Northern pikas experience reduced occupancy due to surrounding human land use despite the occurrence of suitable microclimates

Aim: Despite warming temperatures, some species are found persisting at the trailing edge of their distribution. Microclimates provided by complex topography are considered a key factor in these cases of range stationarity, buffering stress from exposure to warming and enabling persistence. However, for species with trailing-edges located in human-modified landscapes, refugial conditions provided by microclimates could be disrupted by human activities. Here, we aimed to understand the determinants of trailing-edge occupancy for a small lagomorph found in rocky patches harboring cool microclimates.
Location: Hokkaido Island, Japan
Taxon: Northern pika (Ochotona hyperborea)
Methods: We surveyed the occupancy of northern pikas across a wide elevational gradient (350–2200 m) for two consecutive summers. Ambient air and microhabitat (i.e., rock interstices) thermal conditions were measured to assess their relationship. We then analyzed their effects on occupancy at two nested spatial scales:..., , , # README

This file was generated on 2024-02-03 by Tomoki Sakiyama

# GENERAL INFORMATION

## 1. Title of Dataset:

Data from: Northern pikas experience reduced occupancy due to surrounding human land use despite the occurrence of suitable microclimates

## 2. Author Information

Corresponding Investigator
Name: Tomoki Sakiyama
Institution: Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Japan
Email:

Co-investigators
Name: Jorge Garcia Molinos
Institution: Arctic Research Center, Hokkaido University, Japan

## 3. Date of data collection:

2021-2022

# DATA & FILE OVERVIEW

## 1. Description of Dataset

The data was generated to analyze the occupancy of northern pikas in Hokkaido, Japan at two nested spatial scales: (1) at whole-distribution scale to define the trailing edge; and (2) at trailing edge scale to explore the effects of microclimates and human modification of the landscape (distance to nearest road and area of human land-use).

## 2. File list

* Pika...