Cumulative adversity and survival in the wild - X. Ortiz Ross; Daniel T. Blumstein (Ecology Letters, 2024)
Protecting populations contending with co-occurring stressors requires a better understanding of how multiple early-life stressors affect the fitness of natural systems. However, the complexity of such research has limited its advancement and prevented us from answering new questions. In human studies, cumulative risk models predict adult health risk based on early adversity exposure. We apply a similar framework in wild yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer). We tested cumulative adversity indices (CAIs) across different adversity types and time windows. All CAIs were associated with decreased pup survival and were well supported. Moderate and acute, but not standardized CAIs were associated with decreased lifespan, supporting the cumulative stress hypothesis and the endurance of early adversity. Multivariate models showed that differences in lifespan were driven by weaning date, precipitation, and maternal loss, but they performed poorly compared with CAI models. We highlight t

The effects of elevation on flower abundance and pollinator visits on Helianthella quinquenervis - J. Galvan (2024)
Spatial-temporal variation in pollinator populations can have an impact in plant reproduction. This study assessed the effects of elevation on flower abundance, pollinator visitation, and types of pollinators visiting the Helianthella quinquenervis This flower species was chosen due to its vast abundance at various elevations in Gothic, CO. I used data from 2021 and 2022 collected from the Avery Picnic (low elevation) and Virginia Basin (high elevation) field sites to address these questions. Flower counts and pollinator visits would be recorded on a weekly basis at both sites during the blooming season of the H. quinquenervis. There was a significant difference in flower abundance between sites in both years, however in the results did not support of the initial prediction that flower abundance would be greater at the high elevation site. There was no significant difference in the number of pollinator visits between the two field sites. And lastly, Bombus were the most abundant pollin

Detecting context dependence in the expression of life history trade-offs - L. Bliard; J. G. A. Martin; Maria Paniw; Daniel T. Blumstein; J. Pemberton; D. H. Nussey; D. Z. Childs; A. Ozgul (Journal of Animal Ecology, 2024)
Life history trade-offs are one of the central tenets of evolutionary demography. Trade-offs, depicting negative covariances between individuals' life history traits, can arise from genetic constraints, or from a finite amount of resources that each individual has to allocate in a zero-sum game between somatic and reproductive functions. While theory predicts that trade-offs are ubiquitous, empirical studies have often failed to detect such negative covariances in wild populations. One way to improve the detection of trade-offs is by accounting for the environmental context, as trade-off expression may depend on environmental conditions. However, current methodologies usually search for fixed covariances between traits, thereby ignoring their context dependence. Here, we present a hierarchical multivariate 'covariance reaction norm' model, adapted from Martin (2023), to help detect context dependence in the expression of life-history trade-offs using demographic data. The method allows

Climate forcing controls on carbon terrestrial fluxes during shale weathering - Lucien Stolze; Bhavna Arora; Dipankar Dwivedi; Carl I. Steefel; T. Bandai; Yuxin Wu; P. Nico (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2024)
Climate influences near-surface biogeochemical processes and thereby determines the partitioning of carbon dioxide (CO2) in shale, and yet the controls on carbon (C) weathering fluxes remain poorly constrained. Using a dataset that characterizes biogeochemical responses to climate forcing in shale regolith, we implement a numerical model that describes the effects of water infiltration events, gas exchange, and temperature fluctuations on soil respiration and mineral weathering at a seasonal timescale. Our modeling approach allows us to quantitatively disentangle the controls of transient climate forcing and biogeochemical mechanisms on C partitioning. We find that \ 3% of soil CO2 (1.02 mol C/m2/y) is exported to the subsurface during large infiltration events. Here, net atmospheric CO2 drawdown primarily occurs during spring snowmelt, governs the aqueous C exports (61%), and exceeds the CO2 flux generated by pyrite and petrogenic

New Record of Banana Yucca Leafminer, Prodoxus phylloryctus1 in Mesa County, Colorado - Melissa Schreiner (Southwestern Entomologist, 2024)
Una polilla minadora de Yucca baccata, Prodoxus phylloryctus (Wagner y Powell), fue documentada por primera vez en el condado Mesa, Colorado. Prodoxus phylloryctus recientemente recibió el nombre común de minador de hojas de Yucca baccata por parte de la Sociedad Entomológica de América. La primera vez que se detectó el minador de hojas fue durante una interacción con plantas de Y. baccata en el área de Four Corners cerca de Dove Creek, Colorado. En 2022, se documentó el minador en varios sitios en Grand Junction y Fruita, Colorado, donde se encontró interactuando con la yuca ornamental plantada por paisajistas e identificada en la oficina de CSU Extension Tri-River Area-Mesa por el equipo de horticultura.

Mountainous floodplain connectivity in response to hydrological transitions - T. Babey; Zach Perzan; Samuel Pierce; B. Rogers; L. Wang; R. W. H. Carroll; John R. Bargar; Katharine Maher (Water Resources Research, 2024)
Abstract In mountainous watersheds, floodplain sediments are typically characterized by gravel bed layers capped by an overlying soil unit that serves as a hotspot for biogeochemical reactivity. However, the influence of soil biogeochemistry on gravel bed underflow composition remains unclear, especially during hydrological transitions that alter the vertical connectivity between overlaying soils and the underlying gravel bed. This study investigates these dynamics by measuring hydraulic gradients and water compositions over three hydrological years in a typical mountainous, low‐order stream floodplain in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Results indicate that the timing of hydrological conditions strongly influences the vertical exchanges that control water quality. Specifically, during flooding events such as beaver ponding, that induce downward flushing of the soil, anoxic conditions prevalent in the biogeochemically active soil are transferred downstream via gravel bed underflow. Con

Vascular Flora of the Powderhorn & La Garita Wilderness Areas and Adjacent Lands - Preusser, Adele Rose (CU Scholar (University of Colorado Boulder), 2024)
In the northeast San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado lie the Powderhorn and La Garita Wilderness Areas, full of high peaks and alpine plateaus bordered by volcanic hoodoos, vast forests, and arid steppe. A floristic inventory was performed to describe and catalog the vascular plant diversity of these Wilderness Areas, as well as adjacent analogous habitat. Unique habitats and places lacking previous collections were targeted using an ad-hoc method to generate as complete a species list as possible. Forty-nine collecting days over the summers of 2022 and 2023 yielded a total of 1,232 plant voucher collections documenting 607 unique taxa in 266 genera and 75 plant families. The survey resulted in 21 new county records and 57 newly recorded species occurrences to the study area. Fifteen non-native species were found, four of which are on Colorado’s Noxious Weed Species List. Native species account for 97.5% of the total taxa documented. Novel locations for 21 species of rare an

The Impact of Delphinium nuttallianum and Ipomopsis aggregata Phenology on Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) Visitation Patterns - L. Granier (2024)
Biological interactions reliant on synchronized phenology are being thrown into disarray with warming temperatures and an earlier onset of spring. Migrating Broad-tailed Hummingbirds (Selasphorus platycercus) in Gothic, Colorado tend to arrive and breed in alignment with wildflower flowering phenology, fostering important plant-pollinator interactions. Two wildflower species, Delphinium nuttallianum and Ipomopsis aggregata, form a large part of the hummingbirds’ diet and bloom in sync with arrival and breeding milestones. Since both hummingbirds and wildflowers benefit from a synchronized schedule, phenological mismatch would likely decrease hummingbird population persistence through food resource limitation. For this project, we investigated whether weekly changes in Broad-tailed Hummingbird wildflower visitation patterns correspond to changing wildflower phenology in 2022, an earlier-than-average snowmelt year, and 2023, a later-than-average snowmelt year. Due to climate change, year

Environmental Variation and Vegetative Composition in Beaver Engineered Ecosystems - E. McDonough (2024)
The Colorado Rocky Mountains are uniquely heterogeneous, with beaver-engineered wetlands being sites with especially high relative biodiversity. Despite the large body of research available on the impacts of beaver activity on wetlands, the specific mechanisms of beaver activity that create high plant biodiversity in this unique disturbance regime are poorly understood. As beaver reintroduction, BDAs, and the implementation of wetland restoration gain popularity, it is important to understand the mechanisms that make beavers such powerful ecosystem engineers, and why those engineering efforts are so effective at promoting diversity. This research explored the role of temporal environmental variability, as measured using uncrewed aircraft system (drone) data, in maintaining the unique vegetation communities present in beaver ponds. While there were no significant differences in plant alpha diversity found between stable and highly variable ponds, multivariate ordination techniques (non-

Scaling Landscape Fire History: Wildfires Not Historically Frequent in the Main Population of Threatened Gunnison Sage-Grouse - W. K. Baker (Fire, 2024)
The main population of \ 5000 threatened Gunnison sage-grouse (GUSG; Centrocercus minimus) in Colorado depends on sagebrush plants that are killed by wildfires, with recovery taking decades, so frequent fire is a threat, but did it occur historically? Early land surveys showed that the historical (preindustrial) fire rotation (FR), the expected period to burn area equal to a focal land area, was 90–143 years in GUSG ranges, which is not classed as frequent fire (≤25 years). However, recent research, based on fire scars on trees at ten sites near sagebrush, suggested some frequent fire historically in the main population. That study was not spatial, essential to estimate FR, so spatial data were created in GIS with land-survey reconstructions, survey dates, fire-scar sites, mapped sagebrush, and Thiessen polygons around sites. The previous study assumed fires that burned 2+ sites likely burned across sagebrush. Historical FRs were calculated several ways over a common period. A recovery

Associations Between Deer Browse and Aphid Colonization in a Long-Term Monitoring Study of Liguisticum porteri - S. Rittler (2024)
Deer are prolific herbivores that, if left to increase exponentially, could decimate populations of plants and possibly other herbivores. Due to the rapidly increasing abundance of deer, this is a risk that is getting ever closer to becoming a reality. This phenomenon is a concern for herbivores that currently share plant resources with deer species, as well as the plants that deer rely on for food. Many herbivores that are at risk of this competition are insects. Insect populations are already decreasing, but with the addition of increased deer abundance and, thus, increased competition around the corner, it is more important than ever to understand how these organisms interact. This study explores the ecological and trophic relationships between mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and aphid colonies (Aphis asclepiadis) on the plant Osha (Ligusticum porteri) and the possibility that deer are seeking out aphid colonized plants as a food source. If this is the case, the insects could be at

Comparing floral morphology and inflorescence structure of Lupins argenteus and L. bakeri in sympatry and allopatry - N. Olson (2024)
Differences or similarities in floral morphology can affect the interactions between plants and shared pollinator communities. As such, plant species with similar floral morphology may be competing for pollinators or facilitating pollinator attraction. Thus, pollinators mediate selection on floral morphology. In the Mountain West, two closely related species, Lupinus argenteus and Lupinus bakeri, co-occur, share flower phenology, and have similar floral morphology and inflorescence structures. However, the degree of shared floral morphology and inflorescence structure in areas where both species cooccur compared to areas of where only one, or the other, occurs is unknown. With pollinator mediated selection in mind, this leads to the question, does sympatry predict variation in floral morphology and inflorescence structure of Lupinus bakeri and Lupinus argenteus populations? We took population census data from 5 sites paired across elevation, 3 sympatric populations and 2 allopatric pop

Nowhere to go but Up: Investigating Bumble Bee population Shifts over Elevational Gradients - R. Scott (2024)
Bumble bees are important pollinators in both the wild and in agriculture; however, several species globally are under threat due to multiple anthropogenic factors. One of these threats is climate change, and many bumble bee species have adapted by moving up in elevation. This has only been observed in specific species, but it does stand to question that with the most recent dramatic global temperature increases, if this will become standard for all species. While this provides the benefit of keeping to a thermal environment necessary for survival and reproduction, competition facilitated by mass migration and isolation could be driving some species further towards extinction. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how species distributions have changed across elevation gradients over the past few years and to understand the mechanisms involved. Results indicate a lack of significance in the data, leading to inconclusive results for the proposed hypotheses. Further experimenting with

Polyphenism predicts actuarial senescence and lifespan in tiger salamanders - H. Cayuela; A. C. R. Lackey; V. Ronget; B. Monod-Broca; H. H. Whiteman (Journal of Animal Ecology, 2024)
Actuarial senescence (called 'senescence' hereafter) often shows broad variation at the intraspecific level. Phenotypic plasticity likely plays a central role in among-individual heterogeneity in senescence rate (i.e. the rate of increase in mortality with age), although our knowledge on this subject is still very fragmentary. Polyphenism-the unique sub-type of phenotypic plasticity where several discrete phenotypes are produced by the same genotype-may provide excellent study systems to investigate if and how plasticity affects the rate of senescence in nature. In this study, we investigated whether facultative paedomorphosis influences the rate of senescence in a salamander, Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum. Facultative paedomorphosis, a unique form of polyphenism found in dozens of urodele species worldwide, leads to the production of two discrete, environmentally induced phenotypes: metamorphic and paedomorphic individuals. We leveraged an extensive set of capture-recapture data (8948

Surface Temperature Variability Across the East River Watershed - John Cramblitt (2024)

Elevated [CO2] and temperature augment gas exchange and shift the fitness landscape in a montane forb - D. A. Denney; P. Patel; J. T. Anderson (New Phytologist, 2024)
Climate change is simultaneously increasing carbon dioxide concentrations ([CO2]) and temperature. These factors could interact to influence plant physiology and performance. Alternatively, increased [CO2] may offset costs associated with elevated temperatures. Furthermore, the interaction between elevated temperature and [CO2] may differentially affect populations from along an elevational gradient and disrupt local adaptation. We conducted a multifactorial growth chamber experiment to examine the interactive effects of temperature and [CO2] on fitness and ecophysiology of diverse accessions of Boechera stricta (Brassicaceae) sourced from a broad elevational gradient in Colorado. We tested whether increased [CO2] would enhance photosynthesis across accessions, and whether warmer conditions would depress the fitness of high-elevation accessions owing to steep reductions in temperature with increasing elevation in this system. Eleva

Soluble Soils: A Review of Engineering Assessments and Their Use in the Moab Valley - Taylor Quinn Hall (2024)
The Uncompahgre Uplift within the Colorado Plateau contains several salt anticline valleys. The Moab Valley is situated within one of these valleys which formed as the underlying salt member of the Paradox Formation migrated. As the unit migrated, the resulting collapse of the valley left behind surficial outcrops of the Paradox Formation. The Pennsylvanian-aged formation is characterized as shale, sandstone, and limestones containing abundant evaporites. These evaporites challenge development in the valley as new and concentrated water sources can destabilize them. A review of several engineering assessments was performed to identify modern testing methods that can help identify soluble soils that form from these weathered bedrock units. Select testing methods were used to characterize surficial soils within several sites in the Moab Valley.

