Estimating the heritability of female dispersal in yellow-bellied marmots - M. N. Edic (2022)

From legacy contamination to watershed systems science: a review of scientific insights and technologies developed through DOE-supported research in water and energy security - Dipankar Dwivedi; Carl I. Steefel; Bhavna Arora; Jillian F. Banfield; John R. Bargar; M. I. Boyanov; S. C. Brooks; X. Chen; S. S. Hubbard; David Kaplan; K. M. Kemner; P. Nico; et al. (Environmental Research Letters, 2022)
Abstract Water resources, including groundwater and prominent rivers worldwide, are under duress because of excessive contaminant and nutrient loads. To help mitigate this problem, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) has supported research since the late 1980s to improve our fundamental knowledge of processes that could be used to help clean up challenging subsurface problems. Problems of interest have included subsurface radioactive waste, heavy metals, and metalloids (e.g. uranium, mercury, arsenic). Research efforts have provided insights into detailed groundwater biogeochemical process coupling and the resulting geochemical exports of metals and nutrients to surrounding environments. Recently, an increased focus has been placed on constraining the exchanges and fates of carbon and nitrogen within and across bedrock to canopy compartments of a watershed and in river–floodplain settings, because of their important role in driving biogeochemical interactions with contaminants

Maternal survival costs in an asocial mammal - R. Kanaziz; K. P. Huyvaert; Caitlin P. Wells; D. H. Van Vuren; L. M. Aubry (Ecology and Evolution, 2022)
Maternal characteristics, social dynamics, and environmental factors can all influence reproduction and survival and shape trade-offs that might arise between these components of fitness. Short-lived mammals like the golden-mantled ground squirrel (GMGS; Callospermophilus lateralis) tend to maximize effort toward current reproduction at the expense of survival but may be complicated by other aspects of the species' life history and environment. Here, we use 25 years of data (1995-2020) collected from a population of GMGS at the Rocky Mountain Biological Research Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, to test the effect of several maternal characteristics (e.g., age, experience, and timing of litter emergence), social context (e.g., litter sex ratio and kin density), and environmental context (e.g., date of bare ground and length of vegetative growing season) on survival of reproductive female GMGS using Cox proportional hazard models. Our results indicated that social dynamics (i.e., d

Sulfur Biogeochemical Cycling and Redox Dynamics in a Shale-Dominated Mountainous Watershed - P. M. Fox; Sergio Carrero; C. Anderson; Christian Dewey; Marco Keiluweit; M. Conrad; H. R. Naughton; Scott Fendorf; R. W. H. Carroll; Baptiste Dafflon; H. Malenda-Lawrence; Dipankar Dwivedi; et al. (Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 2022)
AbstractSulfur (S) is an essential macronutrient and important component of the earth’s crust, and its cycling has critical impacts on trace metal mobility, water quality, and human health. Pyrite weathering is the primary pathway by which sulfur enters surface waters. However, biogeochemical cycling of sulfur in soils and the river corridor mediates sulfate exports. In this study, we identified the major forms of sulfur across multiple compartments and scales in a pristine mountainous watershed, including shale bedrock weathering profiles, hillslope soils, and alluvial floodplain sediments, in order to provide insight into biogeochemical sulfur cycling in a hydrologically variable alpine system. X‐ray absorption near‐edge spectroscopy (XANES) analysis of shale weathering profiles showed clear evidence of pyrite oxidation to sulfate, with large accumulations of intermediate S(0) (20%–53%). Micro‐scale XANES showed evidence of reprecipitation of pyrite at fracture surfaces within the pe

Ecological Drivers and Consequences of Bumble Bee Body Size Variation - J. L. Fitzgerald; Jane E. Ogilvie; Paul J. CaraDonna (Environmental Entomology, 2022)
Body size is arguably one of the most important traits influencing the physiology and ecology of animals. Shifts in animal body size have been observed in response to climate change, including in bumble bees (Bombus spp. [Hymenoptera: Apidae]). Bumble bee size shifts have occurred concurrently with the precipitous population declines of several species, which appear to be related, in part, to their size. Body size variation is central to the ecology of bumble bees, from their social organization to the pollination services they provide to plants. If bumble bee size is shifted or constrained, there may be consequences for the pollination services they provide and for our ability to predict their responses to global change. Yet, there are still many aspects of the breadth and role of bumble bee body size variation that require more study. To this end, we review the current evidence of the ecological drivers of size variation in bumble bees and the consequences of that variation on bumble

An analytical pipeline to support robust research on the ecology, evolution, and function of floral volatiles - K. E. Eisen; J. M. Powers; Robert A. Raguso; Diane R. Campbell (Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 2022)
Research on floral volatiles has grown substantially in the last 20 years, which has generated insights into their diversity and prevalence. These studies have paved the way for new research that explores the evolutionary origins and ecological consequences of different types of variation in floral scent, including community-level, functional, and environmentally induced variation. However, to address these types of questions, novel approaches are needed that can handle large sample sizes, provide quality control measures, and make volatile research more transparent and accessible, particularly for scientists without prior experience in this field. Drawing upon a literature review and our own experiences, we present a set of best practices for next-generation research in floral scent. We outline methods for data collection (experimental designs, methods for conducting field collections, analytical chemistry, compound identification) and data analysis (statistical analysis, database int

Imputation of contiguous gaps and extremes of subhourly groundwater time series using random forests - Dipankar Dwivedi; Utkarsh Mital; Boris Faybishenko; Baptiste Dafflon; Charuleka Varadharajan; Deb Agarwal; K. H. Williams; Carl I. Steefel; S. S. Hubbard (Journal of Machine Learning for Modeling and Computing, 2022)
Machine learning can provide sustainable solutions to gap-fill groundwater (GW) data needed to adequately constrain watershed models. However, imputing missing extremes is more challenging than other parts of a hydrograph. To impute missing subhourly data, including extremes, within GW time-series data collected at multiple wells in the East River watershed, located in southwestern Colorado, we consider a single-well imputation (SWI) and a multiple-well imputation (MWI) approach. SWI gap-fills missing GW entries in a well using the same well's time-series data; MWI gap-fills a specific well's missing GW entry using the time series of neighboring wells. SWI takes advantage of linear interpolation and random forest (RF) approaches, whereas MWI exploits only the RF approach. We also use an information entropy framework to develop insights into how missing data patterns impact imputation. We discovered that if gaps were at random intervals, SWI could accurately impute up to 90% of missing

The effects of spatial and temporal resolution of gridded meteorological forcing on watershed hydrological responses - X. Chen; Pin Shuai; Utkarsh Mital; E. T. Coon; Dipankar Dwivedi (Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 2022)
Abstract. Meteorological forcing plays a critical role in accurately simulating the watershed hydrological cycle. With the advancement of high-performance computing and the development of integrated watershed models, simulating the watershed hydrological cycle at high temporal (hourly to daily) and spatial resolution (tens of meters) has become efficient and computationally affordable. These hyperresolution watershed models require high resolution of meteorological forcing as model input to ensure the fidelity and accuracy of simulated responses. In this study, we utilized the Advanced Terrestrial Simulator (ATS), an integrated watershed model, to simulate surface and subsurface flow and land surface processes using unstructured meshes at the Coal Creek Watershed near Crested Butte (Colorado). We compared simulated watershed hydrologic responses including streamflow and distributed variables such as evapotranspiration, snow water equivalent (SWE), and groundwater table driven by three

Beaver dams overshadow climate extremes in controlling riparian hydrology and water quality - Christian Dewey; P. M. Fox; Nicholas J. Bouskill; Christian Dewey; Nicholas J. Bouskill; Dipankar Dwivedi; P. M. Fox; P. Nico; Scott Fendorf; Dipankar Dwivedi; Scott Fendorf; P. Nico (Nature Communications, 2022)
Hydrologic extremes dominate chemical exports from riparian zones and dictate water quality in major river systems. Yet, changes in land use and ecosystem services alongside growing climate variability are altering hydrologic extremes and their coupled impacts on riverine water quality. In the western U.S., warming temperatures and intensified aridification are increasingly paired with the expanding range of the American beaver-and their dams, which transform hydrologic and biogeochemical cycles in riparian systems. Here, we show that beaver dams overshadow climatic hydrologic extremes in their effects on water residence time and oxygen and nitrogen fluxes in the riparian subsurface. In a mountainous watershed in Colorado, U.S.A., we find that the increase in riparian hydraulic gradients imposed by a beaver dam is 10.7-13.3 times greater than seasonal hydrologic extremes. The massive hydraulic gradient increases hyporheic nitrate removal by 44.2% relative to seasonal extremes alone. A

Modeling snow dynamics and stable water isotopes across mountain landscapes - R. W. H. Carroll; Jeffrey Deems; Matthias Sprenger; R. M. Maxwell; W. Brown; Alexander W. Newman; Curtis A. Beutler; K. H. Williams (Geophysical Research Letters, 2022)
Abstract A coupled hydrologic and snowpack stable water isotope model assesses controls on isotopic inputs across a mountainous basin. Annually, the most depleted isotope conditions occur in the upper subalpine where snow accumulation is high, and rainfall is low. Snowmelt isotopic evolution over time indicates fractionation processes account for <25% snowmelt enrichment. Meltwater isotopic inputs are largely determined by controls on the amount, phase and isotopic mass of precipitation coincident with the ablation period. Effect of vapor loss from the snowpack on d‐excess in snowmelt is a balance between energy and snow‐availability. It is highest above treeline, and in the grass and aspen‐dominated portions of the upper montane where vegetation shading is low. Deep snowpack in conifer forests limit the influence of vapor loss in the subalpine. Wet years reduce the effects of vapor loss on snowmelt across the basin, except in the lower montane where added snowfall bolsters snow‐lim

Remote sensing of cytotype and its consequences for canopy damage in quaking aspen - B. Blonder; Philip G. Brodrick; J. A. Walton; K. Dana Chadwick; Ian K Breckheimer; S. Marchetti; C. A. Ray; K. E. Mock (Global Change Biology, 2022)
AbstractMapping geographic mosaics of genetic variation and their consequences via genotype x environment interactions at large extents and high resolution has been limited by the scalability of DNA sequencing. Here, we address this challenge for cytotype (chromosome copy number) variation in quaking aspen, a drought‐impacted foundation tree species. We integrate airborne imaging spectroscopy data with ground‐based DNA sequencing data and canopy damage data in 391 km2 of southwestern Colorado. We show that (1) aspen cover and cytotype can be remotely sensed at 1 m spatial resolution, (2) the geographic mosaic of cytotypes is heterogeneous and interdigitated, (3) triploids have higher leaf nitrogen, canopy water content, and carbon isotope shifts (δ13C) than diploids, and (4) canopy damage varies among cytotypes and depends on interactions with topography, canopy height, and trait variables. Triploids are at higher risk in hotter and drier conditions.

Species-specific traits predict whole-assemblage detritus processing by pond invertebrates - J. A. Balik; C. Leitz; Washko S. E.; B. Cleveland; D. M. Krejsa; M. E. Perchik; A. Stogsdill; M. Vlah; L. M. Demi; H. S. Greig; I. D. Shepard; B. W. Taylor; et al. (Oecologia, 2022)
Functional trait diversity determines if ecosystem processes are sensitive to shifts in species abundances or composition. For example, trait variation suggests detritivores process detritus at different rates and make different contributions to whole- assemblage processing, which could be sensitive to compositional shifts. Here, we used a series of microcosm experiments to quantify species-specific coarse and fine particulate organic matter (CPOM and FPOM) processing for ten larval cad- disfly species and three non-caddisfly species in high-elevation wetlands. We then compared trait-based models including life history, dietary, and extrinsic traits to determine which traits explained interspecific variation in detritus processing. Finally, we compared processing by mixed caddisfly assemblages in microcosms and natural ponds to additive predictions based on species-specific processing to determine if single-species effects are additive in multi-species assemblages. We found considerabl

Modeling Spatial Distribution of Snow Water Equivalent by Combining Meteorological and Satellite Data with Lidar Maps - Utkarsh Mital; Dipankar Dwivedi; Ilhan Özgen-Xian; J. B. Brown; Carl I. Steefel (Artificial Intelligence for the Earth Systems, 2022)
Abstract An accurate characterization of the water content of snowpack, or snow water equivalent (SWE), is necessary to quantify water availability and constrain hydrologic and land surface models. Recently, airborne observations (e.g., lidar) have emerged as a promising method to accurately quantify SWE at high resolutions (scales of ∼100 m and finer). However, the frequency of these observations is very low, typically once or twice per season in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Here, we present a machine learning framework that is based on random forests to model temporally sparse lidar-derived SWE, enabling estimation of SWE at unmapped time points. We approximated the physical processes governing snow accumulation and melt as well as snow characteristics by obtaining 15 different variables from gridded estimates of precipitation, temperature, surface reflectance, elevation, and canopy. Results showed that, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, our framework is capable of modeling SWE

Habitat selection in a fluctuating ground squirrel population: Density - dependence and fitness consequences - J. R. Aliperti; K. Jenderseck; D. H. Van Vuren (Ecology and Evolution, 2022)
Investigating individual-based habitat settlement decisions is a central theme in ecology, yet studies that quantify density-dependent habitat selection or tie fitness to resource selection decisions remain rare. We quantified habitat selection in golden-mantled ground squirrels (Callospermophilus lateralis) across two spatial scales (home-range placement, and occurrence within the home range) by using 11 consecutive years of data on individual space use, and we used resource selection functions and multilevel modeling to address how habitat preferences may be influenced by density or linked to fitness outcomes. Squirrels preferred dry meadow over other habitat types (wet meadow, aspen, spruce, and willow) at both spatial scales. Squirrels were more likely to use dry meadow that contained shorter vegetation and vision-enhancing prominences such as rocks ("perches"). The use of dry meadow at each scale was not influenced by changes in density. The use of dry meadow did not lead t

On the similarity of hillslope hydrologic function: a clustering approach based on groundwater changes - Fadji Maina; Haruko M. Wainwright; P. James Dennedy-Frank; Erica R. Siirila-Woodburn (Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 2022)
Abstract. Hillslope similarity is an active topic in hydrology because of its importance in improving our understanding of hydrologic processes and enabling comparisons and paired studies. In this study, we propose a holistic bottom-up hillslope clustering based on a region's integrative hydrodynamic response quantified by the seasonal changes in groundwater levels ΔP. The main advantage of the ΔP clustering is its ability to capture recharge and discharge processes. We test the performance of the ΔP clustering by comparing it to seven other common hillslope clustering approaches. These include clustering approaches based on the aridity index, topographic wetness index, elevation, land cover, and machine-learning that jointly integrate multiple data. We assess the ability of these clustering approaches to identify and categorize hillslopes with similar static characteristics, hydroclimate, land surface processes, and subsurface dynamics in a mountainous watershed – the East River – loc

Trout Creek Lycopsid Fossil Forest, Chaffee County, Colorado - Mike Viney; George Mustoe (Rocks & Minerals, 2022)

Borgs are giant genetic elements with potential to expand metabolic capacity - Basem Al-Shayeb; M. C. Schoelmerich; Jacob West-Roberts; Luis E. Valentin-Alvarado; Rohan Sachdeva; Susan Mullen; A. Crits-Christoph; Michael J. Wilkins; K. H. Williams; Jennifer Doudna; Jillian F. Banfield (Nature, 2022)
Anaerobic methane oxidation exerts a key control on greenhouse gas emissions1, yet factors that modulate the activity of microorganisms performing this function remain poorly understood. Here we discovered extraordinarily large, diverse DNA sequences that primarily encode hypothetical proteins through studying groundwater, sediments and wetland soil where methane production and oxidation occur. Four curated, complete genomes are linear, up to approximately 1 Mb in length and share genome organization, including replichore structure, long inverted terminal repeats and genome-wide unique perfect tandem direct repeats that are intergenic or generate amino acid repeats. We infer that these are highly divergent archaeal extrachromosomal elements with a distinct evolutionary origin. Gene sequence similarity, phylogeny and local divergence of sequence composition indicate that many of their genes were assimilated from methane-oxidizing Methanoperedens archaea. We refer to these ele

Bumble bee queen plasticity and social regulation of traits - E. M. S. Sarro (2022)
Studies on the physiological states of wild-caught organisms are essential to uncovering the links between ecological and physiological processes. Bumble bee queens emerge from overwintering in the spring. At this time, queens develop their ovaries and search for a nest site in which to start a colony. Whether these two processes, ovary development and nest-searching, interact with or influence one another remains an unresolved question in behavioral physiology. We explored the hypothesis that ovary development and nest-searching might be mechanistically connected, by testing whether (1) ovary development precedes nest-searching behavior; (2) nest occupation precedes ovary development; or (3) ovary development and nest-searching occur independently, in bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) queens. We collected queens either nest-searching (and thus prior to occupying a nest) or pollen-collecting (and thus provisioning an occupied nest) and measured their degree of ovary activation. We furth

The ecology and evolution of pathogens in a changing world - I. Miller (2022)
Infectious diseases are an integral part of natural ecosystems but also pose a serious threat to human health and agriculture. Understanding the multitude of factors shaping the epidemiology and evolution of pathogens is crucial for predicting and mitigating their effects, especially in a rapidly changing world. In this dissertation, I present four studies about how vaccination, emerging pathogens, and climate change affect the epidemiology and evolution of infectious disease. In the first chapter I consider the effects of toxin targeting vaccines, such as acellular pertussis vaccines, on the evolution of pathogen virulence. In the second chapter I map projections of the expected burden of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In the third chapter I assess the risk for COVID-19 vaccines to drive the evolution of increased viral virulence. In the fourth chapter I investigate how climate change will alter the epidemiology of fungal plant pathogens using the flax rust system as a model. 3 Abs

Effects of Temperature on Voltinism in Subalpine Potter Wasps (Vespidae: Eumeninae) - A. Zuber (2022)
Voltinism, the number of generations produced per year, is under both genetic and environmental control in insects. The rapid temperature increases associated with climate change could distort the information insects are obtaining from environmental cues and possibly alter the number of generations produced per year. This summer I investigated the effects of temperature on voltinism in potter wasps (Vespidae: Eumeninae). Previous observations suggest that some eumenines around RMBL are bivoltine, while most are univoltine. I focused on whether variables such as temperature, time of year at which an egg was laid, source population, or taxon may be responsible for this variation. I observed individual wasps building nests at multiple study sites varying in elevation, collected completed nests from said sites, isolated eggs or larvae from these nests and subjected them to one of two temperature conditions (boxes exposed to warm or cool temperatures) to observe the effects on development a

Nest Distribution of Bombus spp. Across Different Habitat Types - Wynn R. Walker (2022)
Despite bumble bees’ critical importance as pollinators throughout the montane regions of Colorado, little research has been done on their nesting habits. In order to conserve the populations of Bombus spp. in the West, better knowledge of their nest density and nesting habitats is needed. I hypothesized that (1) a nest searching technique would be successful, (2) Bombus spp. nests would be identified in three distinct habitats, and (3) there would be a difference in nest densities across habitats depending on the bumble bee species. The habitats that I searched were classified as wet meadow, dry meadow, and aspen forest. Across three separate sites, each habitat had a total of 9 plots. Each of these plots was 150 square meters. I spent 30 minutes at each site once a week searching for nests and Bombus activity. Results of this study showed success of the nest searching technique and identification of Bombus nests in all three habitat types, but there was insufficient data to form a co

