 80% of alpine islands, and extinguish a third to a half of 613 alpine plants (Mark 03)

ConclusionsConclusions

Alpine vertebrates are extremely susceptible to the effects of global warming

There has been a decline in marmots, pikas, and ptarmigans, since populations began to be recorded

Alpine ecosystems can be used as a barometer to study climate change

If the global warming trend continues, we could see a loss in most or many alpine species

What Can Be Done To Prevent What Can Be Done To Prevent These Species From These Species From

Disappearing?Disappearing? Retard the effects of global warming by switching to

clean renewable energy Promote more research on climate change Promote more research on alpine ecosystems

ReferencesReferences

David W. Inouye et al.(2000) Climate change is affecting altitudinal migrants and hibernating species.

Floyd, Ch.(2004) Marmot distribution and habitat associations in the Great Basin.

Krajick, Kevin. (2004) All Downhill From Here?Guiming Wang et al. (2002) Relationships between climate and

population dynamics of white-tailed ptarmigan in RMNP.Brown, Paul. (2003) American pika doomed as ‘first mammal victim of

climate change.’Beever, Erik. Latest census finds more American pika populations

disappear as climate warms.Gellhorn, Joyce. (2003) Song of the AlpineBaron, Jill S. (2003) Rocky Mountain Futures: An Ecological

Perspective