The Effects of Early Snowmelt on Drought Stress in Subalpine Plant Species - M. Sinacori (2024)
Subalpine plant species rely on water from snowmelt and monsoons to sustain them through the summer. However, climate change is causing the snow to melt earlier which creates a drought period in June prior to the monsoons and may cause plants to become drought stressed. In order to assess the effect of early snowmelt on subalpine plant drought stress, we conducted a snowmelt timing manipulation using shade cloth to accelerate the timing of snowmelt. To assess the degree of drought stress we measured . stomatal conductance in Linum lewisii and Geum triflorum, chlorophyll fluorescence in Geum triflorum, and the number of flowers on each plant. We found that early snowmelt had no effect on drought stress in L. lewisii and G. triflorum as we saw no differences in stomatal conductance, chlorophyll fluorescence nor stomatal conductance over the flowering period. The lack of drought stress, even with earlier snowmelt, may be due to the large amount of June precipitation which gave the plants

We’re Not in Texas Anymore: Archaeological Investigations in Historic Dallas, Colorado - Tristan Newberry-Cushman (2024)
This work is the product of an archaeological investigation of the former townsite of Dallas, Colorado. Archival research, drone photography, shovel test pits (STPs), and a test excavation unit were employed to learn more about how the people of Dallas lived, and how they interacted with national systems. Probabilistic and purposive sampling were used to collect data, and both quantitative and qualitative analysis were performed. The goal of this research was to determine which theoretical model best explains how Dallas was connected to national cultural and economic systems.

How does early snowmelt affect pollen deposition on spring wildflowers? - N. Sosa Antunez (2024)
Climate change has led to increasingly warm temperatures, which has caused the earlier snowmelt. This has caused shifts in timing of some plants' growing season and flowering, as well as pollinator emergence. On the other hand, Various pollinators respond to cues such as soil temperature which does not necessarily change at the same rate as snowmelt does under climate change. As pollinators and plants often respond to these different cues for spring emergence, this can lead to a phenological mismatch.This could disrupt relationships between plants and pollinators, potentially leading to changes in pollen deposition. Pollen deposition is critical for plant reproduction. If a flower does not receive the necessary pollen then it is possible the plant will not be able to produce as many seeds. To investigate how early snowmelt affects pollen deposition in wildflowers, I will be studying the species Claytonia lanceolata, Delphinium nuttallianum, and Geum triflorum. These specific species of

Effects of Temperature and Competitor Abundance on Bumble Bee Foraging - M. Stone (2024)
The role of plant-pollinator interactions is essential for successful plant and pollinator reproduction, thus influencing community assembly of both plants and animals within an ecosystem. Pollinators exhibit competitive behavior in order to collect adequate quantities of pollen and nectar, and bees in particular heavily rely on these floral resources to provide for their colony. Pollinator competition can largely determine the makeup of plant and pollinator species within an ecosystem, as well as how their competitive behavior may contribute to the function of an ecosystem as a whole. With climate change on the rise, the dynamics of pollination competition may be disrupted and negatively affect the ecosystem. Therefore, it is important that we gain a better understanding of how environmental conditions influence the foraging and competitive behavior exhibited in pollinators so that we can predict how climate change might cause these behaviors to shift. This study focuses on the native

Bio-fluorescence in Cannibalism Interactions in MCNP Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum Population - B. Wilborn (2024)
Many animals bio-fluoresce. Various amphibians have recently been identified as bio-

The Impact of Delphinium nuttallianum and Ipomopsis aggregata Phenology on Broad tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) Visitation Patterns - J. Uglialoro (2024)
Biological interactions reliant on synchronized phenology are being thrown into disarray with warming temperatures and an earlier onset of spring. Migrating Broad-tailed Hummingbirds (Selasphorus platycercus) in Gothic, Colorado tend to arrive and breed in alignment with wildflower flowering phenology, fostering important plant-pollinator interactions. Two wildflower species, Delphinium nuttallianum and Ipomopsis aggregata, form a large part of the hummingbirds’ diet and bloom in sync with arrival and breeding milestones. Since both hummingbirds and wildflowers benefit from a synchronized schedule, phenological mismatch would likely decrease hummingbird population persistence through food resource limitation. For this project, we investigated whether weekly changes in Broad-tailed Hummingbird wildflower visitation patterns correspond to changing wildflower phenology in 2022, an earlier-than-average snowmelt year, and 2023, a later-than-average snowmelt year. Due to climate change, year

A global assessment of environmental and climate influences on wetland macroinvertebrate community structure and function - L. B. Epele; E. A. Williams-Subiza; M. S. Bird; A. Boissezon; D. Boix; E. Demierre; C. G. Fair; P. E. Garcia; S. Gascón; M. G. Grech; H. S. Greig; Michelle I. Jeffries; et al. (Global Change Biology, 2024)

Phenological drivers and consequences for solitary bees - A. R. Litz (2024)
Phenology, or the timing of biological events, is critical for the development, reproduction, and

What sexual diversity in the natural world can teach humans about sex, gender, and inclusive biology - B. Swift (BioScience, 2024)

X-ray chemical imaging for assessing redox microsites within soils and sediments - Vincent Noel; Kristin Boye; H. R. Naughton; E. M. Lacroix; M. Aeppli; N. Kumar; Scott Fendorf; S. M. Webb (Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry, 2024)
Redox reactions underlie several biogeochemical processes and are typically spatiotemporally heterogeneous in soils and sediments. However, redox heterogeneity has yet to be incorporated into mainstream conceptualizations and modeling of soil biogeochemistry. Anoxic microsites, a defining feature of soil redox heterogeneity, are non-majority oxygen depleted zones in otherwise oxic environments. Neglecting to account for anoxic microsites can generate major uncertainties in quantitative assessments of greenhouse gas emissions, C sequestration, as well as nutrient and contaminant cycling at the ecosystem to global scales. However, only a few studies have observed/characterized anoxic microsites in undisturbed soils, primarily, because soil is opaque and microsites require µm-cm scale resolution over cm-m scales. Consequently, our current understanding of microsite characteristics does not support model parameterization. To resolve this knowledge gap, we demonstrate through this proof-of-

Intraspecific body size variation across distributional moments reveals trait filtering processes - J. L. Fitzgerald; J. L. Fitzgerald; Jane E. Ogilvie; Paul J. CaraDonna; Jane E. Ogilvie; Paul J. CaraDonna (Journal of Animal Ecology, 2024)
Natural populations are composed of individuals that vary in their morphological traits, timing and interactions. The distribution of a trait can be described by several dimensions, or mathematical moments-mean, variance, skew and kurtosis. Shifts in the distribution of a trait across these moments in response to environmental variation can help to reveal which trait values are gained or lost, and consequently how trait filtering processes are altering populations. To examine the role and drivers of intraspecific variation within a trait filtering framework, we investigate variation in body size among five wild bumblebee species in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. First, we examine the relationships between environmental factors (climate and floral food resources) and body size distributions across bumblebee social castes to identify demographic responses to environmental variation. Next, we examine changes in the moments of trait distributions to reveal potential mechanisms behind intras

Aquatic invertebrate communities in old, new, and re-formed beaver ponds in the Trail Creek watershed - D. Gonzalez Gutierrez (2024)
1. Beavers are ecosystem engineers. They alter the structure of their habitats when they cut woody vegetative material to create dams that result in ponds. Ponding slows water flow, resulting in fine sediment deposition. A wetland is created as the sediment continues to deposit. 2. The formation of these new water bodies creates new habitat for aquatic invertebrates. These ponds will have unique aquatic invertebrate communities that utilize the slow, deep, depositional habitat. Though the shifts in aquatic invertebrates between lotic and beaver-created lentic habitats are well studied, the effects of beaver pond age on these aquatic invertebrates is still very unclear. 3. Successional patterns of beaver ponds occur over time as wetlands continue to accumulate sediment, but how long this process takes is not known. Also, if beaver ponds are abandoned, they can turn back into stream habitats surrounded by meadows with high nutrient soil. How ponds that are old, new, and re-formed after a

Feral Hues & Invasive Pigments: Examining Nature-Based Solutions through Ecosocial Art Engaging Spontaneous Urban Vegetation and Informal Greenspace - E. Irons (Nature-Based Solutions, 2024)
The project Feral Hues and Invasive Pigments (FH&IP) addresses the role of spontaneous urban plants (aka weeds) through ecosocial art, with the goal of reducing human alienation from plant life and land in urban and disturbed habitats. Hands-on work with spontaneous urban plants through ecosocial artistic methods—like walks, workshops, and land-based sculptures—provides cues for understanding weedy plants and informal greenspace (IGS) as part of nature-based solutions (NBS) in cities. In dialog with NBS research that takes a justice-oriented, degrowth approach to urban greenspace, the FH&IP project invites hands-on, hyperlocal participation of humans and plants at the neighborhood level to enhance the role of low maintenance IGS. Bringing ecosocial artistic methods into conversation with NBS research is one way to open up knowledge practices that inform both fields. Multisensorial, direct engagement with urban-dwelling plants can help practitioners and participants understand what kind

A habitat‐centered framework for wildlife climate change vulnerability assessments: Application to Gunnison sage‐grouse - Nathan D Van Van Schmidt; Jessica E. Shyvers; Julie A. Heinrichs; D. Joanne Saher; Cameron L. Aldridge (Ecosphere, 2024)
AbstractThe persistence of threatened wildlife species depends on successful conservation and restoration of habitats, but climate change and other stressors make these tasks increasingly challenging. Applying climate change vulnerability analyses to contemporary wildlife management can be difficult because most analyses predict direct effects of future climate on wildlife species at broad geographic scales, rather than assessing their habitats at local scales (<1 km) that correspond to site‐specific habitat management actions. We present a framework that synthesizes vegetation‐focused vulnerability assessments to assess multiple effects on wildlife species' diverse habitat needs, providing a scenario‐driven climate vulnerability assessment that maps differences in vulnerability of populations within a species' range. Our flexible habitat‐centered synthesis approach leverages available spatial datasets describing projected exposure to vegetation changes due to climate change and oth

Effect of Nitrogen on Linaria vulgaris and Native Species - C. Wen (2024)
We studied the effect of varying amounts of soil nitrogen on Linaria vulgaris and native species. Linaria vulgaris is an invasive weed in the Rocky Mountains that forms monocultures, hindering the growth of native plants. The Rocky Mountain soils are nitrogen-poor, and we expected nitrogen-reduced soils to favor native species. Thus, we expected increased values in the percent cover of native species, species richness, species diversity, plant growth of native species, and net photosynthesis of native species when there was less nitrogen in the soil. Our results showed that species richness decreased over in all plots from 2017 to 2024, with no significant effect of treatment. We also found that species diversity decreased significantly in plots over time, and there was significantly lower species diversity in nitrogen addition plots. Through analyses of historical data from 2017 to 2024, we found that there is no effect of treatment on the percent cover of species for all native plant

An Unusual Glacial Event in the Comanch Peak Wilderness Area, Larimer County, Colorado - Thomas D. Moeglin; Sanford S. Kaplan (Mountain Geologist, 2024)
Late Pinedale till deposits mapped in various stream valleys in the Comanche Peak Wilderness Area, north of Rocky Mountain National Park, indicate that Browns Creek Valley was glaciated from two directions simultaneously while the middle of the valley remained unglaciated. Till deposits at the upper end of Browns Creek Valley display a well-developed end moraine in a U-shaped valley. Immediately downstream from the end moraine the valley becomes V-shaped, and shows no evidence of glaciation. Another till is encountered in the lower reaches of Browns Creek Valley. This sediment was deposited by a distributary of the main valley glacier moving down Beaver Creek Valley. This subsidiary lobe of the Beaver Creek Valley glacier moved down gradient, but upstream. The tills are texturally distinct from alluvial deposits, but similar to each other. The tills are muddy and sandy boulder gravels, while the alluvial deposits that lie between them are sandy bouldery gravels. Although produced by tw

Investigating the potential mechanism behind bumble bee preference for Corydalis flowers inhabited by nectar specialist yeast - O. Gutierrez (2024)
Flowering plants are in an evolutionary battle for the attention of pollinators to increase their fitness. However, microbes are increasingly recognized as key players in mediating interactions between plants and pollinators. Most studies of floral microbes have focused on the role of obligate nectar yeasts (e.g., Metschnikowia reukaufii), which increase flower preference in bumble bees through their ability to alter nectar chemistry and add fermentation volatiles to floral scent. However, these studies were conducted on a limited number of bumble bee species, so it is not known to what extent preference for yeast-colonized flowers is exhibited across a wider array bumble bee species. Furthermore, the chemistry of Metschnikowia rekaufii could alter the dynamics of mutualism by influencing the behavior of floral visitors such as legitimate visitors and nectar robbers. Therefore, we investigated how bumble bees with different foraging tactics reacted to yeast-associated volatile organic

Indirect effect of black bears on sunflowers in nitrogen-polluted and pristine steppe - A. Joseph (2024)
Both antagonistic and mutualistic types of interactions between species occur in most ecosystems, and these different types of interactions can contribute to indirect effects between species, such as trophic cascades. These interactions can be altered by humans, and one major way this is occurring is via atmospheric nitrogen (N) pollution. Though research has been conducted to study how N pollution affects cascades, results have not been consistent. The objective of this experiment is to determine the indirect effect of black bears on mule's ear sunflowers through a cascade of antagonistic and mutualistic interactions, and whether N pollution could alter this cascade. This sunflower is a primary host for sap-sucking treehoppers, which can complete their entire life cycle on the plant, potentially harming plant performance. The treehoppers have a mutualistic relationship with thatch ants, which provide protection against predators while the treehoppers provide sugary food for the ants.

