Abstract
American pikas are conspicuous and charismatic inhabitants of mountainous regions of the western United States. Due to their sensitivity to high temperatures, they are considered an important early warning indicator species for detecting the ecological effects of climate change. This study addresses the potential threat of climate change to American pikas by assessing current occupancy patterns, modeling current gene flow patterns, and combining these two components to project habitat-specific models of occupancy and connectivity into the future under various climate change scenarios. The preliminary results presented here reflect field work conducted in Grand Teton National Park during the summer of 2010 and 2011. We conducted occupancy surveys, collected non-invasive genetic samples, and conducted preliminary genetic analyses.