Effects of clumping of Delphinium barbeyi on pollination - J. Troper (2022)
The spatial clustering of plants occurs for a variety of reasons, including the evolution of concentrated floral displays to attract more pollination. Within clusters, traits that attract pollinators may differ from non-cluster conditions– such as increasing floral display size andscent, which can cause an increase in pollinator visitation, which in turn increase the reproductive success of plants. In this study I focused on plant neighborhood density, one potential driver of pollination, to further understand pollination systems in times of change and challenge to these structures. More specifically, I examined the question of whether higher density clumping of Delphinium barbeyi increases pollination, and at what spatial scales this effect occurs. I used drone remote sensing, and spatial analysis to choose research sites and measure global densities of D. barbeyi, and collected additional data on local density with manual measurements. In order to measure pollination, I used pollen c

Determining changes in floral volatile composition of Ipomopsis aggregata in response to nectar robbing and its associated microorganisms - J. Stryker (2022)
Mutualisms involve complex relationships between multiple types of organisms. Traditionally, mutualisms like pollination have been studied using a pairwise perspective – only focusing on two individual species or groups of species with similar functions involved in the relationship. Including third-party organisms in pollination research allows for a greater understanding of how those mutualisms can persist or break down depending on the different types of interactions. Studying these dynamics are essential to maintaining the ecosystem services provided by pollination and understanding how these mutualisms are able to persist despite interference and exploitation. Ipomopsis aggregata, a hummingbird pollinated montane herb, experiences nectar robbing from native bumble bees, Bombus occidentalis and Bombus mixtus, which reduces hummingbird visitation, pollen transfer, and the reproductive success of I. aggregata. In this study, I examined how nectar robbers and the microbes they disperse

Rates of Cannibalism in Asynarchus Nigriculus based on Sedge Nutrient Content - M. Saab (2022)
Understanding the dynamic interactions between aquatic invertebrates is critical in forming an accurate illustration of mountain stream ecology. Aquatic detritivores, such as A. Nigriculus, form the majority of the biomass in mountain ponds and rivers around Colorado, as they are usually the primary consumers of aquatic detritus. However, certain species of caddisflies in these sub-alpine ponds, such as Asynarchus nigriculus larvae, feed on other caddisflies and cannibalize one another as well. This is probably a supplementation for caddisfly larvae to grow as rapidly as they do in these temporary ponds up in the Mexican Cut, at around 11500 feet in subalpine elevation, which is notorious for having a nutritionally poor environment (Fig. 4). In our study, we manipulate the number of nutrients in the water, enhancing their diet, to observe if the additional nutrients cause a shift in A. nigriculus larvae feeding behavior. The main nutrients we are studying, and which we are supplementin

How understory bee communities compare to open meadows in the Rocky Mountains - A. Rosenberg (2022)
Forest associated species, bees and otherwise, are among the world's most vulnerable species due human activity such as deforestation. Even though bees are significant to ecosystem health by providing such important services as pollination, basic information on bee biodiversity and factors driving their distributions in temperate coniferous forest ecosystems are relatively scarce. It is likely that there are a minority of bee species that are associated with forest habitats; however, very few have been described. In Colorado, 34% of the landscape is forested. Montane regions such as the Gunnison Valley are predicted to experience the most extreme changes in climate, potentially making bee communities vulnerable. The goals of this research were to determine at which site (meadow or forest) and at what time of day were social and solitary bees most abundant around Gothic, Colorado. We used catch rate as a proxy for abundance. We found that social bees (Bombus spp.) have the same abundanc

Comparison of Bee Bowls and Netting for Monitoring Native Bees - M. Mitchell (2022)
This study looked at the differences in bee community composition between estimates obtained from pan traps vs. netting. Comparing species richness, evenness and community composition between the two sampling types from the years 2009-2017 and 2009-2021. Based on a rate of bees caught per hour, without the Bombus genus, bee bowls were more efficient, however, the catch rate of the Bombus genus alone was much higher than the catch rate of the bowls. However, bee bowls still caught a wider range of genus, with the netting still missing around 50 species over the course of the years studied. However, the nets were able to catch larger bodied bees that were missed by the bowls. Overall, it was determined that to get a full understanding of the bee genus/species populations, both bee bowls and netting is needed.

The Effect of Climate Change on Soil Organic Carbon over an Elevational Gradient - T. Issa (2022)
Climate change will increasingly impact ecosystem functioning due to shifts in species distributions as they seek their optimal climatic conditions. Plants rely on phenotypic plasticity of leaf traits to tolerate a change in their climate. Plant leaf traits also affect the carbon cycle of the local area, which may impact the carbon sequestration of the soils. For this project, I measured soil organic carbon over time using space-for-time substitution to study plant communities along an elevational gradient. I collected soil moisture, carbon, and efflux and, in addition, conducted a community survey of the plant species. Both soil carbon and soil moisture significantly increase across an elevational gradient. Additionally, soil carbon is best explained through a combination of soil moisture and biomaterial weight. As soil organic carbon is vulnerable to environmental changes, monitoring soil organic carbon is necessary to determine if there is a loss of carbon sequestration in the area,

The Impacts of Changing Temperature on Plant Water Use - V. Lenis (2022)
The movement of water through a plant’s parts, out its stomata, and into the atmosphere begins with moisture available in the soil. Soil water availability is determined by rates of evaporation from the Earth’s surface, which increases with temperature. Alteration of water content determines the soil’s water potential, the tendency of water to move from one area to another due to physical pressure forces. The means by which plants utilize and transport water occurs along a water potential gradient in a soil-plant-atmosphere-continuum. Water eventually exits the plant via transpiration when the leaves’ stomata open to release vapor and receive carbon dioxide. Water availability is critical for plants’ physiological processes and is determined by a mixture of environmental abiotic factors. Thus, the plots in the Reciprocal Transplant Experiment have been moved to different sites along the Washington Gulch elevation gradient to experience different warming or cooling temperatures. Water p

Temporal correlations among demographic parameters are ubiquitous but highly variable across species - Rémi Fay; Sandra Hamel; Martijn van de Pol; Gaillard J-M; N. G. Yoccoz; P. Acker; M. Authier; Benjamin Larue; C. Le Coeur; Kirsty Macdonald; A. Nicol-Harper; Christophe Barbraud; et al. (Ecology Letters, 2022)
Abstract Temporal correlations among demographic parameters can strongly influence population dynamics. Our empirical knowledge, however, is very limited regarding the direction and the magnitude of these correlations and how they vary among demographic parameters and species’ life histories. Here, we use long‐term demographic data from 15 bird and mammal species with contrasting pace of life to quantify correlation patterns among five key demographic parameters: juvenile and adult survival, reproductive probability, reproductive success and productivity. Correlations among demographic parameters were ubiquitous, more frequently positive than negative, but strongly differed across species. Correlations did not markedly change along the slow‐fast continuum of life histories, suggesting that they were more strongly driven by ecological than evolutionary factors. As positive temporal demographic correlations decrease the mean of the long‐run population growth rate, the c

Dynamics of male inconstancy in Valeriana edulis in the abiotic and mating environment - D. Pham (2022)
This study investigated inconstancy in the sex-expression of male flowers across populations of Edible Valerian (Valeriana edulis) as well as potential drivers of its variation. Though Valeriana edulis is dioecious (individuals typically have separate sexes), plants showing dominant male sex-expression may also produce female reproductive structures (stigmas). As such, we aimed to (1) characterize variation in male inconstancy in V. edulis populations and explore the influence of the (2) abiotic environment and (3) mating environment on the distribution of inconstant sex expression in what is considered a dioecious system. To address these goals, we conducted flower surveys in multiple populations to determine the degree, frequency, and variation in expression of inconstancy (i.e. how inconstancy varies between individuals or flowers). We also tested potential abiotic drivers of inconstancy using remotely sensed datasets for growing degree days as a proxy for temperature and snowmelt d

A Meteorology and Snow Data Set From Adjacent Forested and Meadow Sites at Crested Butte, CO, USA - Hannah M. Bonner; Eric Smyth; Mark S. Raleigh; E. Small (Water Resources Research, 2022)
AbstractWe present meteorology and snow observation data collected at sites in the southwestern Colorado Rocky Mountains (USA) over three consecutive water years with different amounts of snow water equivalent (SWE) accumulation: A year with above average SWE (2019), a year with average SWE (2020), and a year with below average SWE (2021). This data set is distinguished by its emphasis on paired open‐forest sites in a continental snow climate. Approximately once a month during February–May, we collected data from 15 to 20 snow pits and took 8 to 19 snow depth transects. Our sampling sites were in open and adjacent forested areas at 3,100 m and in a lower elevation aspen (3,035 m) and higher elevation conifer stand (3,395 m). In total, we recorded 270 individual snow pit density and temperature profiles and over 4,000 snow depth measurements. These data are complimented by continuous meteorological measurements from two weather stations: One in the open and one in the adjacent forest. M

Combined Effects of Aridity and Herbivory on Plant Performance - L. Duncan (2022)

Building Resilience in the Face of a Dwindling Colorado River - Jane Palmer (Eos, 2022)
Policymakers, industry and conservation professionals, and tribal members explore pathways to a sustainable future for the millions of people reliant on the “lifeblood of the American West.”

Balancing model generality and specificity in management-focused habitat selection models for Gunnison sage-grouse - D. Joanne Saher; Michael S. O’Donnell; Cameron L. Aldridge; Julie A. Heinrichs (Global Ecology and Conservation, 2022)
Identifying, protecting, and restoring habitats for declining wildlife populations is foundational to conservation and recovery planning for any species at risk of decline. Resource selection analysis is a key tool to assess habitat and prescribe management actions. Yet, it can be challenging to map suitable resource conditions across a wide range of ecological contexts and use the resulting models to identify effective and universal habitat improvement actions. We developed a management-centric modeling approach that sought to balance the need to evaluate the consistency of key habitat conditions and improvement actions across multiple, distinct populations, while allowing context-specific environmental variables and spatial scales to nuance selection responses that form the basis of location-specific management prescriptions. To demonstrate this approach, we developed a set of habitat selection models for Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus), a threatened species under the U.S

Snowmelt Timing Leads to Plasticity and Alters Natural Selection on Leaf Traits in Ipomopsis - Justin Kipness (2022)
Anthropogenic climate change is altering environments, which in turn has the potential to influence plant traits (through phenotypic plasticity) and natural selection. The effect of changing climate on the strength and direction of selection remains unresolved. In this study we quantified the plasticity and strength of selection on vegetative traits of the subalpine herbs Ipomopsis aggregata, Ipomopsis tenuituba, and hybrids. We used long-term data to quantify phenotypic plasticity in these traits and their effects on fitness over 12 years with varying dates of snowmelt in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. We hypothesized that the vegetative traits would be under selection that depended on snowmelt date, which affects early-season water availability and temperature. Specific leaf area (SLA) responded plastically to snowmelt timing, with lower SLA found in early snowmelt years and larger SLA found in late snowmelt years. Natural selection on water use efficiency (WUE) changed based on snowm

Ant Behavioral Responses to Aphids Colonizing Ligusticum porteri - C. Kennamer (2022)
Ant-aphid mutualisms are keystone interactions that, if altered, have the potential to cause cascading, multitrophic effects on local arthropod and plant communities. In our study system, the flowering stalks of Ligusticum. porteri (Apiaceae) are colonized by the aphid Aphis asclepiadis, which relies on a protection mutualism with ants. We examined the mediating role of phenology in the host plant L. porteri on mutualistic ant behavior in the subalpine zone of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, USA. To accomplish this, we utilized three tiers of observational data to infer the role of host plant phenology on ant abundance and behavior. First, we compiled six years of census data taken over June through August from 2017-2022 to determine ant abundance during pre-flowering, flowering, and post-flowering phenological stages. In 2022, we recorded focused observations of tending behavior in ants, adding to the census data collected in previous years. Lastly, we used an ethogram to examine eff

Early-life trade-offs in golden-mantled ground squirrel sociality and growth rate - R. Hart (2022)
The golden-mantled ground squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis) was first classified as an asocial sciurid in 1983, and little follow-up research has effectively challenged this notion since the early literature. The only recognized social behavior in the species has been documented between young littermates, between a mother and her litter, and occasionally across unrelated or partially related litters of overlapping home ranges. However, little research has been conducted on the potential impacts of pup sociality on early life fitness. In this study, the early-life behaviors of golden-mantled ground squirrels were observed in eight litters in the Gothic Townsite of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory during the first two weeks after pup emergence when sociality is at a peak. A multiple linear regression model was used to compare the relationship between time spent socializing and pup growth rate. This model also accounted for the additive effect of pup age on growth rate and th

High-Resolution Snow-Covered Area Mapping in Forested Mountain Ecosystems Using PlanetScope Imagery - A. John; A. F. Cannistra; K. Yang; A. Tan; D. Shean; J. Hille Ris Lambers; N. Cristea (Remote Sensing, 2022)
Improving high-resolution (meter-scale) mapping of snow-covered areas in complex and forested terrains is critical to understanding the responses of species and water systems to climate change. Commercial high-resolution imagery from Planet Labs, Inc. (Planet, San Francisco, CA, USA) can be used in environmental science, as it has both high spatial (0.7–3.0 m) and temporal (1–2 day) resolution. Deriving snow-covered areas from Planet imagery using traditional radiometric techniques have limitations due to the lack of a shortwave infrared band that is needed to fully exploit the difference in reflectance to discriminate between snow and clouds. However, recent work demonstrated that snow cover area (SCA) can be successfully mapped using only the PlanetScope 4-band (Red, Green, Blue and NIR) reflectance products and a machine learning (ML) approach based on convolutional neural networks (CNN). To evaluate how additional features improve the existing model performance, we: (1) build on pr

Sweet and salty: Pollinators and sodium-enriched nectar - Ethan VanValkenburg (2022)

Production of hydrogen peroxide in an intra-meander hyporheic zone at East River, Colorado - X. Yuan; T. Liu; P. M. Fox; Amrita Bhattacharyya; Dipankar Dwivedi; K. H. Williams; J. A. Davis; T. D. Waite; P. Nico (Scientific Reports, 2022)
Abstract The traditionally held assumption that photo-dependent processes are the predominant source of H 2 O 2 in natural waters has been recently questioned by an increrasing body of evidence showing the ubiquitiousness of H 2 O 2 in dark water bodies and in groundwater. In this study, we conducted field measurement of H 2 O 2 in an intra-meander hyporheic zone and in surface water at East River, CO. On-site detection using a sensitive chemiluminescence method suggests H 2 O 2 concentrations in groundwater ranging from 6 nM (at the most reduced region) to \ 80 nM (in a locally oxygen-rich area) along the intra-meander transect with

Within Day Temporal Variation Within Plant-Pollinator Networks - D. Gascon (2022)
Plant-pollinator networks are useful tools for understanding species interactions and biodiversity. The structure of interactions within plant-pollinator networks have provided insight into the potential stability and persistence of ecological communities. Current studies of plant- pollinator networks have primarily focused on a temporally static view. These studies have given insight on general patterns within networks, however the temporally static view they take gives less insight on the various temporal scales at which interactions can change, form, and dissolve. If networks have temporally dependent variables, then constructing networks at different time scales can provide information on structural changes that could be overlooked at different temporal scales. Therefore we want to know if plant-pollinator networks change within a day. What we do know is that plant-pollinator network structure and stability can change over years and within seasons, but we know a lot less about the

Is flight initiation distance associated with longer-term survival in yellow-bellied marmots ( Marmota flaviventer )? - M. Sanchez (2022)
The distance at which animals move away from threats, flight initiation distance (FID), is often used to study antipredator behavior and risk assessment. Variation in FID is explained by a variety of internal and external biotic and physical factors, including anthropogenic activities. Most prior studies focused on unidentified individuals, so our understanding of the fitness consequences of FID is relatively limited. We asked whether consistent individual differences in variation in flight initiation distance is associated with variation in summer survival or winter survival in an individually- marked population of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer). We found no clear association between flight initiation distance and summer survival or flight initiation distance and winter survival. This suggests that FID decisions, while demonstrably optimizing current survival, may not have longer-term fitness consequences. Our results may have been explained by the relatively modest repe

Quantifying Subsurface Flow and Solute Transport in a Snowmelt-Recharged Hillslope With Multiyear Water Balance - Tetsu Tokunaga; Anh Phuong Tran; Jiamin Wan; Wenming Dong; Alexander W. Newman; Curtis A. Beutler; W. Brown; A. N. Henderson; K. H. Williams (Water Resources Research, 2022)
AbstractQuantifying flow and transport from hillslopes is vital for understanding water quantity and quality in rivers, but remains obscure because of limited subsurface measurements. Using measured hydraulic conductivity K profiles and water balance over a single year to calibrate a transmissivity feedback model for a hillslope in the East River watershed (Colorado) proved unsatisfactory for predicting flow over the subsequent years. Well‐constrained field‐scale K were obtained by optimizing subsurface flux predictions over years having large differences in recharge, and by including estimates of interannual transfer of excess snowmelt recharge. Water and solute exports during high snowmelt recharge occur predominantly via shallow groundwater flow through weathered rock and soil because of their enlarged transmissivities under saturated conditions. Conversely, these shallow pathways are less active in snow drought years when the water table remains deeper within the weathering zone. H

Phenotypic plasticity and selection on leaf traits in response to snowmelt timing and summer precipitation - Jocelyn Navarro; J. M. Powers; Ayaka Paul; Diane R. Campbell (New Phytologist, 2022)
Summary Vegetative traits of plants can respond directly to changes in the environment, such as those occurring under climate change. That phenotypic plasticity could be adaptive, maladaptive, or neutral. We manipulated the timing of spring snowmelt and amount of summer precipitation in factorial combination and examined responses of specific leaf area (SLA), trichome density, leaf water content (LWC), photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and intrinsic water‐use efficiency (iWUE) in the subalpine herb Ipomopsis aggregata. The experiment was repeated in three years differing in natural timing of snowmelt. To examine natural selection, we used survival, relative growth rate, and flowering as fitness indices. A 50% reduction in summer precipitation reduced stomatal conductance and increased iWUE, and doubled precipitation increased LWC. Combining natural and experimental variation, earlier snowmelt reduced soil moisture, photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance, and increased