A new Late Cretaceous metatherian from the Williams Fork Formation, Colorado - Jaelyn Eberle; Joshua Cohen; John R. Foster; ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster; Andrew Heckert (PLOS ONE, 2024)
Heleocola piceanus, a new, relatively large metatherian from Upper Cretaceous (‘Edmontonian’) strata of the Williams Fork Formation in northwestern Colorado is described, based on a recently discovered jaw fragment (MWC 9744), in addition to three isolated teeth initially referred by other studies to Aquiladelphis incus and Glasbius piceanus. Although sharing several morphologic characters with the Lancian genus Glasbius, H. piceanus lower molars are considerably larger than those of Glasbius and differ from the latter in lacking a buccal cingulid, possessing carnassiform notches on the cristid obliqua and entocristid, and bearing an entoconulid on m3. To examine the relationship of Heleocola piceanus to other metatherians, H. piceanus was scored into a previously existing taxon-character matrix. Our phylogenetic analysis recovers H. piceanus as the sister taxon to Glasbius, which is consistent with our morphologic comparisons. H. piceanus represents the oldest member of the Glasbiidae

Variations in bedrock and vegetation cover modulate subsurface water flow dynamics of a mountainous hillslope - Sebastian Uhlemann; Luca Peruzzo; Chunwei Chou; K. H. Williams; Stijn Wielandt; C. Wang; Nicola Falco; Yuxin Wu; B. Carr; P. Meldrum; J. Chambers; Baptiste Dafflon (Water Resources Research, 2024)
Abstract Predicting the hydrological response of watersheds to climate disturbances requires a detailed understanding of the processes connecting hillslopes and streams. Using a network of soil moisture and temperature sensors, electrical resistivity tomography monitoring, and a weather station we assess the above and below‐ground processes driving the hydrological response of a hillslope during snowmelt and summer monsoon. The transect covers bedrock and vegetation gradients, with a steep upper part characterized by shallow bedrock, and gentle lower part underlain by colluvium. The main vegetation cover is conifers on the upper, and grass and veratrum on the lower part. Combined with a simplified hydrological model, we show that the thin soil layer of the steep slope acts as a preferential flow path, leading to mostly shallow lateral flow, interrupted by vertical flow, mostly at tree locations, and likely facilitated by flow along fractures and roots. Vertical flow and upstream‐driven

Pollination Syndrome variance among foraging bumblebee species in Gothic Colorado - S. Lindbergh (2024)

Spatially distributed snow depth, bulk density, and snow water equivalent from ground-based and airborne sensor integration at Grand Mesa, Colorado, USA - Tate G. Meehan; Ahmad Hojatimalekshah; H. P. Marshall; Elias J. Deeb; Shad O'Neel; D. G. McGrath; Ryan W. Webb; Randall Bonnell; Mark S. Raleigh; C. A. Hiemstra; Kelly Elder (The Cryosphere, 2024)
Abstract. Estimating snow mass in the mountains remains a major challenge for remote-sensing methods. Airborne lidar can retrieve snow depth, and some promising results have recently been obtained from spaceborne platforms, yet density estimates are required to convert snow depth to snow water equivalent (SWE). However, the retrieval of snow bulk density remains unsolved, and limited data are available to evaluate model estimates of density in mountainous terrain. Toward the goal of landscape-scale retrievals of snow density, we estimated bulk density and length-scale variability by combining ground-penetrating radar (GPR) two-way travel-time observations and airborne-lidar snow depths collected during the mid-winter NASA SnowEx 2020 campaign at Grand Mesa, Colorado, USA. Key advancements of our approach include an automated layer-picking method that leverages the GPR reflection coherence and the distributed lidar–GPR-retrieved bulk density with machine learning. The root-mean-square e

Potential for Events Similar to the Deadly West Salt Creek Landslide, Grand Mesa Area, Colorado - Omid Arabnia; Paul Michael Santi; Bennett Emmons; Emily Sparks (Environmental & Engineering Geoscience, 2024)
ABSTRACT The deadly West Salt Creek Landslide of 2014, one of the largest landslides to occur in the United States in historical time, was surprising in its suddenness and length of runout. Its source area, the edge of Grand Mesa in western Colorado, was potentially the source of other similar landslides in the past, based on previous mapping in the region. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the potential for similar events by detailed mapping of several canyons flanking West Salt Creek, using aerial imagery and age-dating techniques not available to previous mappers. We conclude that, while the West Salt Creek Landslide has the potential to reactivate in a similar manner to the 2014 movement, the potential for a similar event in the flanking canyons is low. Mapping and semi-quantitative geomorphic methods suggest that the deposits present in several canyons on either side of West Salt Creek are glacial or stream deposits, with one canyon containing debris-flow

The Brown Derby No. 1 Pegmatite, Gunnison County, Colorado - P. O. G. Persson; Mark Ivan Jacobson (Rocks & Minerals, 2024)

Social control is associated with increased reproductive skew in a wild mammal - Adriana A. Maldonado-Chaparro; Conner S. Philson; X. Zhang; Daniel T. Blumstein (Biology Letters, 2024)
In group-living species, reproductive variation among individuals of the same sex is widespread. By identifying the mechanisms underlying this reproductive skew, we gain fundamental insights into the evolution and maintenance of sociality. A common mechanism, social control, is typically studied by quantifying dominance, which is one of many attributes of sociality that describes how individuals exert influence on others and is an incomprehensive measure of social control as it accounts only for direct relationships. Here, we use the global reaching centrality (GRC), which quantifies the degree of hierarchy in a social network by accounting for both direct and indirect social relationships. Using a wild, free-living population of adult female yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris), we found a positive relationship between the reproductive skew index and GRC: more despotic social groups have higher reproductive skew. The GRC was stronger predictor for skew than traditional

Thermal infrared shadow-hiding in GOES-R ABI imagery: snow and forest temperature observations from the SnowEx 2020 Grand Mesa field campaign - Steven J. Pestana; C. Chris Chickadel; Jessica D. Lundquist (The Cryosphere, 2024)
Abstract. The high temporal resolution of thermal infrared imagery from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites R-series (GOES-R) presents an opportunity to observe mountain snow and forest temperatures over the full diurnal cycle. However, the off-nadir views of these imagers may impact or bias temperature observations, especially when viewing a surface composed of both snow and forests. We used GOES-16 and -17 thermal infrared brightness temperature observations of a flat snow- and forest-covered study site at Grand Mesa, Colorado, USA, to characterize how forest coverage and view angle impact these observations. These two geostationary satellites provided views of the study area from the southeast (134.1° azimuth, 33.5° elevation) and southwest (221.2° azimuth, 35.9° elevation), respectively. As part of the NASA SnowEx field campaign in February 2020, coincident brightness temperature observations from ground-based and airborne IR sensors were collected to compare wit

Impact of Decreased Flower Attractiveness on Pollinator Visitation Rates and Pollinator Community Composition - E. Guzman (2024)
Plant-pollinator interactions are extremely familiar to many different ecosystems all over the world. Many floral species and pollinators have developed intricate and essential adaptations to benefit one another. Aspects of plant reproduction require pollinator visits and many pollinators rely on floral species for food sources. Several studies have focused on how they serve one another and form a part of complex ecological networks. However, there is a need in community-level ecology to understand how disturbances within such networks can create ripple effects throughout the entire system. Therefore, our experimental design aims to provide information on pollinator adaptation to small-scale disturbances within an already-established plant community. To test this, we manipulated floral attractiveness in three different subalpine meadows of the Gunnison National Forest. At each transect, a floral species was sprayed with quinine and actively sampled pollinators who landed on all open fl

Differences in gut microbes across age and sex linked to metabolism and microbial stability in a wild hibernating mammal - M. Pfau; S. Degregori; P. H. Barber; Daniel T. Blumstein; Conner S. Philson (Ecology and Evolution, 2024)
The gut microbiome has a well-documented relationship with host fitness, physiology, and behavior. However, most of what is known comes from captive animals where diets and environments are more homogeneous or controlled. Studies in wild populations that experience dynamic environments and have natural life history variation are less common but are key to understanding the drivers of variation in the gut microbiome. Here we examine a wild population of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), an obligate winter hibernator, to quantify multivariate associations between host-associated factors (e.g., age, sex, environmental harshness, and social behavior) and gut microbial composition. Across 5 years and 143 individuals, we found that males had a higher relative abundance of microbes associated with mass gain and cellulose digestion, which suggests a metabolic investment in mass gain (such as phylum Firmicutes and family Lachnospiraceae). By contrast, females ha

Variation in interaction zone size and influence of sex on fitness components of Valeriana edulis - J. A. Davis (2024)
Sex and size allow for many different types of individuals within one species. These individuals can have different needs, which can influence responses to interaction, as well as what interactions take place between species members. We modeled how the sex and size of individuals of Valeriana edulis, a dioecious sub-alpine herb found across the western United States, influences the ways that they interact with neighboring members of their own species. This research could contribute to our ecological understanding of the role of sex and size in intraspecific plant interactions, which could have implications for species conservation under climate change.

Stem and canopy growth analysis in Picea Engelmannii with UAVs and field measurements - A. Luedtke (2024)
Forests play a crucial role in mitigating climate change by sequestering large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, so it is critical to evaluate their capacity to store carbon over time. Existing research on forest carbon sequestration relies on field methods that do not allow for sampling in rugged terrain and have limited coverage areas. This study utilizes field measurements of trees to calibrate UAS remote sensing estimations of forest carbon, allowing us to rigorously scale up data collection to large areas. Diameter at breast height (DBH) measurements and tree increment cores were obtained from 34 Picea engelmannii (Engelmann Spruce) trees in the vicinity of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Colorado. A generalized linear model successfully relates field measurements of DBH to UAS estimates of canopy size and stand. Further, we find evidence of a “lagged” correlation between canopy and stem growth where canopy growth more strongly correlates to stem growth in

Consequences of nuisance algal blooms of Didymosphenia geminata on invertebrate communities in Rocky Mountain streams - M. Brogan; B. L. Peckarsky; J. Resasco (Freshwater Science, 2024)
As climate change accelerates, low summer stream flows are becoming increasingly common in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA. The diatom Didymosphenia geminata (Lyngb.) M. Schmidt, typically observed under low-flow and low-P conditions, produces nuisance growth—persistent and extensive proliferation, covering the bottoms of streams in thick algal mats. Nuisance blooms of this diatom physically alter the benthic environment and thereby affect freshwater invertebrates directly and indirectly by altering stream food webs. We compared 9 y of survey data (2013–2021) of D. geminata proliferation with the composition of the macroinvertebrate communities at 8 stream sites near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in western Colorado. We counted and identified samples of benthic macroinvertebrates and used a glass-bottomed viewing box to estimate D. geminata biovolume at 2 scales: macrohabitat conditions (site level: 2013–2021) and microhabitat conditions (sample level: 2020–2021). At both

METHODS: Validating an immunoassay to measure fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in yellow-bellied marmots - X. Ortiz Ross; H. B. Taha; E. Press; S. Rhone; Daniel T. Blumstein (Comparative Biochem and Phys Part A: Mol and Int, 2024)
Quantifying physiological stress in wild animals is essential for understanding their health, reproductive success, and survival in a variable environment. The yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventer) study at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory near Crested Butte, Colorado, USA is the world's second longest study of free-living mammals. Historically, we used a validated corticosterone radioimmunoassay (RIA) to measure fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs) as a proxy for physiological stress. However, the costs and risks associated with working with radioisotopes drove us to consider a more sustainable method. Here we evaluate the suitability of two competitive corticosterone enzyme-linked assays (EIA), one from Cayman Chemical Company (CCC) and one from Arbor Assays (AA), to measure marmot FGMs via its cross-reaction. The findings revealed that the AA EIA better matched the RIA in terms of accuracy across high and low FGM concentrations, had superior assay parameters, showed

The effects of cattle derived nutrients on growth rates of Arizona Tiger Salamander hatchlings in pastureland - A. Miller McShan (2024)
Nitrogen is a critical element in biological systems, with its cycling increasingly influenced by human activities, particularly in agriculture. In Colorado, where 50% of land is used for agriculture, cattle grazing may impact the ecosystems of montane and subalpine ponds inhabited by Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum. My study examined how cattle presence affects ammonium, phosphorus, and hatchling growth rates in these ponds. I collected and measured hatchlings from ten ponds, and qualitatively assessed cattle presence. Water samples were analyzed for ammonium and phosphorus concentrations. Results showed that low to medium cattle presence significantly increased hatchling growth rates but there was no significant correlation with ammonium or phosphorus concentrations. However, phosphorus was significantly correlated with reduced growth rates in a linear model, though I have uncertainty about this trend due to slight inconsistencies in data analysis. Additional trends suggested potential

COLORADO RIVER BASIN UPDATE - Lawrence MacDonnell (SSRN Electronic Journal, 2024)

Sublimation of Snow - Jessica D. Lundquist; J. Vano; Ethan Gutmann; D. Hogan; E. Schwat; M. Haugeneder; E. Mateo; S. Oncley; C. Roden; E. Osenga; L. Carver (Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 2024)
Abstract Snow is a vital part of water resources, and sublimation may remove 10%–90% of snowfall from the system. To improve our understanding of the physics that govern sublimation rates, as well as how those rates might change with the climate, we deployed an array of four towers with over 100 instruments from NCAR’s Integrated Surface Flux System from November 2022 to June 2023 in the East River watershed, Colorado, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Surface Atmosphere Integrated Field Laboratory (SAIL) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Study of Precipitation, the Lower Atmosphere and Surface for Hydrometeorology (SPLASH) campaigns. Mass balance observations, snow pits, particle flux sensors, and terrestrial lidar scans of the evolving snowfield demonstrated how blowing snow influences sublimation rates, which we quantified with latent heat fluxes measured by eddy-covariance systems at heights 1–20 m above the snow surface. Detailed te

