Fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels of American pika (Ochotona princeps) and habitat characteristics of their associated territories found in rock glaciers adjacent to Niwot Ridge and within Rocky Mountain National Park, 2018 - 2019.

To understand whether stress-associated hormones vary with metrics
of habitat quality, we measured fecal glucocorticoid metabolite
(FGM) levels in the American pika (Ochotona princeps), a small
mammal with well-defined habitat (talus), that can vary in quality
depending on the presence of rock ice features (RIFs). In 2018, we
sampled pika scat from two types of RIFs: “active” rock glaciers
thought to harbor subsurface ice recently, and “fossil” rock
glaciers considered long devoid of subsurface ice (as classified by
Janke 2005, 2007). Specifically, fecal pellets were collected from
pika territories located in rock glaciers within eight sites along
the Front Range of Colorado: four in Rocky Mountain National Park (2
active, 2 fossil) and four adjacent to Niwot Ridge (2 active, 2
fossil) (pika_fecal_glu_rg.aw.csv). To account for possible seasonal
variation in pika FGM, scat samples were collected in the alpine
spring and fall. To understand other influences of habitat quality
on FGMs, we also measured fine-scale habitat differences between
rock glaciers in 2019, including talus depth, clast size, and land
cover metrics related to forage (pika_fecal_habitat_rg.aw.csv).