Comparative impacts of long-term trends in snowmelt and species interactions on plant population dynamics - Diane R. Campbell; Mary V. Price; Nickolas M. Waser; R. E. Irwin; Alison K. Brody (Journal of Ecology, 2022)
Abstract Climate change can impact plant fitness and population persistence directly through changing abiotic conditions and indirectly through its effects on species interactions. Pollination and seed predation are important biotic interactions that can impact plant fitness, but their impact on population growth rates relative to the role of direct climatic effects is unknown. We combined 13 years of experiments on pollen limitation of seed set and pre‐dispersal seed predation in Ipomopsis aggregata , a subalpine wildflower, with a long‐term demographic study that has documented declining population growth with earlier spring snowmelt date. We determined how pollen limitation and seed predation changed with snowmelt date over 21 years and incorporated t

Effects of Experimental Water Addition on Floral Nectar Traits - M. Ferguson (2022)
Plant-pollinator interactions rely on the exchange of nectar and pollen for pollination services. Nectar traits can be influenced by changes in abiotic factors such as water availability, and such variation may in turn influence interactions with pollinators. This experiment investigated how the nectar traits in subalpine plant species responded to increased water availability compared to control conditions. We collected data on three components of floral nectar traits: nectar volume (µl), nectar sugar concentration (mg/µl), and total nectar sugar (mg) for four different wildflower species: Delphinium nuttallianum (Ranunculaceae), Delphinium barbeyi (Ranunculaceae), Eremegone congesta (Caryophyllaceae), and Erigeron speciosus (Asteraceae). Delphinium nuttalianum, Delphinium barbeyi, and Erigeron speciosus all showed no pattern between the control and water addition plots, suggesting these species can maintain nectar traits across variable water availability conditions. Erigeron specios

Assessing the Impact that the Keystone Species, the Red Naped Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus nuchalis ), has on the Community of Species in the East River - V. Cruz (2022)
The Red naped sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) is considered a double keystone species. The first method is by creating nesting cavities that other species are unable to replicate, so when the cavities are abandoned, that community of species is able to utilize the space for their own reproductive site. The second method is by creating sap well sites that a different select group of species makes use of by visiting the wells and robbing the sap that is exuded. Here in the East River Valley, I reassesed the claim of S. nuchalis being a double keystone species by performing an observational study (in-person and using motion-activated cameras) of the visitors to the sap wells. I identified eight species (birds, insects, rodents) that fed from the sap wells, measured frequency of visits, quality of the sap, sapsucker behaviors. I detected a reduction in population numbers of sapsuckers and warblers but not of hummingbirds using 20 years of data from Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Bre

Effects of Floral Abundance, Pollinator Interactions, and Floral Morphology on Stigmatic Pollen Deposition - M. Cathcart (2022)
Pollination is a major driver of plant reproductive success and facilitates the growth of many of our major crops and is a foundation to the diversity of many ecosystems. Understanding the ecology of pollination will help preserve this important ecosystem service and predict the changes that will come with climate change. During pollination a pollinator transfers pollen to the stigma of a plant and the plant’s reproductive success is determined by the receipt of conspecific pollen. Many factors can determine the ratio of conspecific to heterospecific pollen that is deposited on the stigma of an individual plant. The available pollinator community and their level of specialization, flower morphology, and the composition of the floral community all can interact in complex ways to influence the composition of pollen deposition. I hypothesize that in subalpine meadows of the Rocky Mountains the most significant driver of conspecific pollen deposition is relative floral abundance. My result

Carry-over effects of larval food stress on adult energetics and life history in a nectar-feeding butterfly - K. Niitepold; C. L. Boggs (Ecological Entomology, 2022)

Marmot mass gain rates relate to their group’s social structure - Conner S. Philson; Sophia Todorov; Daniel T. Blumstein (Behavioral Ecology, 2022)

Community College Students in the Field: A review of a Community Conversation on Successful Programs and Strategies - A. N. Robin; A. A. Farmer; K. O'Connell; A. K. Varty; J. A. Hewlett; J. W. Lee (2022)
To explore how field experiences can be designed to engage more community college students, the Undergraduate Field Experience Research Network (UFERN) held a "community conversation" (Community Colleges in the Field: Successful Programs and Strategies) on 15 October 2021. The hour-long virtual meeting featured a panel of instructors who are involved in creating opportunities for community college students to learn in field environments. The goal was to offer insights and foster a conversation about successful strategies, unique challenges, and concrete practices for participants to use in their classes, programs, or institutions. Forty-one people from field stations and marine laboratories, community colleges, and various public universities from within the United States participated in the community conversation. Undergraduate field experiences (UFEs), where student learning occurs in nature, can take a variety of forms, from field laboratories embedded within on-campus courses, day-

Effects of a range-shifting caddisfly on life histories of a top predator in high elevation ponds - L. Crayton (2022)
Climate change is creating the opportunity for various species to undertake range expansion, both geographically and elevationally. There has been relatively little research into the ecological effects of these climate-driven range expansions on predators, particularly when the new species to a community fills a phenological gap in prey. The opportunity to learn more about these effects comes in a recent range expansion of a caddisfly species, Nemotaulius hostilis, into a well-studied, high elevation pond complex. I explored how this new species might be influencing the growth and life history of a top keystone predator, paedomorphic tiger salamanders. Using mark and recapture and comparing current collected data to that collected before N. hostilis was abundant, I tested how abundance of a new prey source is affecting salamander ecology. By understanding how a range extension influences top predators, we can gain insight into the direct and indirect effects of climate change on aquati

Predicting the effects of climate change on the cross? scale epidemiological dynamics of a fungal plant pathogen - I. Miller; Juliana Jiranek; M. Brownell; S. Coffey; B. Gray; M. Stahl; C. J. E. Metcalf (Scientific Reports, 2022)

Temporal variation in high elevation plant-pollinator communities - D. Bernal (2022)
Plant-pollinator communities contribute to global diversity and are a good indicator of the health of an ecosystem. Climate change is causing phenological changes of flowering plants and pollinators. Changes in plant phenology can lead to a pollinator not being able to find sufficient pollen and nectar resources, while plants may produce fewer seeds. The focus of this study is to compare species diversity of a plant-pollinator community across three years in Virginia Basin, CO. Species richness and species diversity were greater in 2021 and 2022 compared to 2000. These results support the idea that insects are moving to higher elevation due to climate change. Increasing our sampling effort could give us different results. Further study of plant-pollinator networks across a range of temporal scales is needed, as the ability for plants and pollinators to adapt to mismatch remains unclear.

Floral phenotypic response of Ipomopsis aggregata and related hybrids to changing soil moisture and nitrogen enrichment - A. Aguilar (2022)
Plants are products of their environment. This is also true for flowers, which can be shaped through abiotic factors that lead to plastic response or natural selection. Both floral morphological traits and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have the potential to be impacted by environmental conditions. Floral morphology has long been understood to shape pollinator- plant interactions. VOCs emitted by floral tissues compose a plant’s floral scent, which is important for a variety of reproductive-related interactions. Namely, both the concentration and type of VOCs influence the activity of associated pollinators and herbivores. Learning more about floral morphology and VOCs and their response to abiotic conditions is essential due to their significance to plant reproduction and the current trends in global change. To contribute to this growing collection of knowledge, we investigated the effects of differing soil moisture conditions and nitrogen enrichment on the floral traits and VOC pr

Life history consequences of climate change in hibernating mammals: a review - Caitlin P. Wells; R. Barbier; Stephen T. Nelson; R. Kanaziz; L. M. Aubry (Ecography, 2022)
Climatic shifts to warmer and often drier conditions are challenging terrestrial species worldwide. These shifts are occurring more rapidly at higher elevations and latitudes, likely causing disproportionate effects to mammalian hibernators there. While there is some information about how these species' ranges are responding to climatic shifts, we lack an understanding of how climate components are affecting species' life history variation, which is key to individual success and population‐level resilience. We reviewed the literature to identify the direction of life history responses to climate change in mammalian hibernators along three axes: latitudinal, elevational and temporal. We found 39 studies involving 27 species that reported climate effects on our four target life history traits – phenology, body mass/condition and growth, reproduction and survival. We found warmer temperatures are advancing hibernator phenology and increasing reproductive success. By contrast, warming and

Surface parameters and bedrock properties covary across a mountainous watershed: Insights from machine learning and geophysics - Sebastian Uhlemann; Baptiste Dafflon; Haruko M. Wainwright; K. H. Williams; Burke J Minsley; K. Zamudio; B. Carr; Nicola Falco; Craig Ulrich; S. S. Hubbard (Science Advances, 2022)
Bedrock property quantification is critical for predicting the hydrological response of watersheds to climate disturbances. Estimating bedrock hydraulic properties over watershed scales is inherently difficult, particularly in fracture-dominated regions. Our analysis tests the covariability of above- and belowground features on a watershed scale, by linking borehole geophysical data, near-surface geophysics, and remote sensing data. We use machine learning to quantify the relationships between bedrock geophysical/hydrological properties and geomorphological/vegetation indices and show that machine learning relationships can estimate most of their covariability. Although we can predict the electrical resistivity variation across the watershed, regions of lower variability in the input parameters are shown to provide better estimates, indicating a limitation of commonly applied geomorphological models. Our results emphasize that such an integrated approach can be used to derive detailed

Carrying the moral burden of safe fieldwork - B. Blonder (Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 2022)
Fieldwork in ecology and the environmental sciences often leads to negative physical and emotional outcomes for workers. I argue that this is largely due to an abdication of responsibility on the part of their supervisors, and that supervisors are charged with carrying three interlinked moral burdens: first, the duty of promoting safety; second, the duty of ensuring safe experiences are accessible to all; and third, the duty of continuing to learn and improve. To help, I offer a set of safety actions that supervisors can easily implement. I then offer a set of personal reflections on how we should think about failure, accountability, learning, repair, and forgiveness in the scientific workplace. Key words: field safety; field work; equity; inclusion; ethics; supervisor.

Reconsidering the 1922 Colorado River Compact at 100 - Lawrence MacDonnell (SSRN Electronic Journal, 2022)

Forest Fuels and Management Considerations at the Willey Conservation Easement, Colorado - M. Philips (2022)

The Boechera model system for evolutionary ecology - Catherine Rushworth; Maggie Wagner; T. Mitchell-Olds; J. T. Anderson (American Journal of Botany, 2022)

Predators balance consequences of climate-change-induced habitat shifts for range-shifting and resident species - I. D. Shepard; S. A. Wissinger; Z. T. Wood; H. S. Greig (Journal of Animal Ecology, 2022)

Effects of an introduced mustard, Thlaspi arvense, on soil fungal communities in subalpine meadows - A. N. Trautwig; M. A. Anthony; S. D. Frey; K. A. Stinson (Fungal Ecology, 2022)

The effects of environmental variation on daily abundance patterns and diet breadth of bumble bee species - M. Gorchkova (2022)

Causes and consequences of pre-hibernation body mass in golden-mantled ground squirrels (Callospermophilus lateralis) - S. Howland (2022)
Mammals that cope with harsh environmental conditions by hibernating show seasonal variation in body mass, as fat reserves are accumulated during summer and depleted during winter. Hence, pre-hibernation mass is often considered a key phenotypic trait in hibernating species that can be an indicator of future survival and reproductive success. We used 30 years of demographic data from a high-elevation population of golden-mantled ground squirrels (Callospermophilus lateralis) to identify life-history and environmental variables that influence pre-hibernation mass in females, and to determine if pre-hibernation mass influences overwinter survival or subsequent reproduction. Growth curves revealed female-biased size dimorphism, with adult mass not attained until age 2 years, so we considered three age classes of females, juveniles, yearlings, and adults (≥2 years). We found that earlier snow melt during spring is associated with higher pre-hibernation masses of yearlings and adults, and t

Perturbations in plant-pollinator networks: Integrating theoretical and empirical approaches to understand responses to global change - C. N. Morozumi (2022)
Perturbations in plant-pollinator networks: integrating theoretical and empirical

Climate change and phenology - David W. Inouye (WIREs Climate Change, 2022)
Climate change is a defining element of the current ecological landscape, with consequences ranging from global to local environments. One of the first indices of the ecological impact of the ongoing environmental changes was measurement of their effects on phenology, the seasonal timing of Crested Butte, Colorado, 81224, USA. Email: inouye@umd.edu recurring annual events such as the beginning of the growing season, timing of flowering, and breeding seasons of animals. Research has moved beyond Funding information simple descriptions of these temporal changes to investigations of their root National Science Foundation, Grant/ Award Numbers: DEB-0922080, DEB-1354104, DEB-1912006 causes, impacts, and consequences at both ecological and evolutionary time scales. This changing landscape, environmental, ecological, and evolution- ary, makes this an exciting, albeit sometimes depressing, time to be a scientist. Edited by Brendon M.H. Larson, Domain Editor, and Mike Hulme, Editor-in-Chief Thi

Microvirus Genomes Identified in Fecal Samples from Yellow - Bellied Marmots - C. L. Tijerino; Daniel T. Blumstein; S. Kraberger; A. Varsani (Microbiology Resource Announcements, 2022)

Evolution of foraging traits in hummingbirds - N. M. Alexandre (2022)

DEFINING THE ENDMEMBER SYSTEM OF US SOILS AND QUANTIFYING RELATIONSHIPS, AND A HYPERSPECTRAL APPROACH TO THE ALTERATION STRENGTH INDEX - Rachel Rulison (2022)
Soils form a complex part of the environment, providing important functions in systems such as food production, groundwater movement, and ecosystem health. There have been numerous studies on soil geochemistry and the origin of elements within soils, but few studies into quantifying the relationships between elements and geographical data on a national scale. Using geochemical data obtained by the USGS, the surficial soils of the US were defined by a 13-endmember system using Polytopic Vector Analysis and mapped in GIS. Correlation matrices provided Pearson’s correlation coefficients for elements in the Top 5 cm soil profile, the A horizon, and the C horizon. The Top 5 cm element concentrations were also correlated with the endmembers, and geographical data for land cover, soil order, and soil pH. The quantification of these relationships supported many of the spatial patterns shown in maps and provided insight into other relationships, especially where correlation is weaker. The high

Effects of Environmental Pond Drying Cues on Asynarchus nigriculus Cannibalism Rates - M. Tainatongo (2022)
Mexican Cut Preserve in the Elk Mountains is home to a unique system of ponds with a high diversity of aquatic life. Many species of caddisflies inhabit the various temporary, semi- permanent, and permanent ponds, including Asynarchus nigriculus. A. nigriculus is an aggressive caddisfly species that occasionally engages in cannibalism. The factors that cause A. nigriculus to go from a detritivore diet to cannibalism are not fully known. However, there is evidence that pond drying events may prompt a shift to cannibalistic behaviors to provide A. nigriculus individuals with the nutrients necessary to develop quickly. My research tested whether some of the environmental factors associated with pond drying events induce cannibalism. Specifically, I evaluated increased presence of other caddisfly species, increased conductivity, and greater temperature fluctuations as potential cues for cannibalistic behavior. First, species density tests were used to determine how the presence of another

Abundance and Identification of Hymenopteran Parasitoids in Euphydryas gilletti - C. Rodriquez (2022)
Introduced species are thought to be free of natural enemies when they are brought into a new area. Euphydryas gilletti was introduced to RMBL to the south of its native range in the northern Rockies. I used this butterfly to examine whether it has fewer parasitoids in its new environment. To check, this study focuses on a butterfly species (Euphydryas gillettii) introduced experimentally in the vicinity of the RMBL and the potential ecological interactions it has with the other insects in its novel habitat. This butterfly has been studied since it was introduced in 1977 but not much is known about its interactions with parasitoids in the area. I conducted a survey at RMBL of the presence of lepidopteran parasitoids and the amount of parasitism on the butterfly egg masses. I surveyed and located parasitoids by sweep-netting and bagged egg masses to check if parasitoids used the eggs as hosts. There were no significant differences in parasitoids found across subsites or when comparing c

The Effect of Snowmelt Timing on Pollinator Visitation to Subalpine Wildflowers - J. Moloney (2022)
The plant and pollinator mutualism is under increased stress due to climate change, especially in subalpine ecosystems. Climate change is altering the timing of snowmelt in subalpine ecosystems, which changes the flowering phenology and possible the floral abundance of subalpine plants and therefore can impact plant and pollinator interactions. Data gathered at RMBL shows that the date of earliest snowmelt and mean summer temperature are increasing at an unsustainable rate. To better understand the consequences of snowmelt timing on plant-pollinator interactions, an early snowmelt manipulation was performed and pollinator observations were conducted on four subalpine species at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. The study consists of a numerous pollinator observation sessions in control and early snowmelt plots on 4 species of wildflowers: Delphinium nuttallianum (DENU), Geum triflorum (GETR), Linum lewisii (GETR), and Delphinium barbeyi (DEBA). The four species represent a grad

Does an achromatic border alter color discrimination of male Speyeria mormonia butterflies during mate searching? - S. Maass (2022)
Larval food stress for the butterfly Speyeria mormonia causes less pigmentation in female butterflies. For this reason, males may approach females with higher pigmentation more often because it is a sign that they are healthier. Past studies have shown that this could be true, but they have not taken into account the markings on the butterflies’ wings. The achromatic black markings in contrast with the orange color stimulus of the wing could cause the male butterflies to perceive the color stimulus differently than they would without the markings. I added a black border to butterfly decoys made from three different colored Pantone papers, representing a super stimulus, high pigmentation, and low pigmentation, and observed approaches by males to see whether the achromatic border makes a difference in the way males perceive the color stimulus. I hypothesized that I would see a 1:1 ratio of approaches to butterfly decoy pairs with the border, and that the ratio for decoy pairs with the bo

Testing for competition, facilitation, and intraguild predation between two co-dominant detritivores: the caddisfly Limnephilus externus and chironomid midges - Mark Ivan Jacobson (2022)
Most living organic material goes through the detrital pathway. Detritovores are incredibly important in ecosystems for the recycling of nutrients and energy. This project explores the inter- and intraspecies relationships between two co-dominant detritovores that inhabit the high-elevation rocky mountain ponds: the caddis fly, Limnephlus externus, and chironomid midges. Specifically, we are trying to determine if there is competition, facilitation, or intraguild predation between Limnephilus externus and chironomid midges. With climate change, the permanent and semipermanent ponds are becoming increasingly temporary. The issue this presents is that L.externus cannot survive in temporary ponds due to their long development time. Therefore, identifying the relationships between the two taxa can help us understand how detrital processing may change with the possible loss of L. externus or shifts in species abundances. For this experiment, we used a response surface design and altered the

The Impact of Carrion Insects on Human Impacted Soil - B. Guijosa (2022)
Carrion plays an important role in maintaining ecosystems and providing resources for different forms of life, returning key nutrients to the environment and serving as a food source for animals. While vertebrates who consume carrion are well studied, invertebrates are not as well studied, primarily carrion insects. With the decline of mammalian scavengers due to human impact and removal of large vertebrate carcasses from ecosystems, there is a need to understand how effective insects are as scavengers, as they are common on carrion sources. In this experiment, different carrion insects were placed into containers containing poor soil, and after 3 weeks were removed and seeds were planted into the soil as a bioassay, where the root weight fraction was calculated and used to determine the quality of the soil. The results showed that carrion insects have varying influences on soil nutrients, with carrion beetles having more impact compared to flies and carrion alone.

Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel ( Spermophilus lateralis ) and Yellow-Bellied Marmot ( Marmota flaviventris ) Intraspecific and Interspecific Perch Use and Interaction Dynamics in Gothic, Colorado - A. Dorr (2022)
Golden-mantled ground squirrels (Spermophilus lateralis) and yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) can both be found in abundance at high elevation meadows in the Rocky Mountains. Though different in behavior, both species inhabit and utilize the open meadows of Gothic in very similar ways. Both species utilize perches and respond to each other’s alarm calls. Additionally, here in the Gothic town site, both species’ have been studied and recorded for many years. This research project aims to examine how golden-mantled ground squirrels share habitat features and interact with yellow-bellied marmots in the Gothic town site. This was done by collecting observational data during the summer of 2022 in Gothic, Colorado. Using the

Limnephilus externus Case Grazing Effects on Predation - G. Bobo (2022)
Predator prey interactions are essential components of ecosystems, especially in lower trophic levels as they fuel many other organisms. Many prey organisms have developed tactics to decrease the rate of predation. For example, larval caddisflies build cases out of sedge and other detritus in their environment. These cases provide caddisflies with more protection from predators relative to other aquatic invertebrates. However, one species of caddisfly, Limnephilus externus, has been observed grazing on its case. The reason for this is unknown, but I hypothesized that it could make them more vulnerable to predation. Here, I tested how grazed and ungrazed cases influenced rates of salamander predation on L. externus. Based on the results of the experiment, case grazing does not have a significant effect on predation rates. These results narrow down the possible reasons that L. externus case grazes, but further research needs to be done to determine to why case grazing occurs.

Hibernation slows epigenetic ageing in yellow-bellied marmots - G. M. Pinho; J. G. A. Martin; C. Farrell; Amin Haghani; J. Zoller; J. Zhang; S. Snir; M. Pellegrini; R. K. Wayne; Daniel T. Blumstein; S. M. Horvath (Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2022)
Abstract Species that hibernate live longer than would be expected based solely on their body size. Hibernation is characterized by long periods of metabolic suppression (torpor) interspersed by short periods of increased metabolism (arousal). The torpor-arousal cycles occur multiple times during hibernation, and it has been suggested that processes controlling the transition between torpor and arousal states cause aging suppression. Metabolic rate is also a known correlate of longevity, we thus proposed the ‘hibernation-aging hypothesis’ whereby aging is suspended during hibernation. We tested this hypothesis in a well-studied population of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), which spend 7-8 months per year hibernating. We used two approaches to estimate epigenetic age: the epigenetic clock and the epigenetic pacemaker. Variation in epigenetic age of 149 samples collected throughout the life of 73 females was modeled using generalized additive mixed models (GAMM), wh

“We Are Only Activators” – Virginia Satir and the Mystery of Human Life: A Reflection - Barbara Jo Brothers (2022)
Edited transcription of three lectures, given by Virginia Satir, on the same topic, but presented in three different ways. Lectures were each a part of a month-long seminar given in 1981, 1982, and 1983 during module I of the Avanta Process Community Meetings in Crested Butte, Colorado. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address: getinfo@haworthpressinc.com <Website: https://www.haworthpressinc.com>]

An equation of state unifies diversity, productivity, abundance and biomass - J. Harte; M. Brush; E. Newman; K. Umemura (Communications Biology, 2022)
To advance understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem function, ecologists seek widely applicable relationships among species diversity and other ecosystem characteristics such as species productivity, biomass, and abundance. These metrics vary widely across ecosystems and no relationship among any combination of them that is valid across habitats, taxa, and spatial scales, has heretofore been found. Here we derive such a relationship, an equation of state, among species richness, energy flow, biomass, and abundance by combining results from the Maximum Entropy Theory of Ecology and the Metabolic Theory of Ecology. It accurately captures the relationship among these state variables in 42 data sets, including vegetation and arthropod communities, that span a wide variety of spatial scales and habitats. The success of our ecological equation of state opens opportunities for estimating difficult-to-measure state variables from measurements of others, adds support for two current theories

Obituary: Kenneth Barclay Armitage (1925—2022) - C. M. Salsbury; D. H. Van Vuren; W. S. Fairbanks; E. L. Barthelmess; Daniel T. Blumstein; J. L. Koprowski; R. M. Timm (Journal of Mammology, 2022)

BASIN-3D: A brokering framework to integrate diverse environmental data - Charuleka Varadharajan; Valerie Hendrix; D. S. Christianson; Madison Burrus; C. Wong; S. S. Hubbard; Deb Agarwal (Computers & Geosciences, 2022)
Diverse observational and simulation datasets are needed to understand and predict complex ecosystem behavior over seasonal to decadal and century time-scales. Integration of these datasets poses a major barrier towards advancing environmental science, particularly due to differences in the structure and formats of data provided by various sources. Here, we describe BASIN-3D (Broker for Assimilation, Synthesis and Integration of eNvironmental Diverse, Distributed Datasets), a data integration framework designed to dynamically retrieve and transform heterogeneous data from different sources into a common format to provide an integrated view. BASIN-3D enables users to adopt a standardized approach for data retrieval and avoid customizations for the data type or source. We demonstrate the value of BASIN-3D with two use cases that require integration of data from regional to watershed spatial scales. The first application uses the BASIN-3D Python library to integrate time-series hydrologic

Intraspecific Variation in Responses of a Montane Grass, Festuca thurberi , to Simulated Biological Invasion - A. N. Trautwig; E. A. Cousins; K. A. Stinson (Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 2022)

Sex-specific reproductive strategies in wild yellow-bellied marmots ( Marmota flaviventer ): senescence and genetic variance in annual reproductive success differ between the sexes - S. St. Lawrence; M. N. Dumas; M. B. Petelle; Daniel T. Blumstein; J. G. A. Martin (Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2022)
Owing to sex-specific reproductive strategies, the mean and variance in annual offspring production may differ between the sexes. In addition, there may be sex-specific changes in reproductive performance with age (e.g. senescence). We used 20 and 50 years of longitudinal data on male and female yellow-bellied marmots, respectively, to investigate sex-specific age effects and genetic variance in annual reproductive success. In both sexes, annual offspring production increased linearly with age until a peak was reached at 7 years. This was followed by a decline in annual offspring production in both sexes, indicative of reproductive senescence. However, the initial increase and the subsequent decline (senescence) in reproductive success were both faster in males compared to females. Genetic variance in annual offspring production was higher in males than in females, but heritability was low for both sexes. Additionally, we found no cross-sex genetic correlation in the number of offsprin

Confluence: The Colorado River Compact's Centennial - Jason Anthony Robison (Wyoming Law Review, 2022)
Many thanks to Remi Bullock for that introduction and, more broadly, to the Potter

New Upper Cretaceous Microvertebrate Assemblage from the Williams Fork Formation, northwestern Colorado, U.S.A., and its Paleoenvironmental Implications - Nickolas Brand; Andrew Heckert; Israel Sanchez; John R. Foster; ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster; Jaelyn Eberle (Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 2022)
We describe a microvertebrate assemblage from the J&M site, of the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) Williams Fork Formation. Breakdown of fossil bearing matrix was achieved with the use of heated dimethyl sulfoxide. Nine of the recovered taxa are new to both the J&M site and the Williams Fork Formation. The sharks Lonchidion griffisi, Chiloscyllium sp., and Cantioscyllium markaguntensis are the first non-batoid elasmobranchs reported from the Williams Fork Formation and are all represented by teeth. The rays Cristomylus and Psuedomyledaphus are also newly reported from teeth. The most common identifiable fossils were teeth of indeterminate amiids, most likely belonging to Melvius. Osteichthyan fossils new to the Williams Fork Formation include teeth of Paralbula, an indeterminate pycnodontid tooth plate fragment, and an indeterminate lungfish tooth fragment. A tooth of the teiid Peneteius is also the first reported from within the Williams Fork Formation. Alligatoroid teeth a

Integrating natural gradients, experiments, and statistical modeling in a distributed network experiment: An example from the WaRM Network - C. M. Prager; Aimee T Classen; M. K. Sundqvist; M. N. Barrios-Garcia; E. K. Cameron; L. Chen; C. Chisholm; T. W. Crowther; J. R. Deslippe; K. Grigulis; He J-S; Jeremiah A Henning; et al. (Ecology and Evolution, 2022)
A growing body of work examines the direct and indirect effects of climate change on ecosystems, typically by using manipulative experiments at a single site or performing meta-analyses across many independent experiments. However, results from single-site studies tend to have limited generality. Although meta-analytic approaches can help overcome this by exploring trends across sites, the inherent limitations in combining disparate datasets from independent approaches remain a major challenge. In this paper, we present a globally distributed experimental network that can be used to disentangle the direct and indirect effects of climate change. We discuss how natural gradients, experimental approaches, and statistical techniques can be combined to best inform predictions about responses to climate change, and we present a globally distributed experiment that utilizes natural environmental gradients to better understand long-term community and ecosystem responses to environmental change

Removing flowers of a generalist plant changes pollinator visitation, composition, and interaction network structure - J. A. Bain; R. Dickson; A. M. Gruver; Paul J. CaraDonna (Ecosphere, 2022)
Abstract Pollination is essential for ecosystem functioning, yet our understanding of the empirical consequences of species loss for plant–pollinator interactions remains limited. It is hypothesized that the loss of abundant and generalized (well‐connected) species from a pollination network will have a large effect on the remaining species and their interactions. However, to date, relatively few studies have experimentally removed species from their natural setting to address this hypothesis. We investigated the consequences of losing an abundant, generalist native species from a series of plant–pollinator networks by experimentally removing the flowers of Helianthella quinquenervis (Asteraceae) from half of a series of 10 paired plots (15 m diameter) within a subalpine ecosystem. We then asked how the localized loss of this species influenced patterns of pollinator visitation, floral visitor composition, and interaction network structure. The experimental removal of Helianthella flow

Genetic and spatial variation in vegetative and floral traits across a hybrid zone - Diane R. Campbell; Robert A. Raguso; Maya Midzik; Mascha Bischoff; Geoffrey Broadhead (American Journal of Botany, 2022)
AbstractPremiseGenetic variation influences the potential for evolution to rescue populations from impacts of environmental change. Most studies of genetic variation in fitness‐related traits focus on either vegetative or floral traits, with few on floral scent. How vegetative and floral traits compare in potential for adaptive evolution is poorly understood.MethodsWe measured variation across source populations, planting sites, and genetic families for vegetative and floral traits in a hybrid zone. Seeds from families of Ipomopsis aggregata, I. tenuituba, and F1 and F2 hybrids of the two species were planted into three common gardens. Measured traits included specific leaf area (SLA), trichomes, water‐use efficiency (WUE), floral morphology, petal color, nectar, and floral volatiles.ResultsVegetative traits SLA and WUE varied greatly among planting sites, while showing weak or no genetic variation among source populations. Specific leaf area and trichomes responded plastically to snow

Future Colorado River Basin Drought and Surplus - Rama Bedri; Thomas C. Piechota (Hydrology, 2022)
Historical and future drought and surplus periods in the Colorado River basin are evaluated based on eight climate scenarios. Unimpaired streamflow from 17 stations in the Colorado River are evaluated based on U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Reclamation, and Coupled Modeled Intercomparison Projection 5 downscaled data from 1950–2099. Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 emission scenarios are considered for four climate models (HadGEM2-ES, CNRM-CM5, CanESM2, MI-ROC5). Drought (surplus) quantities, magnitudes, severities, and water year flows are compared for the historical and future periods. Results indicate that there is a significant difference between the historical record and future projections. The results are not consistent in terms of increase of drought or surplus; however, the intensity (as measured by magnitude and duration) will likely increase for both RCP 4.5 and 8.5. The CanESM2 and CNRM-CM5 models project wetter scenarios, and HadGEM2 and MI-ROC5 mod

Variability in observed stable water isotopes in snowpack across a mountainous watershed in Colorado - R. W. H. Carroll; Jeffrey Deems; R. M. Maxwell; Matthias Sprenger; W. Brown; Alexander W. Newman; Curtis A. Beutler; Markus Bill; S. S. Hubbard; K. H. Williams (Hydrological Processes, 2022)
AbstractIsotopic information from 81 snowpits was collected over a 5‐year period in a large, Colorado watershed. Data spans gradients in elevation, aspect, vegetation, and seasonal climate. They are combined with overlapping campaigns for water isotopes in precipitation and snowmelt, and a land‐surface model for detailed estimates of snowfall and climate at sample locations. Snowfall isotopic inputs, describe the majority of δ18O snowpack variability. Aspect is a secondary control, with slightly more enriched conditions on east and north facing slopes. This is attributed to preservation of seasonally enriched snowfall and vapour loss in the early winter. Sublimation, expressed by decreases in snowpack d‐excess in comparison to snowfall contributions, increases at low elevation and when seasonal temperature and solar radiation are high. At peak snow accumulation, post‐depositional fractionation appears to occur in the top 25 ± 14% of the snowpack due to melt‐freeze redistribution of lig

A distributed temperature profiling system for vertically and laterally dense acquisition of soil and snow temperature - Baptiste Dafflon; Stijn Wielandt; Jack Lamb; P. McClure; I. Shirley; Sebastian Uhlemann; C. Wang; S. Fiolleau; C. Brunetti; F. H. Akins; J. Fitzpatrick; S. Pullman; et al. (The Cryosphere, 2022)
Abstract. Measuring soil and snow temperature with high vertical and lateral resolution is critical for advancing the predictive understanding of thermal and hydro-biogeochemical processes that govern the behavior of environmental systems. Vertically resolved soil temperature measurements enable the estimation of soil thermal regimes, frozen-/thawed-layer thickness, thermal parameters, and heat and/or water fluxes. Similarly, they can be used to capture the snow depth and the snowpack thermal parameters and fluxes. However, these measurements are challenging to acquire using conventional approaches due to their total cost, their limited vertical resolution, and their large installation footprint. This study presents the development and validation of a novel distributed temperature profiling (DTP) system that addresses these challenges. The system leverages digital temperature sensors to provide unprecedented, finely resolved depth profiles of temperature measurements with flexibility i

Perils of life on the edge: Climatic threats to global diversity patterns of wetland macroinvertebrates - L. B. Epele; M. G. Grech; E. A. Williams-Subiza; C. Stenert; K. McLean; H. S. Greig; L. Maltchik; M. M. Pires; M. S. Bird; A. Boissezon; D. Boix; E. Demierre; et al. (Science of the Total Environment, 2022)
Climate change is rapidly driving global biodiversity declines. How wetland macroinvertebrate assemblages are responding is unclear, a concern given their vital function in these ecosystems. Using a data set from 769 minimally impacted depressional wetlands across the globe (467 temporary and 302 permanent), we evaluated how temperature and precipitation (average, range, variability) affects the richness and beta diversity of 144 macroinvertebrate families. To test the effects of climatic predictors on macroinvertebrate diversity, we fitted generalized additive mixed-effects models (GAMM) for family richness, and generalized dissimilarity models (GDMs) for total beta diversity. We found non-linear relationships between family richness, beta diversity and climate. Maximum temperature was the main climatic driver of wetland macroinvertebrate richness and beta diversity, but precipitation seasonality was also important. Assemblage responses to climatic variables also depended on wetland w

Statistical framework to assess long-term spatio-temporal climate changes: East River mountainous watershed case study - Boris Faybishenko; Bhavna Arora; Dipankar Dwivedi; E. L. Brodie (Stochastic environmental research and risk assessment, 2022)
Evaluation of long-term temporal and spatial climatic change in mountainous regions is a critical challenge because of the interactive effects of multiple land and climatic factors and processes. Here we present the application of the statistical framework to the assessment of changes of climatic conditions, using data from 17 meteorological stations across the East River watershed near Crested Butte, Colorado, USA, and spanning the period from 1966 to 2021. The framework is developed based on (1) a time-series analysis of daily, monthly, and yearly averaged meteorological parameters (tem- perature, relative humidity, precipitation, wind speed, etc.), (2) evaluation and time series analysis of potential evapo- transpiration (ETo), actual evapotranspiration (ET), aridity index (AI), standard precipitation index (SPI) and standard precipitation-evapotranspiration index (SPEI), and (3) a temporal-spatial climatic zonation of the studied area based on the hierarchical clustering and PCA an

Does expanding access to cannabis affect traffic crashes? County‐level evidence from recreational marijuana dispensary sales in Colorado - Christian Gunadi (Health Economics, 2022)
AbstractThis article examines the effect of recreational cannabis dispensary sales on traffic crashes by employing difference‐in‐differences model that exploits the variation in the timing of recreational marijuana dispensary entry across counties within Colorado. Using marijuana‐related hospital discharge as a measure of marijuana abuse/misuse, the results indicate a sizable rise in marijuana‐related hospital discharges after the entry of retail cannabis stores. However, there is a lack of evidence that traffic crash incidents are affected by the entry. The preferred estimate suggests that, at 90% confidence level, a large increase in traffic crashes by more than 5% can be ruled out.

Revisions to the Wanakah Formation in and around Ouray County, Colorado - Lawrence S. Jones; Cassandra R. Fenton (Mountain Geologist, 2022)
A well-defined type section and consistent nomenclature are fundamental requirements for successful correlation of stratigraphic units and subsequent accurate paleogeographic reconstructions. The exact location of the original type section of the Middle Jurassic Wanakah Formation of the eastern Colorado Plateau was found in Ouray County, Colorado. Two nearby reference sections are described that supplement the lithologic descriptions in the original type section. These reference sections and the original type section constitute a “principal reference section” for the Wanakah Formation. Informal names “upper shale beds”, “marl member”, and “beds at Sawpit” have been used to describe the uppermost member of the Wanakah. These terms are replaced with the formal name, “Crooked Tree Member of the Wanakah Formation”, in the reference sections to avoid confusion, foster consistent usage, and facilitate litho-stratigraphic correlation.