Changes in insect population dynamics due to climate change - C. L. Boggs (Effects of Climate Change on Insects: Physiological, Evolutionary, and Ecological Responses, 2024)
Abstract Climate change can modify the population dynamics of insects. In this instance, “climate” encompasses temperature and precipitation patterns, including dry season or snow cover duration and timing. Also included are changes in both climate means and variances. Insect declines in response to climate change are real but population dynamics are heterogeneous across space and taxa. Both rates of climate change and the location of a population within its climate envelope affect the outcome. Our understanding is currently limited by five factors. First, insect monitoring studies cover a narrow geographic range. Second, other anthropogenic changes, such as land-use change, jointly affect the results of climate change on insect dynamics. Third, species interactions may be affected by climate change, with resulting indirect effects on insect dynamics. Fourth, our understanding of the underlying physiological and fitness response to weather extremes is still limited for i

Host plant phenology shapes aphid abundance and interactions with ants - E. H. Mooney; Alexander Mitchell; James H Den Uyl; M. L. Mullins; C. DiBiase; M. S. Heschel (Oikos, 2023)

The Impact of Environmental Factors on Arizona Tiger Salamander Larval Growth - J. Bornyasz (2023)
Amphibians have been hit particularly hard by the recent era of biodiversity loss (Collins 2009). Understanding the factors that influence their growth and development can help us understand their global decline as well as the dynamics of populations in widely different habitats. Growth rates have been observed to vary dramatically between low elevation (6000 ft) and high elevation (12,000 ft) habitats (Whiteman and Wissinger 2005). Larval growth rates have important implications for life fitness and reproductive success, influencing the morphology of sexually mature salamanders and the size and age at first reproduction (Whiteman 1994; Semlitsch et al.1988). Larval growth rates and physical characteristics are impacted by environmental factors like temperature, elevation, and pond hydroperiod (Wissenger et al. 2010; Semlitsch et al. 1988). This study will investigate the influence of environmental conditions on larval growth rates in Arizona tiger salamanders. Salamander larvae as wel

Limnephilus externus Case Grazing - B. Baiz (2023)
The subalpine region of Colorado hosts a variety of aquatic habitats. The organisms that inhabit these ecosystems are presented with many ecological adversities and differing predator guilds. Limnephilus externus caddisfly larvae native to montane and subalpine ponds of the Elk Mountains of Colorado face predatory interactions as well as seasonal time constraints. They have adapted to these adversities by engineering intricate casings made from sedge and other pond debris held together with silk. Caddisfly case morphology differs among species to accommodate for a variety of environmental and biotic variables. Tradeoffs and the proper allocation of resources are necessary for the survival of caddisfly larvae to adulthood. Field observations have documented L. externus individuals grazing on their own casings as well as the cases of conspecifics. In this study we take surveys of pond variables such as L. externus densities, predator densities, amount of emergent and marginal sedge cover

Effects of Altitude on the Growth, Mortality, and Recruitment of Subalpine Tree Species in the West Elk Mountains of Colorado. - J. Budoff-Corujo (2023)
Subalpine ecosystems in Colorado occur between 9,000-11,000ft in elevation and are composed of several species of conifers. The elevation range of each species is slightly different, but they tend to form established communities, such as the Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir community. It has been shown that many plant species adjust their range differently as the climate changes, leading to potential concerns about plant community assemblages changing. In this study, we are looking at the ways that different tree species in the subalpine habitat interact with altitude, specifically: Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), and Rocky mountain douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca). We established five plots in the West Elk Mountains of Colorado. Each plot was 40 x 40m, and each tree was marked with a tagged number in every plot. A variety of measurements were taken for trees in 20

Agriculture 3.0: Preparing for a Drier Future in the Colorado River Basin - Jane Palmer (Eos, 2023)
Years of drought and climate change are causing water resources to dwindle in the Colorado River Basin. But farmers and scientists are collaborating to learn how to grow crops with less water.

Using GIS techniques to test a model of the coexistence of the golden-mantled ground squirrel, Callospermopholis lateralis, and the least chipmunk, Tamias minimus - R. Cohen (2023)
Predator-prey interactions extend beyond direct predation and can influence prey behavior and habitat use. This “ecology of fear” has been studied in a wide variety of taxa, and differences in perceived predation risk have been demonstrated to impact species coexistence. Previous research (Smith 1991, Baas 2011) on the golden-mantled ground squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis) and the least chipmunk (Tamias minimus) has indicated that these species have differing foraging efficiencies at different distances from cover; T. minimus is more efficient close to cover, and does not venture too far from safety, while C. lateralis is able to exploit “riskier” habitat in the center of a meadow. The aim of this study was 1) to test the continued coexistence of C. lateralis and T. minimus to determine if their patterns of meadow usage are stable and 2) to use geographic information systems (GIS) to refine the methodologies used by Smith (1991) and Baas (2011). Raster analysis in GIS was utilize

Investigating the Effect of Drought on Floral Traits Mediating Pollinator Interactions - Z. Zarling (2023)
Understanding the effects of water stress on flowering plants is crucial for ecosystem sustainability. Changing water availability due to climate shifts and persistent drought conditions have significant implications for the reproduction and survival of subalpine plants and their pollinators. This paper addressed two key questions: (1) Do changes in soil moisture levels have an effect on floral height and display size? (2) What is the relationship between floral traits and pollinator visitation? Field data was collected from three subalpine meadows in Gunnison County, Colorado, including measurements of floral traits, soil moisture, and pollinator visitation spanning three years. Our research team measured the floral display size, height, and abundance of two focal species: Linum lewisii, and Potentilla pulcherrima. The outcomes revealed a series of correlations: higher soil moisture was associated with taller plants but diminished displays. Pollinator visitation showed no significant

Lidar and deep learning reveal forest structural controls on snowpack - Ahmad Hojatimalekshah; Joel A. Góngora; Josh Enterkine; Nancy F. Glenn; T. Trevor Caughlin; Hans‐Peter Marshall; C. A. Hiemstra (Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2023)
Forest structure has a strong relationship with abiotic components of the environment. For example, canopy morphology controls snow depth through interception and modifies incoming thermal radiation. In turn, snow water availability affects forest growth, carbon sequestration, and nutrient cycling. We investigated how structural diversity and topography affect snow depth patterns across scales. The study site, Grand Mesa, Colorado, is representative of many areas worldwide where declining snowpack and its consequences for forest ecosystems are increasingly an environmental concern. On the basis of a convolution neural network model ( R 2 of 0.64; root mean squared error of 0.13 m), we found that forest structural and topographic metrics from airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) at fine scales significantly influence snow depth during the accumulation season. Moreover, complex vertically arranged foliage intercepts more snow and results in shallower snow depths below the canopy.

Herbivory damage but not plant disease under experimental warming is dependent on weather for three subalpine grass species - J. S. Lynn; Nisreen Abo-Sido; Ian W. McCowen; Shermila B. Villanueva; J. Harte; Jennifer A. Rudgers (Journal of Animal Ecology, 2023)
Abstract Both theory and prior studies predict that climate warming should increase attack rates by herbivores and pathogens on plants. However, past work has often assumed that variation in abiotic conditions other than temperature (e.g. precipitation) do not alter warming responses of plant damage by natural enemies. Studies over short time periods span low variation in weather, and studies over long time‐scales often neglect to account for fine‐scale weather conditions. Here, we used a 20+ year warming experiment to investigate if warming affects on herbivory and pathogen disease are dependent on variation in ambient weather observed over 3 years. We studied three common grass species in a subalpine meadow in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA. We visually estimated herbivory and disease every 2 weeks during the growing season and evaluated weather conditions during the previous 2‐ or 4‐week time interval (2‐week average air temperature, 2‐ and 4‐week cumulative precipitation) as pre

Changes in the biofluorescence of Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum with age - L. Crayton (2023)

Hot and Cold: Assessing the Thermal Limitations of Bumble Bees in a Changing Climate - B. Saunders (2023)
To understand bumblebee thermal limitations a controlled experient was built and tested in different environmental conditions to determine the most stable form of conducting upper and lower thermal trials in the field. The study was conducted at field sites located at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, CO, USA. We subjected Bombus flavifrons, Bombus bifarius, Bombus appositus, Bombus rufocinctus. Bombus californicus to both upper and lower extreme temperatures. Preliminary trials on nonfocus organisms helped refine experimental procedures. With the data we have accumulated now there are small trends beginning to form relating to ITD and upper extreme temperature limitations.

Virus diversity and activity is driven by snowmelt and host dynamics in a high-altitude watershed soil ecosystem - Clement Coclet; Patrick O. Sorensen; Ulas Karaoz; Shi Wang; E. L. Brodie; Emiley A. Eloe-Fadrosh; Simon Roux (Microbiome, 2023)
Background Viruses impact nearly all organisms on Earth, including microbial communities and their associated biogeochemical processes. In soils, highly diverse viral communities have been identified, with a global distribu‑ tion seemingly driven by multiple biotic and abiotic factors, especially soil temperature and moisture. However, our current understanding of the stability of soil viral communities across time and their response to strong seasonal changes in environmental parameters remains limited. Here, we investigated the diversity and activity of environmen‑ tal soil DNA and RNA viruses, focusing especially on bacteriophages, across dynamics’ seasonal changes in a snow- dominated mountainous watershed by examining paired metagenomes and metatranscriptomes. Results We identified a large number of DNA and RNA viruses taxonomically divergent from existing environmental viruses, including a significant proportion of fungal RNA viruses, and a large and unsuspected diversity of posi

The buzz around biodiversity decline: Detecting pollinator shifts using a systematic review - Sarah Whipple; Gillian Bowser (iScience, 2023)
Climate and land use change are two of the largest drivers of worldwide biodiversity loss, but detecting drivers of insect decline is more complex. Online data sources can elucidate such responses while identifying systematic data gaps. Using a systematic review, we found 119 studies that document bumble bee and butterfly responses to climate change. While bee literature was limited, there is high confidence that species are emerging earlier (∼17 days), mismatching with floral resources (100% of studies), and changing range distributions (-25%). More butterfly literature was available but did not yield consistent responses. Evidence shows earlier emergences (∼5 days), decreasing range distributions (-19%), and population shifts amongst generalist (87% increase) versus specialist (65% decrease) groups. We argue that the effect of changing climates on floral emergence, abundance, and distribution may be more significant than the impact of climate change on biodiversity; however, further

River thorium concentrations can record bedrock fracture processes including some triggered by distant seismic events - Benjamin Gilbert; Sergio Carrero; Wenming Dong; C. Joe-Wong; Bhavna Arora; P. M. Fox; P. Nico; K. H. Williams (Nature Communications, 2023)
Fractures are integral to the hydrology and geochemistry of watersheds, but our understanding of fracture dynamics is very limited because of the challenge of monitoring the subsurface. Here we provide evidence that long-term, high-frequency measurements of the river concentration of the ultra-trace element thorium (Th) can provide a signature of bedrock fracture processes spanning neighboring watersheds in Colorado. River Th concentrations show abrupt (subdaily) excursions and biexponential decay with approximately 1-day and 1-week time constants, concentration patterns that are distinct from all other solutes except beryllium and arsenic. The patterns are uncorrelated with daily precipitation records or seasonal trends in atmospheric deposition. Groundwater Th analyses are consistent with bedrock release and dilution upon mixing with river water. Most Th excursions have no seismic signatures that are detectable 50 km from the site, suggesting the Th concentrations can reveal aseismic

Structure and composition of natural ferrihydrite nano-colloids in anoxic groundwater - M. Engel; Vincent Noel; Samuel Pierce; L. Kovarik; R. K. Kukkadapu; J. S. Lozama Pacheco; O. Qafoku; J. R. Runyon; J. Chorover; W. Zhou; J. Cliff; Kristin Boye; et al. (Water Research, 2023)
Fe-rich mobile colloids play vital yet poorly understood roles in the biogeochemical cycling of Fe in groundwater by influencing organic matter (OM) preservation and fluxes of Fe, OM, and other essential (micro-)nutrients. Yet, few studies have provided molecular detail on the structures and compositions of Fe-rich mobile colloids and factors controlling their persistence in natural groundwater. Here, we provide comprehensive new information on the sizes, molecular structures, and compositions of Fe-rich mobile colloids that accounted for up to 72% of aqueous Fe in anoxic groundwater from a redox-active floodplain. The mobile colloids are multi-phase assemblages consisting of Si-coated ferrihydrite nanoparticles and Fe(II)-OM complexes. Ferrihydrite nanoparticles persisted under both oxic and anoxic conditions, which we attribute to passivation by Si and OM. These findings suggest that mobile Fe-rich colloids generated in floodplains can persist during transport through redox-variable

Social security: Does social position influence flight initiation distance? - T. Szulanski (2023)
A variety of factors can influence an individual’s antipredator behavior including their group size because simply being around conspecifics may reduce predation risk. Recent work has shown that it is not just being around others, but rather the specific social relationships that individuals have with others may also modulate perceptions of risk and explain variation in a variety of antipredator behaviors. We asked whether and how yellow-bellied marmots’ (Marmota flaviventer) position in their social network explains variation in flight initiation distance (FID). We examined the relationship of both direct and indirect measures of sociality and separated models by age and sex classes to isolate the relationships for individuals with different life histories. Following the “social security” hypothesis, we predicted that more socially connected individuals would have a lower FID. We found that the magnitude and direction to which sociality was associated with FID varied based on age and

The Influence of Forest Structure and Composition on Transpiration Rates Among Drought-Stressed Conifer Species in the Upper East River Watershed - B. Golla (2023)
Despite the ecological significance of prominent coniferous forests surrounding RMBL, there are few comprehensive studies on these systems, particularly regarding transpiration dynamics. Their critical role in carbon sequestration, microclimate dynamics, and water resource management in the Upper Colorado River Basin render them subjects of great research interest. With that being said, sustained drought conditions throughout the region are changing energy fluxes within these forests and bringing into question their resilience in increasingly water-limited circumstances. Examining the physiological adaptations and water-use strategies among different conifer species will aid in our understanding of the ways in which forests contribute to a balanced energy budget in the face of changing climatic conditions. The specific focus of this study is on Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii), Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa), and Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta), three dominant conifers within the

