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Influences of Abiotic and Biotic Habitat Characteristics INFLUENCES OF ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS ON PIKA OCCUPANCY IN SELECT REGIONS OF THE GALLATIN NATIONAL FOREST, MONTANA by Lindsay Paterson Hall A professional paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Science Education MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY Bozeman, Montana July 2015 © COPYRIGHT by Lindsay Paterson Hall 2015 All Rights Reserved ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I am extremely appreciative of the entire MSSE program and its faculty. The opportunities for science teachers to pursue meaningful scientific research whilst maintaining a full teaching schedule are limited; I am tremendously grateful for the opportunity to deepen my understanding of science education and research through the MSSE program. Second, I would like to extend sincere gratitude to my project advisor, Dr. John Winnie Jr. for his endless patience, knowledge, and passion for science. Without his continual insight and mentorship, I would still be up in the talus fields figuring out my initial methodology. I would also like to extend my thanks to Dr. Dave Willey who made meaningful suggestions to improve my writing. Finally, I would like to extend my endless appreciation to my friends and family who endlessly listened, supported, and facilitated this process. My MSSE classmates served as wonderful sounding boards, editors, and inspiring friends. In particular, Jenny Edwards spent countless hours helping brainstorm, revise, and trouble shoot, & I am endlessly appreciative of her support. Additionally, my husband Terrill Paterson provided significant data analysis guidance, encouraged me in every step of the process, and kept me well hydrated with Lime-Aide, for which I am eternally grateful. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ................................................................... 1 Objectives ............................................................................................................... 1 Study Area .............................................................................................................. 2 2. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK .................................................................................. 5 Diet .......................................................................................................................... 5 Feeding and Haying Behaviors ............................................................................... 6 Thermoregulation .................................................................................................... 7 Talus Habitat ........................................................................................................... 8 Territory Marking and Dispersal Patterns............................................................... 9 Extirpation of Pika Populations ............................................................................ 10 Hypotheses & Predictions ..................................................................................... 11 Abiotic Habitat Site Characteristics .............................................................. 12 Biotic Habitat Site Characteristics ................................................................ 15 3. METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................... 16 Site Selection ........................................................................................................ 16 Abiotic Habitat Site Characteristics ...................................................................... 16 Biotic Habitat Characteristics ............................................................................... 18 Site Occupancy ..................................................................................................... 20 4. DATA AND ANALYSIS ............................................................................................ 22 5. RESULTS .................................................................................................................... 23 Abiotic Habitat Site Characteristics ...................................................................... 23 Slope, Aspect, and Solar Insolation .............................................................. 23 Elevation ....................................................................................................... 28 Talus Field Area and Mean Boulder Size ..................................................... 31 Distance to Nearest Neighbor ....................................................................... 34 Biotic Habitat Site Characteristics ........................................................................ 35 Vegetation Characteristics ............................................................................ 35 6. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION ............................................................... 38 Implications for Pika Populations ......................................................................... 38 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED) 7. VALUE ........................................................................................................................ 43 Implications for Personal Practice & Teaching Science ....................................... 43 Implications for Science Education ...................................................................... 44 8. REFERENCES CITED ................................................................................................ 46 9. APPENDICES ............................................................................................................. 51 APPENDIX A: Abiotic Characteristics Transects Data Table ............................ 52 APPENDIX B: Vegetation Transects Data Table ............................................... 54 APPENDIX C: Survey Site Data & Characteristics ............................................ 56 APPENDIX D: Abiotic Site Characteristics & Pika Occupancy Box and Whisker Plots ...................................................................... 58 APPENDIX E: Mean Elevation and Pika Equivalent Elevation ......................... 60 APPENDIX F: Average Percentage of Vegetation Category and Pika Occupancy Box and Whisker Plots ........................................ 62 v LIST OF TABLES 1. Study Regions and Corresponding Mean Slope, Aspect, and Solar Insolation ............ 24 2. Mean Percentage of Vegetation By Category in Occupied and Unoccupied Sites ...... 35 3. Abiotic Characteristics Transects Data Table ............................................................... 53 4. Vegetation Transects Data Table .................................................................................. 55 5. Survey Site Data and Characteristics ............................................................................ 57 6. Mean Elevation and Pika Equivalent Elevation............................................................ 61 vi LIST OF FIGURES 1. Study Area Overview & Regional Insets. ....................................................................... 4 2. Location of Idealized Boulder Transects Across a Talus Field. ................................... 18 3. Location of Idealized Vegetation Transects Extending Out Fom Talus Field. ............. 19 4. Ticker Counters to Facilitate Vegetation Categorization Along a 1 m tTansect . ........ 20 5. Example of Fresh Pellets .............................................................................................. 21 6. Haypile Categorized as “Inactive” and Haypile Categorized as “Active.” .................. 21 7. Example of Urine Stain and Pellets Left by Animal Other Than a Pika. ..................... 22 8. Mean Slope (Degrees) and Pika Occupancy. ................................................................ 25 9. Mean Slope (Degrees) and Pika Occupancy Within Hyalite Canyon. ......................... 26 10. Mean Aspect (Degrees) and Pika Occupancy. ............................................................ 27 11. Solar Insolation and Pika Occupancy Hyalite Canyon. .............................................. 28 12. Mean Elevation (Meters) and Pika Occupancy. ......................................................... 29 13. Mean Elevation (Meters) and Pika Occupancy Hyalite Canyon. ............................... 30 14. Mean Elevation (Meters) and Pika Occupancy Portal Creek. .................................... 31 15. Mean Area (Meters2) and Pika Occupancy. ................................................................ 32 16. Mean Boulder Size Across All Site Regions. ............................................................. 33 17. Mean Boulder Size (Boulders / Meter) and Pika Occupancy in Hyalite Canyon. ...... 34 18. Distance to Nearest Neighbor (Meters) and Pika Occupancy. ................................... 35 19. Average Coverage (Percentage) of Woody Plants and Pika Occupancy. ................... 37 20. Average Bare Ground Coverage (Percentage) and Pika Occupancy. ......................... 38 vii ABSTRACT This research project explores how several abiotic and biotic habitat characteristics influence occupancy probabilities of the North American pika, Ochotona princeps within select regions of the Gallatin National Forest. Pikas are possible indicator species for climate change, as they are obligatory talus dwellers found in alpine and subalpine ecosystems, and are extremely sensitive to high temperatures. Slope, aspect, elevation, talus field dimensions, and mean boulder size likely influence how pikas
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