Legume germination is delayed in dry soils and in sterile soils devoid of microbial mutualists: Species-specific implications for upward range expansions - A. M. Keeler; Nicole E. Rafferty (Ecology and Evolution, 2022)
Climate change is affecting species and their mutualists and can lead to the weakening or loss of important interspecific interactions. Through independent shifts in partner phenology and distribution, climatic stress can separate mutualists temporally or spatially, leading to alterations in partner functional traits and fitness. Here, we explored the effects of the loss of microbial mutualists on legume germination success and phenology. In particular, we assessed the effects of mutualism loss via soil sterilization, increased drought, and introduction to novel soils found beyond the current distributions of two focal legume species in subalpine environments. Through common garden experiments in controlled environments, we found evidence that soil sterilization (and consequent microbial absence) and dry soils caused species-specific phenological delays of 2-5 weeks in germination, likely as a result of interaction loss between legumes and specialized germination-promoting soil microbe

Column-Test Data Analyses and Geochemical Modeling to Determine Uranium Reactive Transport Parameters at a Former Uranium Mill Site (Grand Junction, Colorado) - Raymond H. Johnson; Aaron D. Tigar; C. Doc Richardson (Minerals, 2022)
The long-term release of uranium from residual sources at former uranium mill sites was often not considered in prior conceptual and numerical models, as contaminant removal focused on meeting radiological standards. To determine the reactive transport parameters, column tests were completed with various influent waters (deionized water, site groundwater, and local river water) on sediment from identified areas with elevated uranium on the solid phase in (1) vadose-zone (VZ) sediments, (2) saturated-zone sediments with higher organic carbon content, and (3) both vadose- and saturated-zone sediments with additional gypsum content. The gypsum was precipitated when low-pH, high-sulfate, tailings fluids or acidic waste disposal water were buffered by natural aquifer calcite dissolution. In general, the resulting uranium release was higher in the sediments with greater uranium concentrations. However, the addition of deionized water (DI) to the VZ sediments delayed the uranium release until

Population Growth and Municipal Water Insecurity in Mesa County, Colorado - William Wallace; null null (John Heinrichs Scholarly & Creative Activities Day, 2022)
The purpose of this project was to utilize GIS software to develop a population and daily domestic water resource requirement analysis for Mesa County, Colorado by answering the question of what municipalities within the county have the highest potential of developing water insecurities between the years 2000 and 2019. The methods for developing the spatiotemporal population change of Mesa County, Colorado utilize attribute manipulation and statistical tools within ArcGIS Pro. The four municipalities, Clifton, Loma, Fruita , Grand Junction, and Orchard Mesa experienced the greatest population increase and daily water resource requirement increase marking these areas as the most likely to develop water insecurities in the future. While substantial population growth has taken place over the past twenty years through the county, most of the of growth occurred between 2000 and 2010, allowing for municipalities to adapt to the increase in population over the past decade. This project took a

Dye Tracing and the Effects of Infrastructure in Hidden River Cave, Horse Cave, KY - Alexa Franks (2022)
Hidden River Cave is a stream cave system found in Horse Cave, KY with continuous water flow of its two branches, Wheet River and East River. The infrastructure of the city of Hose Cave, KY was originally designed to utilize natural sinkholes for drainage of all wastewaters. The city uses many of these, now modified, sinkholes for wastewater disposal and storm water drainage. Historically, Hidden River Cave has been severely impacted by unmonitored dumping of contamination. To better understand and identify specific flow paths from sinkholes and infrastructure into Hidden River Cave, this study documented various sinkholes and other infrastructure, such as storm drains, sewer systems, and other undocumented pipes, that could send water from the surface to Hidden River Cave. The study focused on using fluorescent dyes injected into four sites in order to document how the water carrying these dyes moved through the cave system. These dyes were identified using charcoal dye receptors plac

Variability of Snow and Rainfall Partitioning Into Evapotranspiration and Summer Runoff Across Nine Mountainous Catchments - Matthias Sprenger; R. W. H. Carroll; P. James Dennedy-Frank; Erica R. Siirila-Woodburn; Michelle Newcomer; W. Brown; Alexander W. Newman; Curtis A. Beutler; Markus Bill; S. S. Hubbard; K. H. Williams (Geophysical Research Letters,, 2022)
AbstractUnderstanding the partitioning of snow and rain contributing to either catchment streamflow or evapotranspiration (ET) is of critical relevance for water management in response to climate change. To investigate this partitioning, we use endmember splitting and mixing analyses based on stable isotope (18O) data from nine headwater catchments in the East River, Colorado. Our results show that one third of the snow partitions to ET and 13% of the snowmelt sustains summer streamflow. Only 8% of the rainfall contributes to the summer streamflow, because most of the rain (67%) partitions to ET. The spatial variability of precipitation partitioning is mainly driven by aspect and tree cover across the sub‐catchments. Catchments with higher tree cover have a higher share of snow becoming ET, resulting in less snow in summer streamflow. Summer streamflow did not contain more rain with higher rainfall sums, but more rain was taken up in ET.

Winters are changing: snow effects on Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystems - C. Rixen; T. T. Hoye; P. Macek; R. Aerts; J. M. Alatalo; J. T. Anderson; P. A. Arnold; I. C. Barrio; J. W. Bjerke; M. P. Björkman; D. Blok; G. Blume-Werry; et al. (Arctic Science, 2022)
Snow is an important driver of ecosystem processes in cold biomes. Snow accumulation determines ground temperature, light conditions, and moisture availability during winter. It also affects the growing season’s start and end, and plant access to moisture and nutrients. Here, we review the current knowledge of the snow cover’s role for vegetation, plant-animal interactions, permafrost conditions, microbial processes, and biogeochemical cycling. We also compare studies of natural snow gradients with snow experimental manipulation studies to assess time scale difference of these approaches. The number of tundra snow studies has increased considerably in recent years, yet we still lack a comprehensive overview of how altered snow conditions will affect these ecosystems. Specifically, we found a mismatch in the timing of snowmelt when comparing studies of natural snow gradients with snow manipulations. We found that snowmelt timing achieved by snow addition and snow removal manipulations (

The Evolution and Ecology of Interactions Between Ants and Honeydew-Producing Hemipteran Insects - A. S. Nelson; K. A. Mooney (The Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 2022)
The interactions between ants and certain sap-feeding insects in the order Hemiptera are classic examples of food-for-protection mutualisms. In these associations, herbivorous hemipterans use a highly specialized, straw-like mouthpart to consume sap directly from plant phloem and xylem and, as a result, excrete a sugar-rich waste product called honeydew. Ant foragers use specialized adaptations to collect and share honeydew with nestmates and, in exchange, protect hemipterans against predators. The two key innovations underlying this interaction—hemipteran sap feeding and ant harvesting of honeydew—have driven the evolutionary success and ecological dominance of ants. These interactions also carry unique costs and benefits for each partner and are highly context dependent. Understanding the factors mediating this mutualism is critical, as these interactions have broader ecological consequences for the natural and agricultural ecosystems in which they are embedded.

The influence of orbital parameters on the North American Monsoon system during the Last Interglacial Period - Nadja Insel; Max Berkelhammer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
ABSTRACTThe response of summer precipitation in the western United States to climate variability remains a subject of uncertainty. For example, palaeoclimate records indicate the North American Monsoon (NAM) was stronger and spatially more extensive during the Holocene, whereas recent modelling suggests a weakened NAM response to increasing temperatures. These illustrate diverging pictures of the NAM response to warming. Here, we examine summer precipitation in the southwestern US related to Last Interglacial insolation forcing. Using a high‐resolution climate model, we find that Eemian insolation forcing results in overall wetter conditions throughout most of the southwestern US, but significantly drier than present conditions over Arizona. The overall wetter conditions are associated with a northward shift of the anticyclonic circulation aloft and increased moisture in the lower and mid‐troposphere during the Eemian. Increased advection of Gulf of Mexico moisture is responsible for i

Effects of early snowmelt on plant phenophase timing and duration across an elevation gradient - Chelsea Wilmer (2021)
EFFECTS OF EARLY SNOWMELT ON PLANT PHENOPHASE TIMING AND DURATION ACROSS AN

Comparison of Drought Response between Taraxacum officinale and Delphinium nuttallianum - P. Daly (2021)

Global Warming, Advancing Bloom and Evidence for Pollinator Plasticity from Long-Term Bee Emergence Monitoring - J. Cane (Insects, 2021)
Global warming is extending growing seasons in temperate zones, yielding earlier wildflower blooms. Short-term field experiments with non-social bees showed that adult emergence is responsive to nest substrate temperatures. Nonetheless, some posit that global warming will decouple bee flight and host bloom periods, leading to pollination shortfalls and bee declines. Resolving these competing scenarios requires evidence for bees’ natural plasticity in their annual emergence schedules. This study reports direct observations spanning 12–24 years for annual variation in the earliest nesting or foraging activities by 1–4 populations of four native ground-nesting bees: Andrena fulva (Andrenidae), Halictus rubicundus (Halictidae), Habropoda laboriosa and Eucera (Peponapis) pruinosa (Apidae). Calendar dates of earliest annual bee activity ranged across 25 to 45 days, approximating reported multi-decadal ranges for published wildflower bloom dates. Within a given year, the bee H. rubicundus eme

Producer-scrounger relationships in yellow-bellied marmots - A. W. Evans; D. M. Williams; Daniel T. Blumstein (Animal Behaviour, 2021)

Can flowers affect land surface albedo and soil microclimates? - Amy M. Iler; A. Walwema; Heidi Steltzer; A. Blazquez-Castro (International Journal of Biometeorology, 2021)
The phenology of vegetation, namely leaf-out and senescence, can influence the Earth’s climate over regional spatial scales and long time periods (e.g., over 30 years or more), in addition to microclimates over local spatial scales and shorter time periods (weeks to months). However, the effects of flowers on climate and microclimate are unknown. We investigate whether flowers can influence light reflected by the land surface and soil microclimate in a subalpine meadow. We conducted a flower removal experiment with a common sunflower species, Helianthella quinquenervis, for 3 years (2015, 2017, and 2019). The flower removal treatment simulates the appearance of the meadow when Helianthella flowers earlier under climate change and loses its flowers to frost (other plant structures are not damaged by frost). We test the hypotheses that a reduction in cover of yellow flowers leads to a greener land surface, lower reflectance, warmer and drier soils, and increased plant water stress. Flowe

Review of Vesicular Stomatitis in the United States with Focus on 2019 and 2020 Outbreaks - Angela M. Pelzel‐McCluskey; Brad Christensen; John Humphreys; Miranda R. Bertram; Robert Keener; Robert L. Ewing; Lee W. Cohnstaedt; Rachel M. Tell; Debra P. C. Peters; Luis L. Rodrı́guez (Pathogens, 2021)
Vesicular stomatitis (VS) is a vector-borne livestock disease caused by vesicular stomatitis New Jersey virus (VSNJV) or vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus (VSIV). The disease circulates endemically in northern South America, Central America, and Mexico and only occasionally causes outbreaks in the United States. Over the past 20 years, VSNJV outbreaks in the southwestern and Rocky Mountain regions occurred with incursion years followed by virus overwintering and subsequent expansion outbreak years. Regulatory response by animal health officials is deployed to prevent spread from lesioned animals. The 2019 VS incursion was the largest in 40 years, lasting from June to December 2019 with 1144 VS-affected premises in 111 counties in eight states (Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming) and was VSIV serotype, last isolated in 1998. A subsequent expansion occurred from April to October 2020 with 326 VS-affected premises in 70 counties in eight states (Ar

Relationships matter: How the social environment affects individual fitness-related behaviors - D. M. Williams (2021)
Individuals respond to predators through an array of anti-predator behaviors that can be influenced by their social environment, specifically through protection from predators or by altering risk-resource trade-offs through competitive exclusion from resources. While social effects like group size are well studied, the specific ways in which different types of relationships, such as number of interaction partners or centrality in their group, influence consistent anti-predator behaviors is less understood. However, the effects of social relationships on behavior are not uniform between species or even between individuals. Here, we examined how an individual’s affiliative and agonistic social relationships impacted two personality traits related to anti-predator behavior (boldness and docility) in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer ), a facultatively social species with unusual negative impacts of affiliative relationships. We found that docile individuals were less involved in

Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes explain mass gain variation in an obligate hibernator - G. C. Johnson; S. Degregori; P. H. Barber; Daniel T. Blumstein; G. C. Johnson (bioRxiv, 2021)
Abstract Body condition is an important life history challenge that directly impacts individual fitness and is particularly important for hibernating animals, whose maintenance of adequate body fat and mass is essential for survival. It is well documented that symbiotic microorganisms play a vital role in animal physiology and behaviour. Recent work demonstrates that gut microbes are associated with fat accumulation and obesity; Firmicutes is consistently associated with obesity while Bacteroidetes is associated with leanness both in humans and other animals. The focus of most microbiome studies has been on human health or involved lab reared animals used as a model system. However, these microbes likely are important for individual fitness in wild populations and provide potential mechanistic insights into the adaptability and survival of wildlife. Here we test whether symbiotic microorganisms within the phyla of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are associated with summer mass gain in an

The Colorado East River Community Observatory Data Collection - Zarine Kakalia; Charuleka Varadharajan; Erek Alper; E. L. Brodie; Madison Burrus; R. W. H. Carroll; D. S. Christianson; Wenming Dong; Valerie Hendrix; M. Henderson; S. S. Hubbard; D. Johnson; et al. (Hydrologic Processes, 2021)
Abstract The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Colorado East River Community Observatory (ER) in the Upper Colorado River Basin was established in 2015 as a representative mountainous, snow‐dominated watershed to study hydrobiogeochemical responses to hydrological perturbations in headwater systems. The ER is characterized by steep elevation, geologic, hydrologic and vegetation gradients along floodplain, montane, subalpine, and alpine life zones, which makes it an ideal location for researchers to understand how different mountain subsystems contribute to overall watershed behaviour. The ER has both long‐term and spatially‐extensive observations and experimental campaigns carried out by the Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area (SFA), led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and researchers from over 30 organizations who conduct cross‐disciplinary process‐based investigations and modelling of watershed behaviour. The heterogeneous data generated at the ER include hydrological,

Bigger is not always better: Viability selection on body mass varies across life stages in a hibernating mammal - A. H. M. Jebb; Daniel T. Blumstein; P. Bize; J. G. A. Martin (Ecology and Evolution, 2021)
Body mass is often viewed as a proxy of past access to resources and of future survival and reproductive success. Links between body mass and survival or reproduction are, however, likely to differ between age classes and sexes. Remarkably, this is rarely taken into account in selection analyses. Selection on body mass is likely to be the primary target accounting for juvenile survival until reproduction but may weaken after recruitment. Males and females also often differ in how they use resources for reproduction and survival. Using a long-term study on body mass and annual survival in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), we show that body mass was under stabilizing viability selection in the first years of life, before recruitment, which changed to positive directional selection as age increased and animals matured. We found no evidence that viability selection across age classes on body mass differed between sexes. By investigating the link between running speed and

Diverse cressdnaviruses and an anellovirus identified in the fecal samples of yellow-bellied marmots - A. Khalifeh; Daniel T. Blumstein; R. S. Fontenele; K. Schmidlin; C. Richet; S. Kraberger; A. Varsani (Virology, 2021)
Over that last decade, coupling multiple strand displacement approaches with high throughput sequencing have resulted in the identification of genomes of diverse groups of small circular DNA viruses. Using a similar approach but with recovery of complete genomes by PCR, we identified a diverse group of single-stranded viruses in yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventer) fecal samples. From 13 fecal samples we identified viruses in the family Genomoviridae (n = 7) and Anelloviridae (n = 1), and several others that ware part of the larger Cressdnaviricota phylum but not within established families (n = 19). There were also circular DNA molecules identified (n = 4) that appear to encode one viral-like gene and have genomes of <1545 nts. This study gives a snapshot of viruses associated with marmots based on fecal sampling.

Biotic interactions at species’ range limits in a changing climate - I. D. Shepard (2021)

Estimation of Evapotranspiration Rates and Root Water Uptake Profiles From Soil Moisture Sensor Array Data - W. Li; Haruko M. Wainwright; Qina Yan; H. Zhou; Baptiste Dafflon; Yuxin Wu; Roelof Versteeg; D. M. Tartakovsky (Water Resources Research, 2021)
AbstractEvapotranspiration is arguably the least quantified component of the hydrologic cycle. We propose two complementary strategies for estimation of evapotranspiration rates and root water uptake profiles from soil‐moisture sensor‐array data. One is our implementation of ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF); it treats the evapotranspiration sink term in the Richards equation, rather than soil moisture, as the observable to update. The other is a maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) applied to the same observable; it is supplemented with the Fisher information matrix to quantify uncertainty in its predictions. We use numerical experiments to demonstrate the accuracy and computational efficiency of these techniques. We found our EnKF implementation to be two orders of magnitude faster than either the standard EnKF or MLE, and our MLE procedure to require an order of magnitude fewer iterations to converge than its counterpart applied to soil moisture. These findings render our methodologies a

Understanding pollen specialization in mason bees: a case study of six species - M. McAulay; S. Killingsworth; J. R. K. Forrest (Oecologia, 2021)
Many bee species are dietary specialists and restrict their pollen foraging to a subset of the available flowers. However, the reasons for specialization—and the reasons certain plant taxa support numerous specialists—are often unclear. Many bees specialize on the plant family Asteraceae, despite evidence its pollen is a poor food for non-specialists. Here, we studied six mason bee (Osmia) species, including three Asteraceae specialists, to test whether observed pollen-usage patterns reflect larval nutritional requirements, to investigate what aspects of Asteraceae pollen make it unsuitable for non-specialists, and to understand how Asteraceae specialists tolerate their seemingly low-quality diet. We reared larval bees on host and nonhost pollen and found that Asteraceae specialists could develop on nonhost provisions, but that other bees could not survive on Asteraceae provisions. These effects did not seem related to nutritional deficiencies, since Asteraceae provisions were not amin

Modeling the Impact of Riparian Hollows on River Corridor Nitrogen Exports - David Brian Rogers; Michelle Newcomer; J. H. Raberg; Dipankar Dwivedi; Carl I. Steefel; Nicholas J. Bouskill; P. Nico; Boris Faybishenko; P. M. Fox; M. Conrad; Markus Bill; E. L. Brodie; et al. (Frontiers in Water, 2021)
Recent studies in snowmelt-dominated catchments have documented changes in nitrogen (N) retention over time, such as declines in watershed exports of N, though there is a limited understanding of the controlling processes driving these trends. Working in the mountainous headwater East River Colorado watershed, we explored the effects of riparian hollows as N-cycling hotspots and as important small-scale controls on observed watershed trends. Using a modeling-based approach informed by remote sensing and in situ observations, we simulated the N-retention capacity of riparian hollows with seasonal and yearly hydrobiogeochemical perturbations imposed as drivers. We then implemented a scaling approach to quantify the relative contribution of riparian hollows to the total river corridor N budget. We found that riparian hollows primarily serve as N sinks, with N-transformation rates significantly limited by periods of enhanced groundwater upwelling and promoted at the onset of rainfall event

The genome of the Margined White butterfly (Pieris macdunnoughii): sex chromosome insights and the power of polishing with PoolSeq data - Rachel A Steward; Y. Okamura; C. L. Boggs; H. Vogel; C. W. Wheat (Genome Biology and Evolution, 2021)
We report a chromosome-level assembly for Pieris macdunnoughii, a North American butterfly whose involvement in an evolutionary trap imposed by an invasive Eurasian mustard has made it an emerging model system for studying maladaptation in plant-insect interactions. Assembled Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/gbe/advance-article/doi/10.1093/gbe/evab053/6178793 by guest on 15 April 2021 using nearly 100X coverage of Oxford Nanopore long reads, the contig-level assembly comprised 106 contigs totaling 316,549,294 bases, with an N50 of 5.2Mb. We polished the assembly with PoolSeq Illumina short-read data, demonstrating for the first time the comparable performance of individual and pooled short reads as polishing datasets. Extensive synteny between the reported contig-level assembly and a published, chromosome-level assembly of the European butterfly Pieris napi allowed us to generate a pseudo-chromosomal assembly of 47 contigs, placing 91.1% of our 317 Mbp genome into a chromosomal

