The American Pika: An Agent of Chemical Weathering?

Drobnich, Kate

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

The American Pika: An Agent of Chemical Weathering? Public Deposited

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Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/7d278v500

Abstract

The Ochotona princeps, also known as the American pika, are rock dwelling foragers who fall under the family of Lagomorphs. While they are only the size of an fist, these mammals play an important role in plant species biodiversity above the treeline. With climate change intensifying, the species are facing a population decline and are on the road to extinction. In order to bring more attention to pika from other fields of science, I wanted to examine an underexplored influence of pikas on their environment. This study examines the effect of pika urine on the metamorphic rocks of Niwot Ridge. Knowing more about this species and its impact on the Earth can help bring attention to protecting them. Even small-scale impacts these very tiny mammals make are fascinating and could open a door to studying more high alpine animals who are also at risk of endangerment. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) was used to determine the chemical composition of the urine. A Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis was conducted to understand where the carbon in the urine coating originated from. Using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), the rock sample was tested for the elemental composition of the rock at the surface impacted by the urine versus the center where it had never come into contact with pika urine. Alkaline urine would be required to have any chemical alterations of mineral grains in this situation. Minimal testing was done on the american pika but laboratory tests show that rabbits, a family of the pika, have a pH of around 8.2 (Suckow 2007) and mice, when fed the pika diet, have a pH around 5-6 (Böswald, 4) . Laboratory testing determined that pika urine does not directly cause chemical weathering of quartz, mica, and sillimanite but we did learn more about the processes that take place to create the urine stain that is found all over the world.

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