A new Eocene cockroach species from the Green River Formation of Colorado, U.S.A. - Peter Barna; David Zelagin; Lucia Šmídová (Biologia, 2023)

Elevation Does Not Predict Density Dependent Population Dynamics in Valeriana edulis - B. Davis (2023)
Density dependence—the impact of neighbors on the survival, growth, or reproduction of individuals—strongly impacts the size and dynamics of populations. However, it is unknown how the effects of density dependence vary across species ranges, which will be integral knowledge in the face of climate change and shifting populations. We sought to determine whether density dependence varies systematically across a species elevation range in the long-lived perennial plant Valeriana edulis (valerian). We assessed density dependence three ways across the species elevation range. First, we measured natural population density. Second, we quantified the impact of neighbor density on individuals survival, growth, flowering, and seed production. Third, we combined the measures of density dependent individual performance into a demographic model and projected the population’s carrying capacity. There was no significant relationship between observed population density and elevation. However, density

A pathogen's spatial range is not constrained by geographical features in the flax rust pathosystem - Keenan Duggal; I. Miller; Juliana Jiranek; J. Metcalf (Ecology and Evolution, 2023)
Climate change and shifting environmental conditions can allow pathogens to spread into previously unburdened areas. For plant pathogens, this dynamic has the potential to disrupt natural ecosystem equilibria and human agriculture, making predicting plant pathogen range shifts increasingly important. Although such predictions will hinge on an accurate understanding of the determinants of pathogen range-namely the environmental, geographical, and host range characteristics that modulate local pathogen habitation-few studies to date have probed these in natural plant populations. Here, we characterize range determinants for the model system of Lewis flax (Linum lewisii) and its pathogen, flax rust (Melampsora lini), in the Rocky Mountains. Transect surveys were performed to assess three relationships: (i) the effect of geographical features-elevation, slope aspect, slope grade, and land cover-on flax presence and density, (ii) the effect of geographical features on flax rus

Climate disruption on avian species and communities in the southern Rocky Mountains - L. Gowens (2023)
Climate change is altering the phenology and distribution of organisms across taxonomic groups. Abiotic factors vary along elevational gradients, including those that are affected heavily by climate change, especially temperature. In high elevation environments, species distributions are often limited by temperature, and upward range shifts occur as a response to climate warming. Surveys along elevational gradients can act as a basis to assess these range shifts and enable further investigation of population declines and extinction risks. This study analyzes Gothic Breeding Bird Survey data conducted in 23 years since 1999 to determine long-term changes in species abundance in the southern Rocky Mountains and resurveys points along an elevational gradient (2,469-3,421m) to assess shifts in species elevation range and changes in community composition compared to 2011 survey data and historical ranges. Species abundance analyses of Breeding Bird Survey data indicate that there is a compl

The (surprising) importance of males in a matrilineal society: behavioural insights from a topological knockout study - F. Zenth; Adriana A. Maldonado-Chaparro; A. Solis; S. Gee; Daniel T. Blumstein (Animal Behaviour, 2023)
Social group structure often has consequences for individual fitness and ecological and evolutionary processes, but group structure is not fixed because of demographic processes: individuals die, disperse or are recruited into social groups. Thus, it is important to understand how demographic social roles and the loss of individuals with different roles modify group structure. We studied yellow-bellied marmots, Marmota flaviventer, and performed a series of statistical/topological knockouts on observed marmot social networks to investigate how the social roles of individuals from specific age–sex categories (adult/yearling, males/females) contribute to group social structure and to ask whether the loss of different roles has varying structural effects. We focused on five central aspects of overall social structure: density, the global clustering coefficient, reciprocity, global degree centrality and the coefficient of variation of strength. Somewhat surprisingly, given that marmots liv

Plant Bioassay Testing Soil Quality Following Carrion Insect Activity - B. Guijosa (2023)
The decomposition of animal carrion, particularly small animals that are used as a breeding resource for carrion insects, is little studied but is likely to be a major component of nutrient cycling in many ecosystems. This project focuses on how carrion insects affect small vertebrate carrion decomposition and what nutrients are put back into the soil. My research question is: How nutritious does soil become after carrion insect activity, and how can this be observed? Using three different types of carrion insects (two species of beetles and the common flies found here at RMBL), and carrion sources I plan to collect impacted soil and allow small vertebrate carrion decomposition and carrion insect activity to occur on the soil. I aim to compare how carcass visitation and consumption by three different types of carrion insects affects soil nutrients and will measure this nutrient addition through a plant growth bioassay. The findings may be applied to techniques for restoring impacted so

Gunnison Sage-Grouse and Mapping Pi - Isa Catto (BioScience, 2023)
Journal Article Gunnison Sage-Grouse and Mapping Pi Get access Isa Catto Isa Catto Aspen, Colorado, United States Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar BioScience, Volume 73, Issue 5, May 2023, Page 390, https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad024 Published: 03 April 2023

Advanced monitoring of soil-vegetation co-dynamics reveals the successive controls of snowmelt on soil moisture and on plant seasonal dynamics in a mountainous watershed - Baptiste Dafflon; Emmanuel Leger; Nicola Falco; Haruko M. Wainwright; John Peterson; Jiancong Chen; K. H. Williams; S. S. Hubbard (Frontiers in Earth Science, 2023)
Evaluating the interactions between above- and below-ground processes is important to understand and quantify how ecosystems respond differently to atmospheric forcings and/or perturbations and how this depends on their intrinsic characteristics and heterogeneity. Improving such understanding is particularly needed in snow-impacted mountainous systems where the complexity in water and carbon storage and release arises from strong heterogeneity in meteorological forcing and terrain, vegetation and soil characteristics. This study investigates spatial and temporal interactions between terrain, soil moisture, and plant seasonal dynamics at the intra- and inter-annual scale along a 160 m long mountainous, non-forested hillslope-to-floodplain system in the upper East River Watershed in the upper Colorado River Basin. To this end, repeated UAV-based multi-spectral aerial imaging, ground-based soil electrical resistivity imaging, and soil moisture sensors were used to quantify the interaction

Genetic mechanisms underlying maladaptation in specialized species interactions - Nitin Ravikanthachari (2023)
Adaptation has been used as the framework to understand the power of

Contrasting short-and long-term outcomes of pairwise interactions between caddisflies at a hydrologically heterogeneous range margin - I. D. Shepard; S. A. Wissinger; H. S. Greig (Freshwater Biology, 2023)

Demographic responses of hybridizing cinquefoils to changing climate in the Colorado Rocky Mountains - Kelly A Carscadden; D. F. Doak; M. F. Oldfather; N. C. Emery (Ecology and Evolution, 2023)
Hybridization between taxa generates new pools of genetic variation that can lead to different environmental responses and demographic trajectories over time than seen in parental lineages. The potential for hybrids to have novel environmental tolerances may be increasingly important in mountainous regions, which are rapidly warming and drying due to climate change. Demographic analysis makes it possible to quantify within- and among-species responses to variation in climate and to predict population growth rates as those conditions change. We estimated vital rates and population growth in 13 natural populations of two cinquefoil taxa (Potentilla hippiana and P. pulcherrima) and their hybrid across elevation gradients in the Southern Rockies. Using three consecutive years of environmental and demographic data, we compared the demographic responses of hybrid and parental taxa to environmental variation across space and time. All three taxa had lower predicted population gr

Effects of Daily Temperature Changes on Broad-Tailed Hummingbird Foraging Patterns - C. Kim; T. Ngo; M. Thurber (2023)
Climate change threatens the close relationship between wildflowers and the hummingbirds that pollinate them, both through gradual warming that shifts and misaligns their phenologies, and also potentially through increasingly erratic day-to-day temperature changes, a phenomenon especially apparent at high altitudes. We investigate how these temperature changes affect the flower visitation rate of broad-tailed hummingbirds (Selasphorus platycercus) in high-elevation Gothic, Colorado, where a significant portion of the birds’ marginal energy budget is spent on thermoregulation. We hypothesize that on days much colder than average, hummingbird visitation will increase as the birds have higher energy demands to thermoregulate. Using hummingbird visitation data collected on cameras around Gothic from 2018-2022 and temperature highs and lows recorded in Gothic weather data from 2016-2022, we calculate visitation deviation from the average on a given day, plotting it against temperature devia

Supporting advancement in weather and water prediction in the upper Colorado River Basin: The SPLASH campaign - Gijs de Boer; A. White; R. Cifelli; Janet Intrieri; M. Hughes; K. Mahoney; M. Meyers; K. Lantz; J. Hamilton; William Currier; Joseph Sedlar; Christopher Cox; et al. (Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 2023)
Abstract Water is a critical resource that causes significant challenges to inhabitants of the western United States. These challenges are likely to intensify as the result of expanding population and climate-related changes that act to reduce runoff in areas of complex terrain. To better understand the physical processes that drive the transition of mountain precipitation to streamflow, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has deployed suites of environmental sensors throughout the East River watershed of Colorado as part of the Study of Precipitation, the Lower Atmosphere, and Surface for Hydrometeorology (SPLASH). This includes surface-based sensors over a network of five different observing sites, airborne platforms, and sophisticated remote sensors to provide detailed information on spatiotemporal variability of key parameters. With a 2-yr deployment, these sensors offer detailed insight into precipitation, the lower atmosphere, and the surface, and support the deve

Talking Yeast: The characterization of bumblebee- and nectar- specialist yeast volatiles in Corydalis caseana - N. Rodriguez (2023)

Time's Arrow and the Things We Leave Behind: What Harriet G. Barclay’s Herbarium Collections can Teach us about her life and the land she studied - E. Lombardi (2023)

Pollinator and habitat-mediated selection as potential contributors to ecological speciation in two closely related species - Diane R. Campbell; J. M. Powers; Madison Crowell (Evolution Letters, 2023)
In ecological speciation, incipient species diverge due to natural selection that is ecologically based. In flowering plants, different pollinators could mediate that selection (pollinator-mediated divergent selection) or other features of the environment that differ between habitats of 2 species could do so (environment-mediated divergent selection). Although these mechanisms are well under- stood, they have received little rigorous testing, as few studies of divergent selection across sites of closely related species include both floral traits that influence pollination and vegetative traits that influence survival. This study employed common gardens in sites of the 2 parental species and a hybrid site, each containing advanced generation hybrids along with the parental species, to test these forms of ecological speciation in plants of the genus Ipomopsis. A total of 3 vegetative traits (specific leaf area, leaf trichomes, and photosynthetic water-use efficiency) and 5 floral traits

Linking microenvironment modification to species interactions and demography in an alpine plant community - C. A. Ray; R. E. Kapas; O. H. Opedal; B. Blonder (Oikos, 2023)
Individual plants can modify the microenvironment within their spatial neighborhood. However, the consequences of microenvironment modification for demography and species interactions remain unclear at the community scale. In a study of co‐occurring alpine plants, we 1) determined the extent of species‐specific microclimate modification by comparing temperature and soil moisture between vegetated and non‐vegetated microsites for several focal species. We 2) determined how vital rates (survival, growth, fecundity) of all species varied in response to aboveground and belowground vegetative overlap with inter‐ and intraspecific neighbors as proxies for microenvironment modification. For 1), surface temperatures were buffered (lower maximums and higher minimums) and soil moisture was higher below the canopies of most species compared to non‐vegetated areas. For 2), vegetative overlap predicted most vital rates, although the effect varied depending on whether aboveground or belowground over

Monazite and xenotime petrochronologic constraints on four Proterozoic tectonic episodes and ca. 1705 Ma age of the Uncompahgre Formation, southwestern Colorado, USA - Ian W. Hillenbrand; M. C. Williams; Karl E. Karlstrom; Amy K. Gilmer; Heather A. Lowers; Michael J. Jercinovic; Kaitlyn A. Suarez; A. Kate Souders (Geosphere, 2023)
Abstract The Proterozoic tectonic evolution of the southwestern USA remains incompletely understood due to limited constraints on the timing and conditions of the tectono-metamorphic phases and depositional age of metasedimentary successions. We integrated multi-scale compositional mapping, petrologic modeling, and in situ geochronology to constrain pressure-temperature-time paths from samples of Paleoproterozoic basement gneisses and overlying quartzites in southwestern Colorado, USA. Basement gneiss from the western Needle Mountains records metamorphic conditions of 600 °C at 0.75 GPa at 1764 ± 9 Ma and \ 575 °C at 1741 ± 10 Ma. Gneiss sampled from drill core near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, records conditions of 700 °C at 1748 ± 9 Ma, 800 °C at 1.1 GPa at 1650 ± 40 Ma, 540 °C at 1570 ± 36 Ma, and 440 °C at 1424 ± 12 Ma. The Uncompahgre Formation was deposited at ca. 1705 Ma, as constrained by detrital monazite (1707 ± 8 Ma) and xenotime (1692 ± 40, 1725 ± 50 Ma), metamor

Urban Water Conservation Success in the Colorado River Basin - Jane Palmer (Eos, 2023)
In the past few decades, cities in Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada have vastly increased their water use efficiency. They’ve also learned lessons that can inform other cities’ efforts.

