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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Royal Society Open Science

Sympatric pikas partition microhabitats differently across a spatial-elevational gradient

  • Harsha K. Kumar1,2
  • Dhanesh Ponnu1
  • Senan D'Souza1,3
  • Dhiraj Das1,4
  • Skarma Thundup1
  • Nandini Rajamani1
4 affiliations
  1. 1IISER Tirupati 1 , Tirupati, India
  2. 2Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Hyderabad 2 , Hyderabad, Telangana, India
  3. 3Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment 3 , Bengaluru, Karnataka 560064, India
  4. 4Wildlife Research and Conservation Society 4 , Pune, Maharashtra, India
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Abstract

How closely related, ecologically similar species co-occur and navigate competition remains a central question in community ecology. Microhabitat partitioning in patchy environments can support the co-existence of sympatric species on small spatial scales. We quantified niche spaces and directional niche overlaps of three cold-adapted, high-altitude pikas (Ochotona spp.) from the Trans-Himalayas to understand their responses to interspecific competition across elevational and spatial scales. Vegetation- and landscape-level features were documented across elevational bands. The social, burrowing O. nubrica preferred tall stands and high shrub cover on pastures (2800–4500 m). Conversely, the social, burrowing O. ladacensis emerged as a high-elevation specialist (4200–6000 m), occupying stunted alpine scrub and steppes. The asocial, rock-dwelling O. macrotis preferred microhabitats with high rock cover across elevations (2800–6000 m), associating with significantly greener microhabitats at lower elevations in summer. Visualizing directional niche overlaps revealed scale-dependent patterns of niche segregation; species functioning as generalists at large spatial scales behaved as specialists at smaller scales. As climate change and shifting land-use patterns threaten cold-adapted Himalayan specialists, this nuanced understanding of microhabitat associations in sympatric zones is vital for informing conservation planning.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{kumar2026sympatric,
  title = {{Sympatric pikas partition microhabitats differently across a spatial-elevational gradient}},
  author = {Harsha K. Kumar and Dhanesh Ponnu and Senan D'Souza and Dhiraj Das and Skarma Thundup and Nandini Rajamani},
  journal = {Royal Society Open Science},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1098/rsos.250865},
  url = {https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/13/10/250865/483601/Sympatric-pikas-partition-microhabitats},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Sympatric pikas partition microhabitats differently across a spatial-elevational gradient
AU  - Harsha K. Kumar
AU  - Dhanesh Ponnu
AU  - Senan D'Souza
AU  - Dhiraj Das
AU  - Skarma Thundup
AU  - Nandini Rajamani
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/14
JO  - Royal Society Open Science
DO  - 10.1098/rsos.250865
UR  - https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/13/10/250865/483601/Sympatric-pikas-partition-microhabitats
AB  - How closely related, ecologically similar species co-occur and navigate competition remains a central question in community ecology. Microhabitat partitioning in patchy environments can support the co-existence of sympatric species on small spatial scales. We quantified niche spaces and directional niche overlaps of three cold-adapted, high-altitude pikas (Ochotona spp.) from the Trans-Himalayas to understand their responses to interspecific competition across elevational and spatial scales. Vegetation- and landscape-level features were documented across elevational bands. The social, burrowing O. nubrica preferred tall stands and high shrub cover on pastures (2800–4500 m). Conversely, the social, burrowing O. ladacensis emerged as a high-elevation specialist (4200–6000 m), occupying stunted alpine scrub and steppes. The asocial, rock-dwelling O. macrotis preferred microhabitats with high rock cover across elevations (2800–6000 m), associating with significantly greener microhabitats at lower elevations in summer. Visualizing directional niche overlaps revealed scale-dependent patterns of niche segregation; species functioning as generalists at large spatial scales behaved as specialists at smaller scales. As climate change and shifting land-use patterns threaten cold-adapted Himalayan specialists, this nuanced understanding of microhabitat associations in sympatric zones is vital for informing conservation planning.
SN  - 2054-5703
ER  -