Human and wildlife use of mountain glacier habitat in western North America

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe global recession of glaciers and perennial snowfields is reshaping mountain ecosystems. However, beyond physical changes to the landscape and altered downstream hydrology, the implications of glacier decline are poorly known. Before predictions can be made about how climate change may affect wildlife in glacier-associated ecosystems, a more thorough accounting of the role that glaciers play in species’ life histories is needed. In this study, we deployed an elevational transect of wildlife cameras along the western margin of the Paradise Glacier, a rapidly receding mountain glacier on the south side of Mount Rainier, WA, USA. From June to September 2021, we detected at least 16 vertebrate species (seven birds, nine mammals) using glacier-associated habitats. While humans, and primarily skiers, were the most common species detected, we recorded 99 observations of wildlife (birds and mammals). These included three species of conservation concern in Washington: wolverine (Gulo gulo), Cascade red fox (Vulpes vulpes cascadensis), and White-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura). Collectively, our results reveal a rich diversity of wildlife using a single mountain glacier and adjacent habitat in the Pacific Northwest, emphasizing a largely overlooked risk of climate change to mountain biodiversity. We highlight the global need for similar studies to better understand the true scale of biodiversity that will be impacted by glacier recession in mountain ecosystems.