Climate lags and genetics determine phenology in quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) - B. Blonder; Philip G. Brodrick; K. Dana Chadwick; Erin Carroll; R. M. Cruz-de Hoyos; M. Exposito-Alonso; S. Hateley; M. Moon; C. A. Ray; H. Tran; J. A. Walton (New Phytologist, 2023)
Spatiotemporal patterns of phenology may be affected by mosaics of environmental and genetic variation. Environmental drivers may have temporally lagged impacts, but patterns and mechanisms remain poorly known. We combine multiple genomic, remotely sensed, and physically modeled datasets to determine the spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of canopy phenology in quaking aspen, a widespread clonal dioecious tree species with diploid and triploid cytotypes. We show that over 391 km2 of southwestern Colorado: greenup date, greendown date, and growing season length vary by weeks and differ across sexes, cytotypes, and genotypes; phenology has high phenotypic plasticity and heritabilities of 31-61% (interquartile range); and snowmelt date, soil moisture, and air temperature predict phenology, at temporal lags of up to 3 yr. Our study shows that lagged environmental effects are needed to explain phenological variation and that the effect of cytotype on phenology is obscured by its

Do dandelions compete with native plants for pollinator visits? - P. Salazar (2023)
In Gothic Colorado, the invasive common dandelion or Taraxacum officinale has slowly made its way through the meadows and along the road flourishing as people aid in dispersing its seeds as the wind carries them. Due to this, the focus of this study is to determine if dandelions compete with native plants for pollinators. Temporary plots were placed alongside the Stupid Falls Meadow, the Gothic road, the beaver ponds on the 401 trail, Emerald lake, and the Mexican cut. These temporary plots focused on three native species: Pseudocymopterus montanus, Valeriana occidentalis, and Ranunculus glaberrimus. The plots measured 2x meters and three times a week the plots were observed based on the natural phenology of the plots rotating every 5 minutes between plots. Based on a t-test there was no significant difference in visits between Taraxacum officinale and Pseudocymopterus montanus. The t-test showed that there was a significant difference between Taraxacum officinale and Valeriana occiden

Differences in individual flowering time change pollen limitation and seed set in three montane wildflowers - A. Schiffer; X. Loy; C. N. Morozumi; B. J. Brosi (American Journal of Botany, 2023)
Our study shows that variation in individual phenology affects fecundity in three phenologically distinct montane species, and that pollen limitation may be more influential than conspecific density. Our results suggest that individual-level changes in phenology are important to consider for understanding plant reproductive success.

Current and lagged climate affects phenology across diverse taxonomic groups - R. M. Prather; R. M. Dalton; Billy Barr; Daniel T. Blumstein; C. L. Boggs; Alison K. Brody; David W. Inouye; R. E. Irwin; J. G. A. Martin; R. J. Smith; D. H. Van Vuren; Caitlin P. Wells; et al. (Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2023)
The timing of life events (phenology) can be influenced by climate. Studies from around the world tell us that climate cues and species' responses can vary greatly. If variation in climate effects on phenology is strong within a single ecosystem, climate change could lead to ecological disruption, but detailed data from diverse taxa within a single ecosystem are rare. We collated first sighting and median activity within a high-elevation environment for plants, insects, birds, mammals and an amphibian across 45 years (1975-2020). We related 10 812 phenological events to climate data to determine the relative importance of climate effects on species' phenologies. We demonstrate significant variation in climate-phenology linkage across taxa in a single ecosystem. Both current and prior climate predicted changes in phenology. Taxa responded to some cues similarly, such as snowmelt date and spring temperatures; other cues affected phenology differently. For example, prior summer precipitat

Effects of warming, dominant species removal, and accelerated snowmelt on aboveground plant traits in the Colorado Rocky Mountains - Z. Piedra (2023)
Noticeable changes such as the alteration of ecosystem productivity, the influence of species interactions with one another and its environment, and the transformation of habitats are all linked to climate change. Although plant functions might be a useful tool in understanding plant communities and ecosystems, it’s time-consuming and expensive. Instead, we can observe aboveground plant traits, which are virtual indicators of the health conditions of plant communities. Measuring how plant traits respond to global change drivers is a useful way to predict plant and ecosystem functioning in future climates. For example, Plant height is a proxy for light capture, and leaf mass per area (LMA) is a great indicator of leaf photosynthetic capacity. We aimed to discover the effects of warming, dominant species removal and accelerated snowmelt on aboveground plant traits in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. This project took place in a montane meadow in Almont, Colorado where the warming and domina

Two sides of the same wing: ventral scales enhance dorsal wing color in the butterfly Speyeria mormonia - D. R. Chappell; C. L. Boggs; D. I. Speiser (Journal of Experimental Biology, 2023)
Biological visual signals are often produced by complex interactions between light-absorbing and light-scattering structures, but for many signals, potential interactions between different light-interacting components have yet to be tested. Butterfly wings, for example, are thin enough that their two sides may not be optically isolated. We tested whether ventral wing scales of the Mormon fritillary, Speyeria mormonia, affect the appearance of dorsal orange patches, which are thought to be involved in sexual signaling. Using reflectance spectroscopy, we found that ventral scales, either silvered or non-silvered, make dorsal orange patches significantly brighter, with the silvered scales having the greater effect. Computational modeling indicates that both types of ventral scale enhance the chromatic perceptual signal of dorsal orange patches, with only the silvered scales also enhancing their achromatic perceptual signal. A lack of optical independence between the two sides of the wings

How season length and diet breadth limit mason bee success across an elevational gradient - R. Tripathy (2023)

Aerobic respiration controls on shale weathering - Lucien Stolze; Bhavna Arora; Dipankar Dwivedi; Carl I. Steefel; Zhi Li; Sergio Carrero; Benjamin Gilbert; P. Nico; Markus Bill (Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2023)
The weathering of shale exerts an important control on the hydrochemical fluxes to river systems, thus influencing the global carbon, nutrient, and geochemical cycles. However, the quantitative understanding of shale weathering and its impact on global biogeochemical cycles remains inadequate due to the complex interplay between hydrological, biogeochemical, and physical processes. In this study, we develop a novel modeling approach to quantitatively interpret the long-term chemical weathering of shale occurring since the last glaciation period (15,000 years) leading to the present geochemical conditions. The model explicitly considers processes occurring across multiple phases and involved in the weathering, including: (i) the infiltration of meteoric water, (ii) the interactions between the water and the mineral assemblage via dissolution/precipitation reactions, (iii) the microbially-mediated oxidation of organic matter, (iv) the evolution of porosity induced by mineral reactions, a

Evolution of social position and structure – a multilevel selection perspective - Conner S. Philson (2023)

Dwindling Groundwater Reserves Will Threaten Mountain Streamflow in a Warmer World - R. W. H. Carroll; Richard Niswonger; Craig Ulrich; Charuleka Varadharajan; Erica R. Siirila-Woodburn; K. H. Williams (Research Square, 2023)
Groundwater storage and release in mountain systems is often ignored compounding uncertainty in how these systems may respond to climate change. To assess the importance of groundwater to mountain streamflow, we combine an extensive data network with a high-resolution, integrated hydrologic model stretching into the deep subsurface for a Colorado River headwater basin. In a warmer climate, increased forest water use reduces recharge, thereby destabilizing groundwater storage such that it cannot recover to historical levels even during simulated wet periods. Groundwater depletion significantly reduces average annual streamflow and forces the basin toward non-perennial conditions during dry water years. Groundwater declines are amplified in high-relief, conifer-dominated catchments. Upscaling model results across the region indicates concentrated risk of groundwater decline in the Colorado Headwater and Gunnison Basins. Research highlights the tight coupling of topography, vegetation and

Hyporheic Oxygen Dynamics in the East River, Colorado: Insights From an In‐Situ, High Frequency Time Series During Two Distinct Flow Seasons - Michael N. Gooseff; Ruby N. Ghosh; Erin Cantrell; M. Evan Matusz; Charles McIntire; Vivek Philip (Water Resources Research, 2023)
AbstractDissolved oxygen (DO) is critical for aquatic ecosystems, however, few studies have focused on the long‐term DO dynamics in hyporheic zones, which are a function of both transport (hydrologic exchange between river and hyporheic zone) and uptake by biogeochemical reactions or respiration. We explore the dynamics of temperature and DO at 10, 20, and 35 cm depth beneath the East River, Colorado, from July–October 2017 (relatively normal water year) and April to October 2018 (comparatively low flow year), enabled by distinctive, in‐situ, high frequency (Δt = 5 min) sensors that provided continuous time‐series from the undisturbed study site over 14 months. We expect that hyporheic DO, which has a regular daily fluctuation pattern, is supplied by the surface water (at all times we estimate downwelling) and that diurnal hyporheic DO temporal patterns should be aligned with diurnal hyporheic temperature patterns. However, this was not found to be the case. Hyporheic DO becomes deplet

Biden Administration Considers Unprecedented Solution to Colorado River Crisis - Jane Palmer (Eos, 2023)
As Colorado River Basin states prove unable to reach a consensus in reducing their water consumption, the U.S. Department of the Interior is investigating an option that defies the Law of the River.

Effects of microclimate, dispersal, species interactions, and environmental stochasticity on demography - C. A. Ray (2023)
Effects of microclimate, dispersal, species interactions, and environmental stochasticity on demography

Molecular nature of mineral-organic associations within redox-active mountainous floodplain sediments - Craig R. Anderson; Genevieve Goebel; Malak M. Tfaily; P. M. Fox; P. Nico; Scott Fendorf; Marco Keiluweit (ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 2023)
Floodplains are critical terrestrial–aquatic interfaces that act as hotspots of organic carbon (OC) cycling, regulating ecosystem carbon storage as well as export to riverine systems. Within floodplain sediments, regular flooding and textural gradients interact to create dynamic redox conditions. While anaerobic protection of OC upon burial is a well-recognized carbon storage mechanism in redox-active floodplain sediments, the impact of protective mineral-organic associations is relatively unknown. Here we determined the quantitative importance and chemical composition of mineral-organic associations along well-defined redox gradients emerging from textural variations and depth within meander sediments of the subalpine East River watershed (Gothic, CO). We characterized mineral-organic associations using a combination of sequential extractions, physical fractionation, and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Across the meander, we found that mineral-associated OC constitutes a significan

Mineralogical, magnetic and geochemical data constrain the pathways and extent of weathering of mineralized sedimentary rocks - Sergio Carrero; S. P. Slotznick; S. C. Fakra; M. C. Sitar; Sharon Bone; Jeffrey L Mauk; Andrew H Manning; N. L. Swanson-Hysell; K. H. Williams; Jillian F. Banfield (Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2023)

Dead in the Water? Addressing the Future of Water Conservation in the Colorado River Basin - H. W. Singh (SSRN Electronic Journal, 2023)

Fixing the Flawed Colorado River Compact - Shemin Ge; Joann Silverstein; James Eklund; Patricia Limerick; David Stewart (Eos, 2023)
The 1922 Colorado River Compact ignored available science and overallocated the river’s water, a decision whose effects reverberate today. Now there’s an opportunity to get things right.

Community context mediates effects of pollinator loss on seed production - Kaysee Arrowsmith; V. A. Reynolds; H. M. Briggs; B. J. Brosi (Ecosphere, 2023)
Abstract A critical goal for ecologists is understanding how ongoing local and global species losses will affect ecosystem functions and services. Diversity–functioning relationships, which are well‐characterized in primary producer communities, are much less consistently predictable for ecosystem functions involving two or more trophic levels, particularly in situations where multiple species in one trophic level impact functional outcomes at another trophic level. This is particularly relevant to pollination functioning, given ongoing pollinator declines and the value of understanding pollination functioning for single plant species like crops or threatened plants. We used spatially replicated, controlled single‐pollinator‐species removal experiments to assess how changes in bumble bee species richness impacted the production of fertilized seeds in a perennial herb— Delphinium barbeyi —in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA. To improve predictability, we also assessed how traits and

Creating Presence and Absence Points - Peder Engelstad; Daniel Carver; Nicholas E. Young (2023)
Abstract The purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate a method to generate your own presence and absence data and distribute those samples using specific ecological characteristics found in remotely sensed imagery. You will see that even when field data is unavailable, you can still digitally sample a landscape and gather information on current or past ecological conditions.

Emergent social structure is typically not associated with survival in a facultatively social mammal - Conner S. Philson; Daniel T. Blumstein (Biology Letters, 2023)
For social animals, group social structure has important consequences for disease and information spread. While prior studies showed individual connectedness within a group has fitness consequences, less is known about the fitness consequences of group social structure for the individuals who comprise the group. Using a long-term dataset on a wild population of facultatively social yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), we showed social structure had largely no relationship with survival, suggesting consequences of individual social phenotypes may not scale to the group social phenotype. An observed relationship for winter survival suggests a potentially contrasting direction of selection between the group and previous research on the individual level; less social individuals, but individuals in more social groups experience greater winter survival. This work provides valuable insights into evolutionary implications across social phenotypic scales.