Predispersal Seed Predation Obscures the Detrimental Effect of Dust on Wildflower Reproduction - Mary V. Price; Nickolas M. Waser; D. Lopez; V. Ramirez; C. Rosas (International Journal of Plant Sciences, 2021)

Social position indirectly influences the traits yellow-bellied marmots use to solve problems - D. M. Williams; C. A. Wu; Daniel T. Blumstein (Animal Cognition, 2021)
Animals adapt to changing environments by behaving flexibly when solving problems. Traits, such as sex and age, and spe- cifically behavioral traits like persistence–the amount of time spent attempting to solve a problem, are positively associated with successful problem-solving. However, individuals face social pressures, such as aggression, which may directly alter an individual’s behavior or interact with sex or age, when they attempt to problem-solve. We examined the direct and indirect effects of social position and individual behavioral traits on solving a novel puzzle box in facultatively social yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), using both generalized linear mixed models and confirmatory path analysis. We found strong support that marmots who used a diversity of behaviors were more successful problem-solvers and weak support that those who received more aggression were less successful. Additionally, marmots who received more aggression were less behaviorally diverse,

Cold adaptation drives population genomic divergence in the ecological specialist, Drosophila montana - R. A. W. Wiberg; V. Tyukmaeva; A. Hoikkala; M. Ritchie; M. Kankare (Molecular Ecology, 2021)

Impacts of brood parasites, floral abundance, and bee age on maternal investment in a solitary bee, Osmia iridis - L. Heinrich (2021)
Parents can adjust both the size and number of offspring they produce in order to maximize their own fitness payoff (Smith & Fretwell 1974). Optimal parental investment is dependent in part on likelihood of offspring survival, which is impacted by predation and parasitism. When risk of predation or parasitism is high, it may be adaptive for parents to reduce either the number of offspring they produce or their investment in individual offspring. Brood parasitism by sapygid wasps represents a significant fitness cost for Osmia bees. Sapygid wasps enter brood cells during the provisioning or brood cell construction stages, when mother bees are absent collecting pollen and nectar provisions for their larvae or materials for constructing brood cell walls. In order to avoid losing their investment in offspring, Osmia bees should reduce provisioning time when parasitism risk is high, providing pollen provisions smaller than what would be optimal for offspring development. Alternatively, inst

Empirical studies of escape behavior find mixed support for the race for life model - K. Wrensford; J. Gutierrez; W. E. Cooper; Daniel T. Blumstein (Current Zoology, 2021)
Escape theory has been exceptionally successful in conceptualizing and accurately predicting effects of numerous factors that affect predation risk and explaining variation in flight initiation distance (FID, predator-prey distance when escape begins). Less explored is the relative orientation of an approaching predator, prey, and its eventual refuge. The relationship between an approaching threat and its refuge can be expressed as an angle we call the “interpath angle” or “Φ”, which describes the angle between the paths of predator and prey to the prey’s refuge and thus expresses the degree to which prey must run towards an approaching predator. In general, we might expect that prey would escape at greater distances if they must flee toward a predator to reach its burrow. The ‘race for life’ model makes formal predictions about how interpath angle should affect FID. We evaluated the model by studying escape decisions in yellow-bellied marmots Marmota flaviventer, a species which flees

Water - John Harner (University Press of Colorado eBooks, 2021)

A community‐supported weather and soil moisture monitoring database of the Roaring Fork catchment of the Colorado River Headwaters - E. Osenga; J. Vano; James C. Arnott (Hydrological Processes, 2021)
AbstractLocal community interest in better understanding regional climate change impacts has motivated the establishment of a long‐term soil moisture and weather observation network in the Roaring Fork catchment of the Colorado River Headwaters. This catchment‐wide suite of 10 stations, installed between 2012 and 2020, collects frequent, fixed‐interval data on soil moisture, soil temperature, rain, air temperature, relative humidity, and (at some stations) snow across an elevational gradient from 1800 to 3680 m. In this paper we provide a description of the data this network provides, how data are accessed, and how this community‐supported effort has resulted in data that support mountain hydrology research with applications for resource management and climate change adaptation decision making. All data from this network are publicly available.

Testing how density affects caddisfly distribution along a detritus quality gradient - A. Adams (2021)
As ecosystems continue to change, the ability to find high-quality habitats is becoming a valuable skill. Caddisflies are often found in pond environments with a variety of habitat qualities, such as food (detritus) quality. Asynarchus nigriculus, being highly mobile and having a unique dietary need for protein are a prime subject for testing the ability of caddisflies to find high-quality habitats when given a range of detritus qualities. A. nigriculus showed a preference for high-quality habitats both individually and in groups. Density was a relatively insignificant factor in their distribution, and aggressive interactions did not increase with density. This indicates that their distribution is based more on the availability of resources than on intraspecific interference interactions.

The effect of cytotype on radial growth rate in quaking aspen ( Populus tremuloides ) across environmental gradients - I. Banka (2021)
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) trees are a foundation species that is widely distributed across all North America. Since the early 2000s, high levels of mortality have been observed in these forests. In recent decades, many quaking aspen forests have been experiencing high mortality rates. This large-scale mortality has been the subject of many studies attempting to ascertain the cause and gather knowledge which could aid in future forest management efforts. There have been observed differences between aspen ramets’ (individual stems) drought-response at small spatial scales under similar environmental conditions, which suggests intraspecific (within species) variation in drought mortality risk. Aspen ramets grow in genetically identical clones (genets) that have either two (diploid) or three (triploid) copies of each chromosome. My project investigated the effect of ploidy level on drought response in quaking aspen and sought to gather data on aspen cytotype growth rate differenc

Abundance and elevational range shifts of three species of burying beetle in Gunnison County, Colorado and importance of stridulation during reproduction in burying beetles - A. Rawinski (2021)

Temperature Selection in the Arizona Tiger Salamander ( Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum ) - C. Bohus (2021)
High-elevation ecosystems are experiencing rapid warming and severe impact of global climate change. The Arizona Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum) occurs in high elevation ponds in the West Elk Mountains of Colorado and offers a compelling system to test context-dependent responses to climate change. Larval salamanders either metamorphose into terrestrial metamorphs or become gilled, aquatic paedomorphs, thus, the morphs may be differentially affected by climate change. To determine how the different thermal environments experienced by the morphs affects their physiology, we will compare the preferred temperature of metamorphic adult salamanders from high-elevation ponds. A comparison of paedomorphs and metamorphs was initially desired but due to not being able to find any this summer only metamoprhs were used. The first objective is to construct and test a water-filled thermal gradient runway. The thermal gradient design will be improved until we can establish a reliabl

Expanding in-stream flow rights as a mechanism for water conservation and aquatic ecosystem preservation - M. C. Buckelew (2021)

Comparative study on pollinator visits to high elevation plant communities in Virginia Basin, Gothic, Colorado - D. Gascon (2021)
Plant-pollinator networks are intricate systems that can give insight on a location’s biodiversity and response to environmental changes. By studying pollination networks at different elevations, researchers can evaluate how varying environmental conditions influence how plant and pollinator species interact with one another. In this project, I assessed two plant- pollinator communities in the Virginia Basin at 3500m and at 3350m. Plant-pollinator interactions were recorded by sampling 20x1m transects at each site while censusing flower abundance for five weeks during the summer of 2021. When looking at the overall abundance of flowers at both sites there was no difference between sites abundance or mean visitation per abundance. However, when analyzing the plant species found at both site there was a significant difference between the mean visitation, with plants at the mid site receiving more visits. This difference may be due to harsh conditions at the higher site or the greater pla

How worthwhile are pollination networks? - J. D. Thomson (Journal of Pollination Ecology, 2021)

Investigating the relationship between Bombus appositus abundance and its overlap with key floral resources - E. Gitter (2021)
Many species of bumble bees (Bombus spp.) are experiencing population declines. In subalpine ecosystems, climate change is altering floral phenology by causing an earlier blooming period, which creates a growing season with sparser resources. Since bumble bees and their floral resources depend on phenological overlap for their mutualistic relationship to function, it is possible that changing floral phenologies could negatively impact pollinators. Bombus appositus is a pollinator of concern due its relatively narrow diet breadth and variable population abundance in the past seven years of study in the subalpine ecosystems near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL). In this study, we explored the relationship between B. appositus worker abundance and the number of weeks of phenological overlap between bees and floral resources from 2015 - 2020. We also compared B. appositus worker abundance with the total floral abundance of B. appositus’ four key floral resources. We found no

Modeling geogenic and atmospheric nitrogen through the East River Watershed, Colorado Rocky Mountains - Taylor Maavara; Erica R. Siirila-Woodburn; Fadji Maina; R. M. Maxwell; James E. Sample; K. Dana Chadwick; R. W. H. Carroll; Michelle Newcomer; Wenming Dong; K. H. Williams; Carl I. Steefel; Nicholas J. Bouskill (PloS one, 2021)
There is a growing understanding of the role that bedrock weathering can play as a source of nitrogen (N) to soils, groundwater and river systems. The significance is particularly apparent in mountainous environments where weathering fluxes can be large. However, our understanding of the relative contributions of rock-derived, or geogenic, N to the total N supply of mountainous watersheds remains poorly understood. In this study, we develop the High-Altitude Nitrogen Suite of Models (HAN-SoMo), a watershed-scale ensemble of process-based models to quantify the relative sources, transformations, and sinks of geogenic and atmospheric N through a mountain watershed. Our study is based in the East River Watershed (ERW) in the Upper Colorado River Basin. The East River is a near-pristine headwater watershed underlain primarily by an N-rich Mancos Shale bedrock, enabling the timing and magnitude of geogenic and atmospheric contributions to watershed scale dissolved N-exports to be quantified

Effects of climate change on the elevational distribution of bumble bees near Crested Butte, CO: comparing data across 47 years - S. Gram (2021)
As climate change continues to alter the abiotic environment, many organisms must adapt to survive. In montane systems where changes in elevation can present noticeable changes in temperature and moisture, many organisms may adapt to climate change by migrating to higher elevations. Bumble bees, which are diverse and abundant in temperate montane ecosystems, may be vulnerable to climate change as changing environments alter the composition of plants. However, it’s unclear whether the elevational ranges of bumble bees have shifted over time. Here, we analyze a new survey in the context of a long-term project monitoring the elevational distributions of bumble bee communities near Crested Butte, Colorado. Our findings suggest that some species may be shifting to higher elevation, but many appear to be stable.

Investigating the comparison between bird diversity and apex aquatic predators in sub-alpine beaver ponds - A. Haeseler (2021)
Predation of native salamanders by non-native trout in Colorado is a wildlife concern. Understanding the dynamics of how the different species interact is important. Cascade effects in the environment are caused by declines of species in a community. Birds, fish, and amphibians are deeply connected, therefore observing birds may help understand the ecosystem. Bird diversity is a crucial indicator to understand environmental changes and health. The research focused on the effects of different apex aquatic predators and the number of different bird species near beaver ponds. Point counts were conducted to observe birds visually and aurally for 15 minutes. The comparison between pond type and number of different species was significant, suggesting that different aquatic predators may affect bird communities. In future research, analyzing the tree canopy and pond depth would provide a useful distinction of each pond.

Power of place and landscape - J.M. Scott (2021)
This chapter presents and compares three military landscapes encountered by the United States (US) Army’s Second World War 10th Mountain Division, the only wartime US formation dedicated to mountain warfare. The Division’s training in the Rocky Mountains was more than adequate for their task of scaling mountain heights at the centre of the German Wehrmacht Gothic Line in 1945. This chapter is concerned with the military landscapes of specialized mountain training and mountain battle-zones. It proceeds from the view that landscapes are not just a material concept but exist also as memories which can be recalled to navigate physical as well as social landscapes. Signs and symbols associated with and found within the landscape are rarely universal; their meanings are culturally, contextually, and temporally determined.

Mammalian herbivores restrict the altitudinal range limits of alpine plants - J. S. Lynn; T. E. X. Miller; Jennifer A. Rudgers (Ecology Letters, 2021)
Abstract Although rarely experimentally tested, biotic interactions have long been hypothesised to limit low‐elevation range boundaries of species. We tested the effects of herbivory on three alpine‐restricted plant species by transplanting plants below (novel), at the edge (limit), or in the centre (core) of their current elevational range and factorially fencing‐out above‐ and belowground mammals. Herbivore damage was greater in range limit and novel habitats than in range cores. Exclosures increased plant biomass and reproduction more in novel habitats than in range cores, suggesting demographic costs of novel interactions with herbivores. We then used demographic models to project population growth rates, which increased 5–20% more under herbivore exclosure at range limit and novel sites than in core habitats. Our results identify mammalian herbivores as key drivers of the low‐elevation range limits of alpine plants and indicate that upward encroachment of herbivo

Effects of Native and Non-native Predators on Aquatic Communities - E. Kerr (2021)
Predators impact the ecosystem in a top-down manner; however, we are not sure how non-native predators differ from native ones. In Colorado beaver ponds, non-native trout can change aquatic communities by preying on macroinvertebrates and excluding the native predator, tiger salamanders. Beaver ponds have high macroinvertebrate density, provide habitat for tiger salamanders, and support introduced trout populations thus providing a system to study macroinvertebrate communities based on the predator present. I sampled the macroinvertebrates in 18 beaver ponds; 6 containing fish, 6 containing salamanders, and 6 with no predators within the Gunnison Valley. My analysis revealed that there is no significant difference in the aquatic invertebrate communities between beaver ponds with trout, salamanders, or no predators, although there may be differences in diversity among pond types. The other analyses are currently ongoing, but so far it appears that trout and salamanders may be complement

Effects of Climate Variation and Nesting Traits on Sex Ratios of Adult Solitary Bees - W. Lovecky (2021)
In the face of environmental change, including climate change, many organisms’ biological and ecological processes are being altered. Adult sex ratios are directly related to an organisms’ reproductive success and long-term viability. Understanding what influences sex ratios in the face of these changes may help us to predict the success of an organism. Here we investigated how climate variation influences the adult sex ratios of twelve species of solitary bees present in what is now the Gothic, Colorado area. We looked at how climate variation, specifically snowmelt timing, may influence their adult sex ratios. We also explored how nesting traits may provide protection or susceptibility to climatic influence. Using long-term data collected by Dr. Rebecca Irwin’s lab and billy barr, we ran generalized linear models to understand the relationship between snowmelt timing and the sex ratios of each of the twelve selected bee species. We also ran these same models, but categorized bee spec

The Influence of Summer Precipitation and Temperature on Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel Pup Foraging. - M. Nickson (2021)
Golden-mantled ground squirrels (GMGS) at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) spend the majority of the year, from October to May, hibernating in order to save energy during the winter seasons in Gothic, Colorado. Once the winter season is over, the squirrels emerge from their burrows and spend spring and summer foraging in preparation for next winter. Foraging behavior is highly important during these months since food only starts to become available when snow melts, stimulating green vegetation growth. However, vegetation quality may depend on weather conditions: drier years may decrease vegetation quality, while wetter years may increase vegetation quality. Though behavioral flexibility is one of the most common modes of response across most mammal species, there is a lack of knowledge on how acute climate stress changes animals’ foraging behavior. Behavioral flexibility is the ability of having diverse behavioral traits, which is important for species to adapt to any ch

Massive DNA "BORG" Structures Perplex Scientists - A. Dance (Nature, 2021)

On the structure and significance of ecological niche breadth - Kelly A Carscadden (2021)

The influence of human recreational trail use has on rodent and predator activity using motion triggered cameras - V. Rodriguez (2021)
The recreational trails in Gunnison County, Colorado near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) are a valuable resource for the community. RMBL is a prominent field station surrounded by a largely intact ecosystem whose diverse native plants and animals are key to its scientific research and education programs. Human recreation near these areas generates touristic income for the surrounding cities. However, human recreation can lead to behavioral changes in wild animals. Knowing whether the current regulations being implemented on the trails are sufficient to protect the wildlife is imperative. Utilizing methods from RMBL studies conducted in 2019 and 2020, we studied the effects of human use of recreational trails on small mammals and predators. This three-part study used motion triggered cameras to (1) compare the effectiveness of the non-invasive bucket camera traps with live rodent trapping, (2) measure the impact that human activity on trails has on rodents, and (3) meas

Apendix - Brian N. Andrews; David J. Meltzer; Mark Stiger (University Press of Colorado eBooks, 2021)
which, following Aldenderfer (2006), we define as locations at elevations greater than 2,500 meters above sea level (e.g.,

Morph and Sex differences in prey selectivity of tiger salamanders ( Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum ) - G. Sánchez Ruiz (2021)
The tiger salamander is the top predator of the benthic invertebrate in the ponds at the Mexican Cut Nature Preserve, and hence, one of the main influential factors on the benthic invertebrate community structure. Recent phenomena observed at the MCP, like earlier snowmelt dates of some of the ponds in response to climate change, could potentially result in changes to the community structure by affecting the timeline of encounters between salamanders and their usual prey. To assess changes in predation selectivity of the tiger salamander in response to climate change and how sex and morph alter this feeding relationships, feeding trials were conducted at the MCP. The salamanders representing both morphs and sexes were starved for 24 hours before the trials and placed in 52 cm × 36 ½ cm plastic boxes with different types of their usual prey. The results did not support our hypothesis of shifting diet preferences, fairy shrimp is still the preferred food source for metamorphs, and unexpe

The spatial variation of leaf traits in Ipomopsis according to soil moisture and snow depth - F. Talaba (2021)
This study analyzed how soil moisture and snow depth correlates with leaf traits of Ipomopsis aggregata across and within populations in the Crested Butte and Gothic, Colorado area. Earlier snowmelt due to global warming is lessening soil moisture in early summer in the Rocky Mountains and potentially affecting leaf traits that aid in photosynthesis. We expected that I. aggregata plants with low water availability to have leaf traits that more efficiently photosynthesize and conserve water. Variation in soil moisture within sites had weak or no effects on the leaf traits, except that stomatal density increased with soil moisture in sites that also had low snowpack. Sites with lower snow depth had lower leaf water content, lower specific leaf area (SLA), and trichome density but showed no average change in stomatal density and diameter. The variation across sites in leaf water content, SLA, and trichome density could be attributed to aiding in efficient photosynthesis and less transpira

From animals to ecosystem processes: Predicting functional outcomes of climate-driven changes in animal communities through species traits - J. A. Balik (2021)
Functional trait diversity within species assemblages ultimately determines whether or not ecosystem processes are sensitive to shifts in relative abundances or species composition. For example, trait variation suggests detritivores process detritus at different rates and make different relative contributions to whole-assemblage processing, which is therefore likely sensitive to global change-driven shifts in assemblage composition. Here, we address three main questions: 1) what is the magnitude of interspecific variation in detritus processing within the detritivore guild in high-elevation wetlands, 2) which traits drive interspecific variation in processing among larval caddisflies, 3) are larval caddisflies’ single-species effects additive in multi-species assemblages? We used a series of microcosm experiments to quantify species-specific coarse and fine particulate organic matter (CPOM and FPOM) processing for ten closely-related larval caddisfly species and three non-caddisfly spe

