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).