Interannual precipitation controls on soil CO2 fluxes in high elevation conifer and aspen forests - Mariah Carbone; Andrew D. Richardson; barr b; Max Berkelhammer; C. M. Boot; Austin Simonpietri; C. Still (Environmental Research Letters, 2023)
Long-term soil CO2 emission measurements are necessary for detecting trends and interannual variability in the terrestrial carbon cycle. Such records are becoming increasingly valuable as ecosystems experience altered environmental conditions associated with climate change. From 2013 to 2021, we continuously measured soil CO2 concentrations in the two dominant high elevation forest types, mixed conifer and aspen, in the upper Colorado River basin. We quantified the soil CO2 flux during the summer months, and found that the mean and total CO2 flux in both forests was related to the prior winter’s snowfall and current summer’s rainfall, with greater sensitivity to rainfall. We observed a decline in surface soil CO2 production, which we attributed to warming and a decrease in amount and frequency of summer rains. Our results demonstrate strong precipitation control on the soil CO2 flux in mountainous regions, a finding which has important implications for carbon cycling under future envir

Group social structure has limited impact on reproductive success in a wild mammal - Conner S. Philson; Daniel T. Blumstein (Behavioral Ecology, 2023)
Abstract The frequency and type of dyadic social interactions individuals partake in has important fitness consequences. Social network analysis is an effective tool to quantify the complexity and consequences of these behaviors on the individual level. Less work has used social networks to quantify the social structure—specific attributes of the pattern of all social interactions in a network—of animal social groups, and its fitness consequences for those individuals who comprise the group. We studied the association between social structure, quantified via five network measures, and annual reproductive success in wild, free-living female yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer). We quantified reproductive success in two ways: (1) if an individual successfully weaned a litter and (2) how many pups were weaned. Networks were constructed from 38 968 interactions between 726 unique individuals in 137 social groups across 19 years. Using generalized linear mixed models, we found large

Evaluating 3 decades of precipitation in the Upper Colorado River basin from a high-resolution regional climate model - William Rudisill; Alejandro Flores; R. W. H. Carroll (Geoscientific Model Development, 2023)
Abstract. Convection-permitting regional climate models (RCMs) have recently become tractable for applications at multi-decadal timescales. These types of models have tremendous utility for water resource studies, but better characterization of precipitation biases is needed, particularly for water-resource-critical mountain regions, where precipitation is highly variable in space, observations are sparse, and the societal water need is great. This study examines 34 years (1987–2020) of RCM precipitation from the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF; v3.8.1), using the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFS; CFSv2) initial and lateral boundary conditions and a 1 km × 1 km innermost grid spacing. The RCM is centered over the Upper Colorado River basin, with a focus on the high-elevation, 750 km2 East River watershed (ERW), where a variety of high-impact scientific activities are currently ongoing. Precipitation is compared against point observations (Natural Resources Conservati

Evolvability and trait function predict phenotypic divergence of plant populations - O. H. Opedal; W. S. Armbruster; T. F. Hansen; A. Holstad; C. Pelabon; S. Andersson; Diane R. Campbell; C. M. Caruso; L. F. Delph; C. G. Eckert; Asa Lankinen; G. M. Walter; et al. (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2023)
Understanding the causes and limits of population divergence in phenotypic traits is a fundamental aim of evolutionary biology, with the potential to yield predictions of adaptation to environmental change. Reciprocal transplant experiments and the evaluation of optimality models suggest that local adaptation is common but not universal, and some studies suggest that trait divergence is highly constrained by genetic variances and covariances of complex phenotypes. We analyze a large database of population divergence in plants and evaluate whether evolutionary divergence scales positively with standing genetic variation within populations (evolvability), as expected if genetic constraints are evolutionarily important. We further evaluate differences in divergence and evolvability-divergence relationships between reproductive and vegetative traits and between selfing, mixed-mating, and outcrossing species, as these factors are expected to influence both patterns of selection and evolutio

The dispersal of microbes among and within flowers by butterflies - M. Olson; Nitin Ravikanthachari; M. Blackwell; C. L. Boggs (Ecological Entomology, 2023)
Abstract Floral microbes, including bacteria and fungi, alter nectar quality, thus changing pollinator visitation. Conversely, pollinator visitation can change the floral microbial community. Most studies on dispersal of floral microbes have focused on bees, ants or hummingbirds, yet Lepidoptera are important pollinators. We asked (a) where are microbes present on the butterfly body, (b) do butterflies transfer microbes while foraging, and (c) how does butterfly foraging affect microbial abundance on different floret structures. The tarsi and proboscis had significantly more microbes than the thorax in wild‐caught Glaucopsyche lygdamus

Demographic consequences of changes in environmental periodicity - Eva Conquet; A. Ozgul; Daniel T. Blumstein; Kenneth B. Armitage; M. K. Oli; J. G. A. Martin; T. H. Clutton-Brock; Maria Paniw (Ecology, 2023)
The fate of natural populations is mediated by complex interactions among vital rates, which can vary within and among years. Although the effects of random, among-year variation in vital rates have been studied extensively, relatively little is known about how periodic, nonrandom variation in vital rates affects populations. This knowledge gap is potentially alarming as global environmental change is projected to alter common periodic variations, such as seasonality. We investigated the effects of changes in vital-rate periodicity on populations of three species representing different forms of adaptation to periodic environments: the yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventer), adapted to strong seasonality in snowfall; the meerkat (Suricata suricatta), adapted to inter-annual stochasticity as well as seasonal patterns in rainfall; and the dewy pine (Drosophyllum lusitanicum), adapted to fire regimes and periodic post-fire habitat succession. To assess how changes in periodicity affec

A tyrannosaurid pedal ungual from the Williams Fork Formation (Campanian) of Colorado and its implications for the biogeography of Laramidian dinosaurs - Chan-Gyu Yun (Acta Geologica Polonica, 2023)
A right theropod pedal ungual phalanx II-3 from the Campanian Williams Fork Formation of northwestern Colorado is described, and a combination of features, including the large size, tapering distal tip, robust and stout overall form, triangular cross-section, and a relatively flat ventral surface allows a confident referral to Tyrannosauridae Osborn, 1906. Although this specimen was found in a relatively southern state, the proximal articular surface of this ungual is similar to that of Gorgosaurus libratus Lambe, 1914, a taxon found in the northern state, Alberta. Although based on limited evidence, this may suggest that the range of tyrannosaurids considered endemic to the north of Laramidia extended farther south than previously thought.

Analysis of growth patterns in Conifer stands present in Gothic town - D. Hernandez (2023)
Forest ecology research is being revolutionized with the advent of remote sensing. Remote sensing is more accurate and reliable than previous methods for assessing forest dynamics, so it is important to generate workflows for assessing them. The forests of the Gothic townsite are an underutilized subject of study within the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory and the aim of this project is to answer questions of how forests grow and why and create workflows for doing this in other localities using remote sensing data. The conifers present in the Gothic Townsite appear to be decreasing in volume and have had negative height changes. There are environmental factors at play but more work needs to be done to understand the mechanisms behind the decrease in total conifer volume.

Host specificity of hemiparasitic Castilleja and its influence on plant community diversity. - M. Lang (2023)
Hemiparasitic plants rely on their hosts for some of their nutritional requirements, but are still able to photosynthesize and absorb water and nutrients through their roots. Parasitic plants have been shown to impact plant community diversity by reducing dominant species' competitive ability, thus allowing for the growth and establishment of secondary, less competitive species. Castilleja is a hemiparasitic genus in the family Orobanchaceae. It forms root haustorial connections with hosts underground. Near The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, there are six common, naturally occurring species of Castilleja. The diversity and specificity of host species of local Castilleja are unknown due to the difficult nature of observing belowground interactions. In this study, we aim to determine the most likely hosts of Castilleja, assess host specificity, and measure Castilleja’s impact on plant diversity and productivity in various Rocky Mountain ecosystems. We found local Castilleja specie

Is flight initiation distance associated with longer-term survival in yellow-bellied marmots, Marmota flaviventer? - Daniel T. Blumstein; M. Sanchez; Conner S. Philson; L. Bliard (Animal Behaviour, 2023)
The distance at which animals move away from threats, flight initiation distance (FID), is often used to study antipredator behaviour 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 and/or winter survival in an individually marked population of yellow-bellied marmots. We found no clear association between flight initiation distance and summer survival or winter survival. This suggests that FID decisions, while demonstrably optimizing current survival, may not have longer-term fitness consequences. Our results may be explained by the relatively modest repeatability of FID or it may have emerged from our attempt

Evidence for a single, ancient origin of a genus-wide alternative life history strategy - K. Tunstrom; A. Woronik; J. J. Hanly; P. Rastas; A. Chichvarkhin; A. D. Warren; A. Y. Kawahara; S. D. Schoville; V. Ficarrotta; A. H. Porter; W. B. Watt; A. Martin; et al. (Science Advances, 2023)

Historical fire regimes and contemporary fire effects within sagebrush habitats of Gunnison Sage‐grouse - Petar Z. Simic; J. D. Coop; Ellis Q. Margolis; Jessica R. Young; M. Lopez (Ecosphere, 2023)
AbstractThe historical role of fire in sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) landscapes remains poorly understood, yet is important to inform management and conservation of obligate species such as the threatened Gunnison Sage‐grouse (GUSG; Centrocercus minimus). We reconstructed fire histories from tree‐ring fire scars at sagebrush–forest ecotones (10 sites, 111 trees) to better understand the role of fire in sagebrush landscapes of the Upper Gunnison Basin (UGB), Colorado, and how fire may have changed following Euro‐American settlement. We assessed likely influences of historical fire by surveying plant composition and structure at 100 sagebrush sites with and without recent (2001–2020) fires. Tree‐ring fire scars revealed a history of repeated low‐severity fire at sagebrush–forest ecotones until 1892, followed by over a century without fire. Between 1684 and 1892, the mean fire interval (MFI) among sites averaged 49.6 years (ranging from 18.2 to 119 years). Fire over this period occurre

Cross-trophic-level dynamics in aquatic ecosystems and their application across ecological contexts - E. M. Johnston (2023)

The role of environmental variation in mediating fitness trade-offs for an amphibian polyphenism - M. A. Kirk; K. E. Reider; A. C. R. Lackey; Sean C. Thomas; H. H. Whiteman (Journal of Animal Ecology, 2023)
AbstractFitness trade‐offs are a foundation of ecological and evolutionary theory because trade‐offs can explain life history variation, phenotypic plasticity, and the existence of polyphenisms.Using a 32‐year mark‐recapture dataset on lifetime fitness for 1093 adult Arizona tiger salamanders (Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum) from a high elevation, polyphenic population, we evaluated the extent to which two life history morphs (aquatic paedomorphs vs. terrestrial metamorphs) exhibited fitness trade‐offs in breeding and body condition with respect to environmental variation (e.g. climate) and internal state‐based variables (e.g. age).Both morphs displayed a similar response to higher probabilities of breeding during years of high spring precipitation (i.e. not indicative of a morph‐specific fitness trade‐off). There were likely no climate‐induced fitness trade‐offs on breeding state for the two life history morphs because precipitation and water availability are vital to amphibian reprodu

Virtually the Same? Evaluating the Effectiveness of Remote Undergraduate Research Experiences - Raymond J. Hess; O. A. Erickson; Rex D. Cole; J. M. Isaacs; S. Alvarez-Clare; J. Arnold; A. Agustus-Wallace; J. C. Ayoob; A. Berkowitz; J. Branchaw; K. R. Burgio; C. H. Cannon; et al. (Life Sciences Education, 2023)
In-person undergraduate research experiences (UREs) promote students’ integration into careers in life science research. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted institutions hosting summer URE programs to offer them remotely, raising questions about whether undergraduates who participate in remote research can experience scientific integration and whether they might perceive doing research less favorably (i.e., not beneficial or too costly). To address these questions, we examined indicators of scientific integration and perceptions of the benefits and costs of doing research among students who participated in remote life science URE programs in Summer 2020. We found that students experienced gains in scientific self-efficacy pre- to post-URE, similar to results reported for in-person UREs. We also found that students experienced gains in scientific identity, graduate and career intentions, and perceptions of the benefits of doing research only if they started their remote UREs at lowe

Breakfast of champions: Spatiotemporal variation in the quality of ant nests for bear consumers - R. Hunter (2023)
Black bears in the Colorado Rocky Mountains forage for western thatching ants as a food source. However, there is little knowledge about the nutritional benefit of ants for black bears, particularly with regard to changes in nutritional value during the ant life cycle. From late spring to mid-summer, thatching ants go through two separate stages of reproduction that greatly influence the composition of individual ant nests. In early summer, the ant colonies produce sexual ants, resulting in large-bodied immature (larvae and pupae) and adult ants (drones and queens) being present in the nest. During mid to late summer, ant colonies produce nonsexual ants, resulting in smaller immature and adult ants (workers). We conducted a study to measure how these nutritional values change from early to late summer, and how the varying phenology of different locations affects these values. We did this by simulating bear attacks on ant nests in two sites with differing phenology in early summer (June

Consequences of climate-induced range expansions on multiple ecosystem functions - J. A. Balik; H. S. Greig; B. W. Taylor; S. A. Wissinger (Communications Biology, 2023)
Climate-driven species range shifts and expansions are changing community composition, yet the functional consequences in natural systems are mostly unknown. By combining a 30-year survey of subalpine pond larval caddisfly assemblages with species-specific functional traits (nitrogen and phosphorus excretion, and detritus processing rates), we tested how three upslope range expansions affected species' relative contributions to caddisfly-driven nutrient supply and detritus processing. A subdominant resident species (Ag. deflata) consistently made large relative contributions to caddisfly-driven nitrogen supply throughout all range expansions, thus "regulating" the caddisfly-driven nitrogen supply. Whereas, phosphorus supply and detritus processing were regulated by the dominant resident species (L. externus) until the third range expansion (by N. hostilis). Since the third range expansion, N. hostilis's relative contribution to caddisfly-driven phosphorus supply increased, displacing L

Differential response of three large mammal species to human recreation in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA - M. R. Uetrecht; A. Bermudez; D. Novoa; J. Reithel; V. Rodriguez; R. J. Smith; Shannon Sprott; M. W. Tingley; Daniel T. Blumstein (Frontiers in Conservation Science, 2023)
Outdoor recreation benefits local economies, environmental education, and public health and wellbeing, but it can also adversely affect local ecosystems. Human presence in natural areas alters feeding and reproductive behaviors, physiology, and population structure in many wildlife species, often resulting in cascading effects through entire ecological communities. As outdoor recreation gains popularity, existing trails are becoming overcrowded and new trails are being built to accommodate increasing use. Many recreation impact studies have investigated effects of the presence or absence of humans while few have investigated recreation effects on wildlife using a gradient of disturbance intensity. We used camera traps to quantify trail use by humans and mid- to large-sized mammals in an area of intense outdoor recreation–the Upper East River Valley, Colorado, USA. We selected five trails with different types and intensities of human use and deployed six cameras on each trail for five w

Impact of Crosstalk on Reflectivity and Doppler Measurements for the WIVERN Polarization Diversity Doppler Radar - A. Rizik; A. Battaglia; F. Tridon; F. E. Scarsi; Anton Kötsche; Heike Kalesse-Los; Maximilian Maahn; A. Illingworth (IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 2023)
The WIVERN (Wind VElocity Radar Nephoscope) mission, one of the four ESA Earth Explorer 11 candidate missions, aims at globally observing, for the first time, simultaneously vertical profiles of reflectivities and line of sight winds in cloudy and precipitating regions. WIVERN adopts a dual-polarization Doppler radar in order to overcome the short decorrelation time between successive radar pulses transmitted from low Earth-orbiting satellites with finite beamwidth antennas. WIVERN transmits a single polarization state at a time (H or V), receives in both polarization states, and uses the Polarization Diversity Pulse Pair (PDPP) technique to estimate the Doppler velocity. The weaker cross-polar signals can sometimes interfere with the co-polar ones, causing ghost signals in the measurements that hinder the system’s overall performance. Additionally, with the envisaged radar trigger mode, parameters such as Linear Depolarization Ratio (LDR) and Differential Reflectivity (Z <sub xmlns:mm