The effects of anthropogenic change on pollination in plant-pollinator communities - L. Xingwen (2021)
The effects of anthropogenic change on pollination in plant-pollinator communities by Loy Xingwen Pollinators facilitate reproduction in \ 80% of global plant species, making them integral to many agricultural and natural ecosystems. For over 200 years, western scientists have been fascinated by the intimate partnerships between pairs of plant and pollinator species. However, current pollinator declines and biodiversity loss have brought to attention the ecology of multi-species plant-pollinator communities. Now more than ever, we need to understand how diverse communities of plants and pollinators sustain one another, and how human activities threaten them. To this end, we must first have clarity on how pollinator diversity benefits plant pollination. Numerous studies have shown that increasing pollinator diversity improves pollination function. Yet this positive relationship is not always detectable, and even when it is, we are often unable to definitively explain why it manifests. In

Animal-Driven Nutrient Supply Declines Relative to Ecosystem Nutrient Demand Along a Pond Hydroperiod Gradient - J. A. Balik; E. Jameson; S. A. Wissinger; H. H. Whiteman; B. W. Taylor (Ecosystems, 2021)

Open-top warming chambers reduce animal pollination of two subalpine herbs - C. Adamson; Amy M. Iler (Journal of Pollination Ecology, 2021)
Open top chambers (OTCs) are a popular method for studying the biological effects of climate change through passive heating, but their effects on biotic interactions are poorly understood, especially for pollination. Here we use the subalpine plants Delphinium nuttallianum and Potentilla pulcherrima to examine the possibility that the effects of OTCs on plant reproduction are not the result of warming but rather OTCs acting as barriers to pollinator movement. Pollinator observations were conducted and stigmas collected from plants inside and outside of OTCs in a meadow in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA. Very few visitors were observed inside of OTCs, which led to severe reductions in visitation rates, by 92% in Delphinium and 85% in Potentilla. The number of conspecific pollen grains on stigmas was 73% lower in OTCs for Delphinium but not Potentilla, likely because it is capable of autogamous self-pollination. This study clearly shows that OTCs can reduce animal pollination, whic

Cytotype and genotype predict mortality and recruitment in Colorado quaking aspen ( Populus tremuloides ) - B. Blonder; C. A. Ray; J. A. Walton; Marco Castaneda; K. Dana Chadwick; Michael Clyne; P. Gauzere; L. L. Iversen; Madison Lusk; G. Richard Strimbeck; Savannah Troy; K. E. Mock (Ecological Applications, 2021)
Accepted Article Species responses to climate change depend on environment, genetics, and interactions among these factors. Intraspecific cytotype (ploidy level) variation is a common type of genetic variation in many species. However, the importance of intraspecific cytotype variation in determining demography across environments is poorly known. We studied the tree species quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), which occurs in diploid and triploid cytotypes. This widespread species is experiencing contractions in its western range, which could potentially be linked to cytotype- dependent drought tolerance. We found that interactions between cytotype and environment drive mortality and recruitment across 503 plots in Colorado. Triploids were more vulnerable to mortality relative to diploids and had reduced recruitment on more drought-prone and disturbed plots relative to diploids. Furthermore, there was substantial genotype-dependent variation in demography. Thus, cytotype and genotype

Meanders as a scaling motif for understanding of floodplain soil microbiome and biogeochemical potential at the watershed scale - P. B. M. Carnevali; A. Lavy; A. D. Thomas; A. Crits-Christoph; S. Diamond; R. Meéheust; M. R. Olm; A. Sharrar; S. Lei; Wenming Dong; Nicola Falco; Nicholas J. Bouskill; et al. (Microbiome, 2021)
Abstract Biogeochemical exports of C, N, S and H 2 from watersheds are modulated by the activity of microorganisms that function over micron scales. This disparity of scales presents a substantial challenge for development of predictive models describing watershed function. Here, we tested the hypothesis that meander-bound regions exhibit patterns of microbial metabolic potential that are broadly predictive of biogeochemical processes in floodplain soils along a river corridor. We intensively sampled floodplain soils located in the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the East River in Colorado and reconstructed 248 draft quality genomes representative at a sub-species level. Approximately one third of the representative genomes were detected across all three locations with similar levels of abundance, and despite the very high microbial diversity and complexity of the soils, \ 15% of species were detected in two consecutive years. A core floodplain microbiome was enriched in bacterial c

Porewater Lead Concentrations Limited by Particulate Organic Matter Coupled With Ephemeral Iron(III) and Sulfide Phases during Redox Cycles Within Contaminated Floodplain Soils - Christian Dewey; John R. Bargar; Scott Fendorf (Environmental Science & Technology, 2021)
Lead contamination in soils and sediments is a major threat to water quality. In surface and near-surface environments, Pb is not redox active; however, common Pb hosts, including Fe(III)-(hydr)oxides and sulfides, dissolve and precipitate as redox conditions change. Dissolution of Pb hosts may release Pb to porewater, leading to spikes in dissolved Pb concentrations and potential transport into surface or groundwater. Here, we examine the impacts of hydrologically coupled redox transitions on Pb partitioning in contaminated floodplain soils. We find that the affinity of Pb for particulate organic matter (POM), inclusive of mineral-associated organic matter, ensures that across redox transitions Pb is retained in the solid phase, despite host-phase (Fe(III)-(hydr)oxide and sulfide) dissolution. As seasonal hydrologic dynamics shift porewater redox conditions, Pb-bearing Fe(III)-(hydr)oxides (Pb-HFO) and sulfides (PbS) are dissolved and (re)precipitated. However, despite these shifts in

Do microorganisms obey macroecological rules? - J. Dickey; R. Swenie; S. Turner; C. Winfrey; D. Yaffar; A. Padukone; K. K. Beals; K. S. Sheldon; Stephanie N. Kivlin (Authorea, 2021)
Understanding the factors controlling the relative abundance, distribution, and diversity of organisms is a fundamental challenge in ecology. For plants and animals, macroecological rules have been developed that describe these large-scale distributional patterns and attempt to explain the underlying physiological and ecological processes behind them. Similarly, microorganisms exhibit patterns in relative abundance, distribution, and diversity across space and time, yet it remains unclear the extent to which microorganisms follow macroecological rules initially developed for macroorganisms. With rapid advancements in sequencing technology, we have seen a recent increase in microbial studies that utilize macroecological frameworks. Here we review and synthesize these macroecological microbial studies with two main objectives: (1) to determine to what extent macroecological rules explain the distribution of host-associated and free-living microorganisms, and (2) to understand which envir

Challenging problems of quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) of meteorological time series data - Boris Faybishenko; Roelof Versteeg; Gilberto Pastorello; Dipankar Dwivedi; Charuleka Varadharajan; Deb Agarwal (Stochastic environmental research and risk assessment, 2021)
Representativeness and quality of collected meteorological data impact accuracy and precision of climate, hydrological, and biogeochemical analyses and predictions. We developed a comprehensive Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) statistical framework, consisting of three major phases: Phase I—Preliminary data exploration, i.e., pro- cessing of raw datasets, with the challenging problems of time formatting and combining datasets of different lengths and different time intervals; Phase II—QA of the datasets, including detecting and flagging of duplicates, outliers, and extreme data; and Phase III—the development of time series of a desired frequency, imputation of missing values, visualization and a final statistical summary. The paper includes two use cases based on the time series data collected at the Billy Barr meteorological station (East River Watershed, Colorado), and the Barro Colorado Island (BCI, Panama) meteorological station. The developed statistical framework i

Snow melt timing acts independently and in conjunction with temperature accumulation to drive subalpine plant phenology - Diana K Jerome; William K. Petry; K. A. Mooney; Amy M. Iler (Global Change Biology, 2021)
AbstractOrganisms use environmental cues to align their phenology—the timing of life events—with sets of abiotic and biotic conditions that favor the successful completion of their life cycle. Climate change has altered the environmental cues organisms use to track climate, leading to shifts in phenology with the potential to affect a variety of ecological processes. Understanding the drivers of phenological shifts is critical to predicting future responses, but disentangling the effects of temperature from precipitation on phenology is often challenging because they tend to covary. We addressed this knowledge gap in a high‐elevation environment where phenological shifts are associated with both the timing of spring snow melt and temperature. We factorially crossed early snow melt and passive warming treatments to (1) disentangle the effects of snow melt timing and warming on the phenology of flowering and fruiting and reproductive success in three subalpine plant species (Delphinium n

From the ground up: Building predictions for how climate change will affect belowground mutualisms, floral traits, and bee behavior - A. M. Keeler; Nicole E. Rafferty; A. Rose-Person (Climate Change Ecology, 2021)
Climate change affects species and their interactions, resulting in novel communities and modified ecosystem processes. Through shifts in phenology and distribution, climatic change can disrupt interactions, including those between mutualists. Mutualisms influence the structure and stability of communities and can link species to a common fate. However, research on climate change has focused on pairwise mutualisms, neglecting the higher-order interactions that can arise when species interact with multiple mutualists. We explore the effects of climate change on tripartite interactions involving belowground mutualists, namely soil bacteria and fungi, flowering plants, and pollinators. We outline how climate change is predicted to affect the phenology and distribution of these belowground mutualists, emphasizing the consequent effects on host plant floral traits, plant-pollinator interactions, and bee behavior. We find evidence that warming, advanced snowmelt, and drought are likely to ca

New age constraints on the Late Cretaceous lower Williams Fork Formation, Coal Canyon, Colorado - Jordan T. Walker; Andres Aslan; Rex D. Cole; Michael T. Heizler (The Mountain Geologist, 2021)
The precise age of terrestrial sediments in the Late Cretaceous Williams Fork Formation of western Colorado is poorly constrained due to a paucity of radiometric data. Sanidine and zircon dating of a volcanic ash encased in coal (i.e., the Coal Canyon ash) within the Cameo-Wheeler coal zone of the lower Williams Fork Formation in Coal Canyon, Colorado provides an important new age constraint for the southwestern Piceance Basin. A 10-30 cm thick, light gray, clayey mudstone encased in coal was sampled for both zircon U-Pb and sanidine 40Ar/39Ar geochronology. The presence of numerous euhedral zircon crystals, a lenticular geometry, and a clayey texture suggest that the mudstone is a minimally reworked and slightly altered volcanic ash. Analysis of the euhedral zircon crystals (n=108) in the ash produced a statistically robust U-Pb date with 93 grains yielding a weighed mean age of 74.52 ±0.11 Ma (1σ analytical uncertainty). 40Ar/39Ar sanidine analyses yielded a younger weighted mean age

Effect of elevation, season and accelerated snowmelt on biogeochemical processes during isolated conifer needle litter decomposition - Laura T. Leonard; E. L. Brodie; K. H. Williams; Jonathon O. Sharp (PeerJ, 2021)
Increased drought and temperatures associated with climate change have implications for ecosystem stress with risk for enhanced carbon release in sensitive biomes. Litter decomposition is a key component of biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, but questions remain regarding the local response of decomposition processes to climate change. This is particularly complex in mountain ecosystems where the variable nature of the slope, aspect, soil type, and snowmelt dynamics play a role. Hence, the goal of this study was to determine the role of elevation, soil type, seasonal shifts in soil moisture, and snowmelt timing on litter decomposition processes. Experimental plots containing replicate deployments of harvested lodgepole and spruce needle litter alongside needle-free controls were established in open meadows at three elevations ranging from 2,800-3,500 m in Crested Butte, Colorado. Soil biogeochemistry variables including gas flux, porewater chemistry, and microbial ecolog

Trade-off mitigation: a conceptual framework for understanding floral adaptation in multispecies interactions - K. Ohashi; A. Jurgens; J. D. Thomson (Biological Reviews, 2021)
ABSTRACTExplanations of floral adaptation to diverse pollinator faunas have often invoked visitor‐mediated trade‐offs in which no intermediate, generalized floral phenotype is optimal for pollination success, i.e. fitness valleys are created. In such cases, plant species are expected to specialize on particular groups of flower visitors. Contrary to this expectation, it is commonly observed that flowers interact with various groups of visitors, while at the same time maintaining distinct phenotypes among ecotypes, subspecies, or congeners. This apparent paradox may be due to a gap in our understanding of how visitor‐mediated trade‐offs could affect floral adaptation. Here we provide a conceptual framework for analysing visitor‐mediated trade‐offs with the hope of stimulating empirical and theoretical studies to fill this gap. We propose two types of visitor‐mediated trade‐offs to address negative correlations among fitness contributions of different visitors: visitor‐mediated phenotypi

Climate and multiple dimensions of plant diversity regulate ecosystem carbon exchange along an elevational gradient - C. M. Prager; X. Jing; Jeremiah A Henning; Quentin D Read; P. Meidi; S. Lavorel; Nathan J. Sanders; M. K. Sundqvist; D. A. Wardle; Aimee T Classen (Ecosphere, 2021)
Abstract The impacts of warming on communities and ecosystems are predicted to be significant in mountain ecosystems because physiological processes, including rates of carbon (C) cycling, are often more temperature‐sensitive in colder environments. Plant biodiversity can also influence C exchange, yet few studies integrate how biotic and abiotic factors may directly or interactively impact ecosystem C flux. Here, we examine the link between simultaneous changes in multiple dimensions of plant diversity and peak growing season ecosystem C uptake across a climatic gradient in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, USA. We found that taxonomic diversity (species richness), functional diversity (functional evenness), and phylogenetic diversity (mean pairwise distance) were significantly and positively related to peak growing season ecosystem C uptake (i.e., net ecosystem exchange) when considered independently. However, when abiotic and biotic factors were integrated in a structural equation mode

Unraveling the ecological and evolutionary impacts of a plant invader on the pollination of a native plant - Wilnelia Recart; Diane R. Campbell (Biological Invasions doi 10.1007/s10530-021-02457-z, 2021)
The results show how the presence of an invasive plant and year-to-year variation in plant-pollinator interactions affect the pollination and components of pollinator-mediated selection in native plants.

Blocks X and Y - Andrew R. Boehm; R. B. Anderson (University Press of Colorado eBooks, 2021)
which, following Aldenderfer (2006), we define as locations at elevations greater than 2,500 meters above sea level (e.g.,

Block C - Brooke Morgan; Brian N. Andrews; David J. Meltzer (University Press of Colorado eBooks, 2021)
which, following Aldenderfer (2006), we define as locations at elevations greater than 2,500 meters above sea level (e.g.,

The sensory and cognitive ecology of nectar robbing - S. K. Richman; J. L. Barker; M. Baek; D. R. Papaj; R. E. Irwin; J. L. Bronstein (Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 2021)
Animals foraging from flowers must assess their environment and make critical decisions about which patches, plants, and flowers to exploit to obtain limiting resources. The cognitive ecology of plant-pollinator interactions explores not only the complex nature of pollinator foraging behavior and decision making, but also how cognition shapes pollination and plant fitness. Floral visitors sometimes depart from what we think of as typical pollinator behavior and instead exploit floral resources by robbing nectar (bypassing the floral opening and instead consuming nectar through holes or perforations made in floral tissue). The impacts of nectar robbing on plant fitness are well-studied; however, there is considerably less understanding, from the animal’s perspective, about the cognitive processes underlying nectar robbing. Examining nectar robbing from the standpoint of animal cognition is important for understanding the evolution of this behavior and its ecological and evolutionary con

Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes explain mass gain variation in an obligate hibernator - G. C. Johnson (bioRxiv, 2021)
Abstract Body condition is an important life history challenge that directly impacts individual fitness and is particularly important for hibernating animals, whose maintenance of adequate body fat and mass is essential for survival. It is well documented that symbiotic microorganisms play a vital role in animal physiology and behaviour. Recent work demonstrates that gut microbes are associated with fat accumulation and obesity; Firmicutes is consistently associated with obesity while Bacteroidetes is associated with leanness both in humans and other animals. The focus of most microbiome studies has been on human health or involved lab reared animals used as a model system. However, these microbes likely are important for individual fitness in wild populations and provide potential mechanistic insights into the adaptability and survival of wildlife. Here we test whether symbiotic microorganisms within the phyla of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are associated with summer mass gain in an

Chemical Variation among Castes, Female Life Stages and Populations of the Facultative Eusocial Sweat Bee Halictus rubicundus (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) - I. Steitz; R. J. Paxton; S. Schulz; M. Ayasse (Journal of Chemical Ecology, 2021)
In eusocial insects, chemical communication is crucial for mediating many aspects of social activities, especially the regulation of reproduction. Though queen signals are known to decrease ovarian activation of workers in highly eusocial species, little is known about their evolution. In contrast, some primitively eusocial species are thought to control worker reproduction through physical aggression by the queen rather than via pheromones, suggesting the evolutionary establishment of chemical signals with more derived sociality. However, studies supporting this hypothesis are largely missing. Socially polymorphic halictid bees, such as Halictus rubicundus, with social and solitary populations in both Europe and North America, offer excellent opportunities to illuminate the evolution of caste-specific signals. Here we compared the chemical profiles of social and solitary populations from both continents and tested whether (i) population or social level affect chemical dissimilarity an

Changes in hunting season regulations (1870s–2019) reduce harvest exposure on greater and Gunnison sage-grouse - Jonathan B. Dinkins; Courtney J. Duchardt; Jacob D. Hennig; Jeffrey L. Beck (PLOS ONE, 2021)
Hunter harvest is a potential factor contributing to population declines of sage-grouse (Centrocercus spp.). As a result, wildlife agencies throughout western North America have set increasingly more conservative harvest regulations over the past 25 years to reduce or eliminate hunter success and concomitant numbers of harvested greater (C.urophasianus) and Gunnison (C.minimus) sage-grouse. Sage-grouse hunting has varied widely over time and space, which has made a comprehensive summary of hunting management challenging. We compiled data on harvest regulations among 11 western U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces from 1870–2019 to create a timeline representative of hunting regulations. We compared annual harvest boundaries and area-weighted average hunting regulations, 1995–2018, relative to administrative boundaries and areas of high probability of sage-grouse occupation. We also summarized estimated numbers of birds harvested and hunters afield, 1995–2018, across both species’ range

From Insects to Frogs, Egg–Juvenile Recruitment Can Have Persistent Effects on Population Sizes - B. J. Downes; B. L. Peckarsky; J. Lancaster; W. D. Bovill; M. Alp (Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 2021)
Understanding what regulates population sizes of organisms with complex life cycles is challenging because limits on population sizes can occur at any stage or transition. We extend a conceptual framework to explore whether numbers of successfully laid eggs determine densities of later stages in insects, fish, amphibians, and snails inhabiting marine, freshwater, or terrestrial habitats. Our review suggests novel hypotheses, which propose characteristics of species or environments that create spatial variation in egg densities and predict when such patterns are maintained throughout subsequent life-cycle stages. Existing data, although limited, suggest that persistent, strong associations between egg and subsequent juvenile densities are likely for species where suitable egg-laying habitat is in short supply. Those associations are weakened in some environments and for some species by density-dependent losses of eggs or hatchlings. Such cross-ecosystem comparisons are fundamental to ge

Folsom Point Diggings: The Johnson Site in the Foothills of Larimer County, Colorado - Jason M. LaBelle; Kelton A. Meyer; Raymond V. Sumner (PaleoAmerica, 2021)
The Johnson site is a Folsom occupation in Larimer County, Colorado. T. Russell Johnson discovered the site in 1935, which led to excavations by the Colorado Museum of Natural History in 1936 and later work in 1960 by the University of Wyoming. Little is known of the site due to limited reporting of the excavation and the Folsom assemblage. Our examination of the site collections gathered between 1935 and 1936 reveals an assemblage of 96 items, consisting of Folsom points, preforms, and channel flakes, as well as other tools including end scrapers, gravers, bifaces, and flake tools. Technological analysis of the Folsom points and byproducts of hunting-tool production suggests that site occupants fluted and finished points made from preforms of non-local materials, while additional tools and a few points were made from materials locally available in the Front Range foothills. As such, Johnson represents at minimum a hunting-weaponry-replacement locale.

