The ice-free corridor between Russia and Alaska, known as Beringia, has facilitated transcontinental species exchange and provided a refugium for many species during the last ice age. It is therefore an important arena for testing theories regarding dispersal and survival of many species. Climate has shifted rapidly in this region, and recent warming trends are predicted to be strongest in the Arctic. Small mammals, such as the collared pika, provide important information on the effects of climate change. Collared pikas are found only on talus slopes in Alaska and northwest Canada. This is one of only two species of North American pikas, and their range is far to the north of the other species. When the fossil record of pikas is contrasted with genetic data, a history of recent range contraction and subsequent rapid expansion is suggested for collared pikas. This is consistent with the idea that collared pikas entered their northern habitat from refugia in the south, and not from Russia.
This award supports the research of a doctoral degree candidate at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. The study has implications for understanding the persistence and evolution of lineages in arctic and subarctic ecosystems. It will help determine the rate of faunal turnover in northern regions, and distinguish between chance events and recurrent evolutionary trends. This project also provides an important empirical context for understanding the long-term effects of climate change on the demographics of an iconic alpine mammal.