Direct Observation of the Depth of Active Groundwater Circulation in an Alpine Watershed - Andrew H Manning; Lyndsay B Ball; R. B. Wanty; K. H. Williams (Water Resources Research, 2021)
AbstractThe depth of active groundwater circulation is a fundamental control on stream flows and chemistry in mountain watersheds, yet it remains challenging to characterize and is rarely well constrained. We collected hydraulic conductivity, hydraulic head, temperature, chemical, noble gas, and 3H/3He groundwater age data from discrete levels in two boreholes 46 and 81 m deep in an alpine watershed, in combination with chemical and age data from shallow groundwater discharge, to discern groundwater flow rates at different depths and directly observe active and inactive groundwater. Vertical head gradients are steep (average of 0.4) and thermal profiles are consistent with typical linear conductive continental geotherms. Groundwater deeper than ∼20 m is distinct from shallow groundwater and creek water in its chemistry, noble gas signature, and age (dominantly >65 years compared to <9 years). Together these results suggest low vertical groundwater flow velocities and a relatively

Chemical Variation among Castes, Female Life Stages and Populations of the Facultative Eusocial Sweat Bee Halictus rubicundus (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) - I. Steitz; I. Steitz; R. J. Paxton; M. Ayasse; R. J. Paxton; S. Schulz; S. Schulz; M. Ayasse (Journal of Chemical Ecology, 2021)
In eusocial insects, chemical communication is crucial for mediating many aspects of social activities, especially the regulation of reproduction. Though queen signals are known to decrease ovarian activation of workers in highly eusocial species, little is known about their evolution. In contrast, some primitively eusocial species are thought to control worker reproduction through physical aggression by the queen rather than via pheromones, suggesting the evolutionary establishment of chemical signals with more derived sociality. However, studies supporting this hypothesis are largely missing. Socially polymorphic halictid bees, such as Halictus rubicundus, with social and solitary populations in both Europe and North America, offer excellent opportunities to illuminate the evolution of caste-specific signals. Here we compared the chemical profiles of social and solitary populations from both continents and tested whether (i) population or social level affect chemical dissimilarity an

A hybrid data-model approach to map soil thickness in mountain hillslopes - Qina Yan; Haruko M. Wainwright; Baptiste Dafflon; Sebastian Uhlemann; Carl I. Steefel; Nicola Falco; J. Kwang; S. S. Hubbard (Earth Surface Dynamics, 2021)
Abstract. Soil thickness plays a central role in the interactions between vegetation, soils, and topography, where it controls the retention and release of water, carbon, nitrogen, and metals. However, mapping soil thickness, here defined as the mobile regolith layer, at high spatial resolution remains challenging. Here, we develop a hybrid model that combines a process-based model and empirical relationships to estimate the spatial heterogeneity of soil thickness with fine spatial resolution (0.5 m). We apply this model to two aspects of hillslopes (southwest- and northeast-facing, respectively) in the East River watershed in Colorado. Two independent measurement methods – auger and cone penetrometer – are used to sample soil thickness at 78 locations to calibrate the local value of unconstrained parameters within the hybrid model. Sensitivity analysis using the hybrid model reveals that the diffusion coefficient used in hillslope diffusion modeling has the largest sensitivity among a

Air - John Harner (University Press of Colorado eBooks, 2021)

Liberty - John Harner (University Press of Colorado eBooks, 2021)

Analysis of the Potential for Events Similar to the Deadly West Salt Creek Landslide, Grand Mesa Area, Colorado - Omid Arabnia; Paul Michael Santi; Edward Emmens; Emily Sparks (SSRN Electronic Journal, 2021)

The benefits of being dominant: Health correlates of male social rank and age in a marmot - K. Uchida; R. Ng; S. A. Vydro; J. E. Smith; Daniel T. Blumstein (Current Zoology, 2021)
The benefits of dominance may not come without costs, particularly for males. For example, the “immunocompetence handicap hypothesis” states that males with enhanced mating success allocate resources to enhance reproductive output at a cost to their current health, whereas the “resource quality hypothesis” predicts that high-ranking males may benefit from increased reproduction and good health. While the predictions from each have been well tested in captive animals and in a variety of highly social primates, fewer studies have been carried out in free-living, facultatively social animals. Using adult male yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), we evaluated predictions of these hypotheses by examining the relationship between social rank and two health indicators–fecal corticosterone metabolite (FCM) levels, and neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) ratios–after accounting for variation explained by age, body mass, and seasonality. We found that higher-ranking males tended to have a low

Sources of Controversy in the Law of the Colorado River: An Upper Basin View - Lawrence MacDonnell (SSRN Electronic Journal, 2021)

Habituation or sensitization? Long-term responses of yellow-bellied marmots to human disturbance - K. Uchida; Daniel T. Blumstein (Behavioral Ecology, 2021)
Abstract Continuous exposure to humans causes wildlife to either habituate or sensitize. Although increased tolerance may play an important role in coexistence with humans, the mechanisms and fitness outcomes of long-term changes of tolerance are not fully understood because only a few studies have assessed individual- and population-level responses over many years. We developed a novel predictive framework to study habituation and sensitization to humans and applied it to yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) in areas of high and low human disturbance. We focused on two antipredator behaviors—time allocation to vigilance during foraging to quantify baseline vigilance levels and flight initiation distance (FID)—to quantify subsequent responsiveness to threat. We used the rate of body mass gain during the active season as a fitness outcome. Assessing 15 years’ population and individual-level responses to human disturbances, marmots in highly disturbed colonies allocated more time

Are vigilance and flight initiation distance correlated in yellow-bellied marmots? - I. DeVito (2021)
Behavioral syndromes are widespread and can have important ecological consequences, since correlations between distinct behaviors shape how animals can respond to changing pressures and can limit behavioral plasticity. Various antipredator behaviors have been identified within behavioral syndromes in many species, and therefore studying the structure of potential behavioral syndromes is important for understanding an animal’s overall behavioral response to predators. This study focused on two antipredator behaviors in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer): time allocation to vigilance during foraging, which represents an individual’s baseline level of wariness, and flight initiation distance (FID), which quantifies the flightiness of an animal in response to a predator. We estimated the correlation between these traits by fitting bivariate model on data collected over 18 years and found a modest correlation between vigilance and FID at the individual level.

Seasonal habitat suitability models for a threatened species: the Gunnison sage-grouse - Anthony D. Apa; Kevin Aagaard; Mindy B. Rice; Evan Phillips; Daniel J. Neubaum; Nathan Seward; Julie R. Stiver; Scott Wait (Wildlife Research, 2021)
Abstract Context The Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) has experienced range-wide declines and has been listed as Threatened by the USA Fish and Wildlife Service to receive protections under the USA Endangered Species Act. A draft Recovery Plan was recently completed. No seasonal habitat models have been developed for the small isolated populations. Aims To develop a habitat suitability model that was collaboratively developed between modellers and conservation practitioners to predict the probability of use by Gunnison sage-grouse during the breeding and summer seasons in designated occupied critical habitat, and extrapolate to adjacent designated unoccupied critical habitat. Methods We captured, marked and tracked Gunnison sage-grouse in nine different studies sp

Nectar addition changes pollinator behavior but not plant reproduction in pollen rewarding Lupinus argenteus - Jacob M. Heiling; J. L. Bronstein; R. E. Irwin (American Journal of Botany, 2021)
The addition of nectar to pollen-rewarding plants resulted in modest increases in per-flower pollinator visit duration and pollen transfer, but had no effect on reproduction because, at the place and time the experiment was conducted, plants were not pollen-limited. These results suggest that a pollen-only reward strategy may allow plants that are visited by pollen foragers to minimize some costs of reproduction by eliminating investment in other rewards, such as nectar, without compromising female plant fitness.

Topographic Map Analysis of the North Platte River-South Platte River Drainage Divide Area, Western Larimer County, Colorado, USA Eric Clausen - Eric Clausen (Earth Science Research, 2021)
The United States Supreme Court settled legal disputes concerning four different Larimer County (Colorado) locations where water is moved by gravity across the high elevation North Platte-South Platte River drainage divide, which begins as a triple drainage divide with the Colorado River at Thunder Mountain (on the east-west continental divide and near Colorado River headwaters) and proceeds in roughly a north and northeast direction across deep mountain passes and other low points (divide crossings) first as the Michigan River (in the North Platte watershed)-Cache la Poudre River (in the South Platte watershed) drainage divide and then as the Laramie River (in the North Platte watershed)-Cache la Poudre River drainage divide. The mountain passes and nearby valley and drainage route orientations and other unusual erosional features can be explained if enormous and prolonged volumes of south-oriented water moved along today’s north-oriented North Platte and Laramie River align

Yampa River-Colorado River Drainage Divide Origin Determined from Topographic Map Evidence, Southern Routt County, Colorado, USA - Eric Clausen (Open Journal of Geology, 2021)
Detailed topographic map evidence and a new Cenozoic geologic and glacial history paradigm are used to determine the previously unexplained Yampa River-Colorado River drainage divide origin. The Yampa River now flows in a north direction away from the Colorado River (between the Park Range to the east and the Flat Tops region to the west) before turning in a west direction to reach the Unita Mountains where it joins the south-oriented Green River, which eventually joins the southwest-oriented Colorado River. Topographic maps show the Yampa-Colorado River drainage divide is asymmetric with steeper slopes leading to the Colorado River, barbed (south-oriented) tributaries leading to north-oriented Yampa River headwaters (especially near the Yampa River turn to the west), and evidence of a large north-to-south oriented diverging and converging channel complex that preceded present-day drainage routes. Map evidence is interpreted to mean massive south-oriented floods flowed through what are

Concentration-Discharge Relationships of Dissolved Rhenium in Alpine Catchments Reveal Its Use as a Tracer of Oxidative Weathering - R. G. Hilton; J. M. Turowski; M. J. Winnick; M. Dellinger; Patrick Schleppi; K. H. Williams; C. R. Lawrence; Katharine Maher; M. West; A. Hayton (Water Resources Research, 2021)
Abstract Oxidative weathering of sedimentary rocks plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. Rhenium (Re) has been proposed as a tracer of rock organic carbon (OC petro ) oxidation. However, the sources of Re and its mobilization by hydrological processes remain poorly constrained. Here, we examine dissolved Re as a function of water discharge, using samples collected from three alpine catchments that drain sedimentary rocks in Switzerland (Erlenbach and Vogelbach) and Colorado, USA (East River). The Swiss catchments reveal a higher dissolved Re flux in the catchment with higher erosion rates, but have similar [Re]/[Na + ] and [Re]/[SO 4 2− ] ratios, which indicate a dominance of Re from OC petro . Despite differences in rock type and hydro‐climatic setting, the three catchments have a positive correlation between river water [Re]/[Na + ] and [Re]/[SO 4 2− ] and water discharge. We propose that this reflects preferential routing of Re from a near‐surface, oxidative weathering

The effects of drought on subalpine floral community diversity - S. Dewey (2021)
Global climate change is a threat to ecosystems globally. In subalpine environments, one of the

Selection of floral traits by pollinators and seed predators during sequential life history stages - Diane R. Campbell; Mascha Bischoff; Robert A. Raguso; H. M. Briggs; Paula Sosenski (American Naturalist, 2021)
AbstractOrganismal traits often influence fitness via interactions with multiple species. That selection is not necessarily predictable from pairwise interactions, such as when interactions occur during different life cycle stages. Theoretically, directional selection during two sequential episodes (e.g., pollination and seed survival) can generate quadratic or correlational selection for a set of traits that passes both selective filters. We compared strength of selection during pollination versus seed predation in the field and tested whether interactions with multiple species give rise to nonlinear selection on floral traits. We planted common gardens with seeds of two species of Ipomopsis and hybrids at sites where pollination was primarily by hummingbirds or also included hawk moths. We examined selection on six floral traits, including corolla width, sepal width, color, nectar, and two scent compounds. Female fitness (seeds) was broken down into fitness during (1) pollinat

Balancing the needs of consumers and producers for scientific data collections - Deb Agarwal; J. Damerow; Charuleka Varadharajan; D. S. Christianson; Gilberto Pastorello; Y. Cheah; Lavanya Ramakrishnan (Ecological Informatics, 2021)
Recent emphasis and requirements for open data publication have led to significant increases in data availability in the Earth sciences, which is critical to long-tail data integration. Currently, data are often published in a repository with an identifier and citation, similar to those for papers. Subsequent publications that use the data are expected to provide a citation in the reference section of the paper. However, the format of the data citation is still evolving, particularly with regards to citing dynamic data, subsets, and collections of data. Considering the motivations of both data producers and consumers, the most pressing need is to create user-friendly solutions that provide credit for data producers and enable accurate citation of data, particularly integrated data. Providing easy-to-use data citations is a critical foundation that is required to address the socio-technical challenges around data integration. Studies that integrate data from dozens or hundreds of datase

Larval Feeding Ability on a Drought-Stressed Invasive Plant - K. Asselin (2021)
Native species are threatened by the introduction of non-native and invasive organisms.

Effects of soil moisture and temperature on plant palatability and herbivore plant preference - S. Pittman (2021)
Climate change is predicted to lead to increased water and temperature stress for plants. Reduced soil moisture and higher temperatures have the potential to impact plant growth, development, and survival. Changes in plant physiology due to climate change may also impact insect herbivores. Herbivores influence plant community composition and plant distribution, so changes in herbivore feeding with climate change could alter plant communities. To better understand the potential impacts of climate change on plant-insect interactions, this study investigates the combined and separate effects of soil moisture and increased temperature on leaf palatability and herbivore plant preference. Four treatment types, ambient precipitation + ambient temperature, watered + ambient temperature, ambient precipitation + warmed, and watered + warmed, were established in the field in plots containing five common plants growing near Gothic, Colorado, Erigeron speciosus, Helianthella quinquenervis, Potentil

How does incorporating microclimate data into ecological niche models change our estimates of the climatic niche of vascular plant species? - A. Wells (2021)

A deep learning hybrid predictive modeling (HPM) approach for estimating evapotranspiration and ecosystem respiration - Jiancong Chen; Baptiste Dafflon; Anh Phuong Tran; Nicola Falco; S. S. Hubbard (Hydrology and Earth Systems Science, 2021)
Abstract. Climate change is reshaping vulnerable ecosystems, leading to uncertain effects on ecosystem dynamics, including evapotranspiration (ET) and ecosystem respiration (Reco). However, accurate estimation of ET and Reco still remains challenging at sparsely monitored watersheds, where data and field instrumentation are limited. In this study, we developed a hybrid predictive modeling approach (HPM) that integrates eddy covariance measurements, physically based model simulation results, meteorological forcings, and remote-sensing datasets to estimate ET and Reco in high space–time resolution. HPM relies on a deep learning algorithm and long short-term memory (LSTM) and requires only air temperature, precipitation, radiation, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and soil temperature (when available) as input variables. We tested and validated HPM estimation results in different climate regions and developed four use cases to demonstrate the applicability and variability of

Characterizing the role of phosphorus availability and periphytic algae in the food choice and performance of detritivorous caddisflies (Trichoptera:Limnephilidae) - L. M. Demi; D. Hughes; B. W. Taylor (Freshwater Science, 2021)

Experimental test of the ability of plants to regulate their temperatures under climate change: Using transplanted communities, thermal imaging, and arcGIS across an elevation gradient - S. Buchholtz (2021)
The question of thermoregulation in plants is increasingly important in a rapidly changing climate. Plants have long been considered poikilotherms, where internal temperatures are decided by the external environment. However, observations show that plants have some ability to thermoregulate. If plants are heterotherms, then they have the potential to be more resilient to the warming climate. This project seeks to examine thermoregulation through technology, specifically FLIR imagery. At three different sites in Washington Gulch, plants were moved to examine the effects of a warmer or cooler environment. This project will use thermal imagery on those transplants in order to study how the temperature of plant communities change when moved to a new climate.

Nowcasting the distribution of Valeriana edulis using climate driven population models - M. Zeh (2021)
Climate change poses a unique problem for sessile species because individuals are unable to move to track their optimal habitat. Instead, population turnover governed by population processes must occur in order for the species distribution to change. Current methods to predict current and future species distributions are limited in that they are based on presence vs. absence data and use only currently observable climate regimes that may not reflect novel future climates. The first step towards improving our framework for predicting future species distributions is to develop a mechanistic model of species performance that uses contemporary data to predict the current spatial distribution of a specific species, then validate the model against field observations. Here we develop a Demographic Distribution Model (DDM) for Valeriana edulis, a long-lived species with a broad climatic niche, that uses an Integral Projection Model (IPM) to predict the individual- and population-level impacts

Hidden Processes During Seasonal Isolation of a High-Altitude Watershed - Jessica Buser-Young; L. L. Lapham; Andrew Thurber; K. H. Williams; Fredrick Colwell (Frontiers in Earth Science, 2021)
Biogeochemical processes capable of altering global carbon systems occur frequently in Earth’s Critical Zone–the area spanning from vegetation canopy to saturated bedrock–yet many of these phenomena are difficult to detect. Observation of these processes is limited by the seasonal inaccessibility of remote ecosystems, such as those in mountainous, snow- and ice-dominated areas. This isolation leads to a distinct gap in biogeochemical knowledge that ultimately affects the accuracy and confidence with which these ecosystems can be computationally modeled for the purpose of projecting change under different climate scenarios. To examine a high-altitude, headwater ecosystem’s role in methanogenesis, sulfate reduction, and groundwater-surface water exchange, water samples were continuously collected from the river and hyporheic zones (HZ) during winter isolation in the East River (ER), CO watershed. Measurements of continuously collected ER surface water revealed up to 50 μM levels of disso