Dispersal of the golden-mantled ground squirrel - N. Nguyen (2023)
Dispersal, the permanent movement of an animal away from its location of birth, is common in mammals and can have an important role in shaping demography, genetics, distribution, and social structure. Dispersal entails potential costs but also potential benefits, and the dispersal decision is thought to be conditional; the potential disperser assesses prospects for success at its current location and disperses to improve its fitness. However, the costs and benefits of dispersal, as well as factors influencing the dispersal decision, are not well known. We used trapping and observation to study dispersal in the Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis), a species for which dispersal is largely unknown. We characterized the dispersal process by evaluating dispersal timing and distance, assessed factors that might influence the dispersal decision, and analyzed the fitness cost of dispersal after settlement. We found that most dispersal occurred during the summer of birt

Do pollinator and plant diversity vary with microclimate heterogeneity? - E. Warmerdam (2023)
Montane landscapes are topographically complex and contain a biodiverse community of flora and pollinators. As with many other ecosystems, these subalpine and alpine landscapes are changing with the climate, altering the way these ecosystems regulate. As climates become warmer and drier, microclimates offer pockets of coolness that offset the changing seasons. Microclimates allow for snowpack to last longer in some areas and melt out quicker and others hedging the bets for the survival of plant species. Studying this will give us data as to how plants are adapting to climate change. In order to understand how plant-pollinator diversity is being impacted by the climate we did look at floral community composition and pollinator diversity variation between high and low heterogeneity plots. From this data we hope to see that diversity will increase with higher microclimates. In order to test this we will be sampling for pollinators across different transects as well as doing floral phenolo

The social microbiome: gut microbiome diversity and abundance are negatively associated with sociality in a wild mammal - M. Pfau; S. Degregori; G. C. Johnson; S. R. Tennenbaum; P. H. Barber; Conner S. Philson; Daniel T. Blumstein (Royal Society Open Science, 2023)
The gut microbiome has a well-documented relationship with host fitness. Greater microbial diversity and abundance of specific microbes have been associated with improved fitness outcomes. Intestinal microbes also may be associated with patterns of social behaviour. However, these associations have been largely studied in captive animal models; we know less about microbiome composition as a potential driver of individual social behaviour and position in the wild. We used linear mixed models to quantify the relationship between fecal microbial composition, diversity and social network traits in a wild population of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer). We focused our analyses on microbes previously linked to sociability and neurobehavioural alterations in captive rodents, primates and humans. Using 5 years of data, we found microbial diversity (Shannon-Wiener and Faith's phylogenetic diversity) has a modest yet statistically significant negative relationship with the numb

Single-Well Push–Pull Tracer Test Analyses to Determine Aquifer Reactive Transport Parameters at a Former Uranium Mill Site (Grand Junction, Colorado) - Raymond H. Johnson; Charles J. Paradis; Ronald D. Kent; Aaron D. Tigar; Paul W. Reimus (Minerals, 2023)
At a former uranium mill site where tailings have been removed, prior work has determined several potential ongoing secondary uranium sources. These include locations with uranium sorbed to organic carbon, uranium in the unsaturated zone, and uranium associated with the presence of gypsum. To better understand uranium mobility controls at the site, four single-well push–pull tests (with a drift phase) were completed with the goal of deriving aquifer flow and contaminant transport parameters for inclusion in a future sitewide reactive transport model. This goes beyond the traditional use of a constant sorption distribution coefficient (Kd) and allows for the evaluation of alternative remedial injection fluids, which can produce variable Kd values. Dispersion was first removed from the resulting data to determine possible reactions before conducting reactive transport simulations. These initial analyses indicated the potential need to include cation exchange, uranium sorption, and gypsum

A mammalian DNA methylation landscape - A. de Mendoza (Science, 2023)
A study of 348 species offers clues into the diversity of mammalian life spans

The causes and consequences of pollen defence - S. Rivest (2023)
Animal pollination represents one of the key innovations of the flowering plants, and constitutes

Biotic and abiotic drivers of plant-pollinator interaction rewiring - Kaysee Arrowsmith (2023)
Biotic and Abiotic Drivers of Plant-Pollinator Interaction Rewiring

Scientists’ warning on climate change and insects - J. Harvey; K. Tougeron; R. Gols; R. Heinen; M. Abarca; P. Abram; Y. Basset; M. Berg; G. R. De Snoo; C. Deacon; J. E. Dell; N. Desneux; et al. (Ecological Monographs, 2023)
Abstract Climate warming is considered to be among the most serious of anthropogenic stresses to the environment, because it not only has direct effects on biodiversity, but it also exacerbates the harmful effects of other human‐mediated threats. The associated consequences are potentially severe, particularly in terms of threats to species preservation, as well as in the preservation of an array of ecosystem services provided by biodiversity. Among the most affected groups of animals are insects—central components of many ecosystems—for which climate change has pervasive effects from individuals to communities. In this contribution to the scientists' warning series, we summarize the effect of the gradual global surface temperature increase on insects, in terms of physiology, behavior, phenology, distribution, and species interactions, as well as the effect of increased frequency and duration of extreme events such as hot and cold spells, fires, droughts, and floods on these parameters

Optimal reproductive strategy in yellow-bellied marmots: Unveiling the consequences of age at first reproduction on survival and lifetime reproductive success - C. A. Chabot (2023)
When to reproduce for the first time is a key question in evolutionary ecology.

Exploring the impact of climate change on soil carbon storage in montane meadows - E. Waldron (2023)
The excess of greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide in the atmosphere urgently calls for a deeper understanding of existing natural mechanisms for carbon sequestration. Montane meadows act as a critical natural carbon sink, often having the capacity to store much more carbon in their soils than surrounding ecosystems. However, many factors associated with climate change can impact soil carbon storage processes, converting carbon sinks to carbon sources. This can be especially problematic in montane meadows because of their relatively high soil carbon content. This study uses experimental treatments to ask how soil carbon storage may be impacted by three factors associated with climate change: warming, shifts in plant community composition, and early snowmelt. I investigated these questions by measuring soil organic carbon (SOC), and by taking soil temperature and moisture data to understand the mediating influence of these factors on soil carbon storage. I found that although none of t

The timing of reproduction is responding plastically, not genetically, to climate change in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) - S. St. Lawrence; Daniel T. Blumstein; J. G. A. Martin (Ecology and Evolution, 2023)
With global climates changing rapidly, animals must adapt to new environmental conditions with altered weather and phenology. The key to adapting to these new conditions is adjusting the timing of reproduction to maximize fitness. Using a long-term dataset on a wild population of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), we investigated how the timing of reproduction changed with changing spring conditions over the past 50 years. Marmots are hibernators with a 4-month active season. It is thus crucial to reproduce early enough in the season to have time to prepare for hibernation, but not too early, as snow cover prevents access to food. Importantly, climate change in this area has, on average, increased spring temperatures by 5°C and decreased spring snowpack by 50 cm over the past 50 years. We evaluated how female marmots adjust the timing of their reproduction in response to changing conditions and estimated the importanc

DNA methylation networks underlying mammalian traits - Amin Haghani; C. Z. Li; T. R. Robeck; J. Zhang; A. T. Lu; J. Ablaeva; V. A. Acosta-Rodriguez; D. M. Adams; A. N. Alagaili; J. Almunia; A. Aloysius; N. M. S. Amor; et al. (Science, 2023)
Using DNA methylation profiles (n = 15,456) from 348 mammalian species, we constructed phyloepigenetic trees that bear marked similarities to traditional phylogenetic ones. Using unsupervised clustering across all samples, we identified 55 distinct cytosine modules, of which 30 are related to traits such as maximum life span, adult weight, age, sex, and human mortality risk. Maximum life span is associated with methylation levels in HOXL subclass homeobox genes and developmental processes and is potentially regulated by pluripotency transcription factors. The methylation state of some modules responds to perturbations such as caloric restriction, ablation of growth hormone receptors, consumption of high-fat diets, and expression of Yamanaka factors. This study reveals an intertwined evolution of the genome and epigenome that mediates the biological characteristics and traits of different mammalian species.

Mineral and metabolic constraints on carbon cycling within and export from mountainous floodplain soils - C. Anderson (2023)
MINERAL AND METABOLIC CONSTRAINTS ON CARBON CYCLING WITHIN AND EXPORT FROM MOUNTAINOUS FLOODPLAIN SOILS SEPTEMBER 2023 CAM G. ANDERSON, B.A., UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND B.S., UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA M.S., UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS Ph.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Marco Keiluweit

Extensive regional variation in the phenology of insects and their response to temperature across North America - P. O. Dunn; I. Ahmed; E. Armstrong; N. Barlow; M. A. Bernard; M. Belisle; T. J. Benson; L. L. Berzins; C. K. Boynton; T. A. Brown; M. Cody; K. Cameron; et al. (Ecology, 2023)
Climate change models often assume similar responses to temperatures across the range of a species, but local adaptation or phenotypic plasticity can lead plants and animals to respond differently to temperature in different parts of their range. To date, there have been few tests of this assumption at the scale of continents, so it is unclear if this is a large-scale problem. Here, we examined the assumption that insect taxa show similar responses to temperature at 96 sites in grassy habitats across North America. We sampled insects with Malaise traps during 2019-2021 (N = 1041 samples) and examined the biomass of insects in relation to temperature and time of season. Our samples mostly contained Diptera (33%), Lepidoptera (19%), Hymenoptera (18%), and Coleoptera (10%). We found strong regional differences in the phenology of insects and their response to temperature, even within the same taxonomic group, habitat type, and time of season. For example, the biomass of nematoceran flies

Plasticity in Ipomopsis flower color and nectar production over space and time in response to water availability - K. Lam (2023)
Climate change is altering water availability in subalpine ecosystems. Shifts in snowmelt timing and summer monsoonal precipitation, which alter soil moisture, have the capacity to elicit plastic responses in plants. Plasticity in floral traits such as nectar production and flower color can impact pollen transfer and thus fitness in Ipomopsis aggregata, since these traits have been shown to play an important role in facilitating pollinator visitation. Understanding how these traits vary spatially and temporally in response to changes in water availability will better inform how I. aggregata will persist and be distributed in the future. Two studies were conducted to assess variation in nectar production and flower color: a long-term study analyzed temporal variation and a short-term study assessed spatial variation within populations. Snowmelt date and total summer precipitation were used as a proxy for water availability in the long-term study, and soil moisture was used in the short

Universal DNA methylation age across mammalian tissues - A. T. Lu; Z. Fei; Amin Haghani; T. R. Robeck; J. Zoller; C. Z. Li; R. Lowe; Qina Yan; J. Zhang; H. Vu; J. Ablaeva; V. A. Acosta-Rodriguez; et al. (Nature Aging, 2023)
Aging, often considered a result of random cellular damage, can be accurately estimated using DNA methylation profiles, the foundation of pan-tissue epigenetic clocks. Here, we demonstrate the development of universal pan-mammalian clocks, using 11,754 methylation arrays from our Mammalian Methylation Consortium, which encompass 59 tissue types across 185 mammalian species. These predictive models estimate mammalian tissue age with high accuracy (r > 0.96). Age deviations correlate with human mortality risk, mouse somatotropic axis mutations and caloric restriction. We identified specific cytosines with methylation levels that change with age across numerous species. These sites, highly enriched in polycomb repressive complex 2-binding locations, are near genes implicated in mammalian development, cancer, obesity and longevity. Our findings offer new evidence suggesting that aging is evolutionarily conserved and intertwined with developmental processes across all mammals.

Tracking changes in montane butterfly populations through the lens of climate change - N. Shive (2023)

Reactive iron, not fungal community, drives organic carbon oxidation potential in floodplain soils - H. R. Naughton; Bradley Tolar; Christian Dewey; Marco Keiluweit; P. Nico; Scott Fendorf (Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2023)
Wetlands host ∼20% of terrestrial organic carbon and serve as a major sink for atmospheric carbon. Anoxic soils and sediments accrue soil organic carbon (SOC) partly by hampering the activity of extracellular oxidative enzymes that break down phenolic polymers. Upon aeration, fungal-driven oxidative enzymatic depolymerization and microbial respiration of released monomers ensue. Redox-active metals can simultaneously catalyze abiotic nonspecific oxidation of SOC, notable examples including Mn(III) or Fe(II) through Fenton-like, hydrogen peroxide-catalyzed oxidative radical production. However, the extent of reactive metal contributions to biotic and abiotic SOC degradation is not understood in the context of natural environments with diverse redox chemistry. We tested the relative contributions of fungi, Mn(III) and Fe(II) to phenolic substrate (L-DOPA) oxidation in floodplain soils representing a range of transient redox conditions driven by permanent vs. periodic flooding. Phenol oxi

Skewness in bee and flower phenological distributions - M. Stemkovski; R. Dickson; Sean R. Griffin; David W. Inouye; David W. Inouye; Pardee G.; N. Underwood; R. E. Irwin (Ecology, 2023)
Phenological distributions are characterized by their central tendency, breadth, and shape, and all three determine the extent to which interacting species overlap in time. Pollination mutualisms rely on temporal co-occurrence of pollinators and their floral resources, and although much work has been done to characterize the shapes of flower phenological distributions, similar studies that include pollinators are lacking. Here, we provide the first broad assessment of skewness, a component of distribution shape, for a bee community. We compare skewness in bees to that in flowers, relate bee and flower skewness to other properties of their phenology, and quantify the potential consequences of differences in skewness between bees and flowers. Both bee and flower phenologies tend to be right-skewed, with a more exaggerated asymmetry in bees. Early-season species tend to be the most skewed, and this relationship is also stronger in bees than in flowers. Based on a simulation experiment, di

Determining pollinator behavior differences bumblebees and flies. - B. Chau (2023)
Pollinator behavior is integral to understanding community network interactions. These interactions can serve as a proxy for community health. This study aims to compare the behavior between bumblebee pollinators and fly pollinators. This will take place around the area of Gothic, CO, at an elevation of 2900m. Bumblebees and flies are both common pollinators in the region, and studying their behavior would give us insight into how these species interact within a community.

Biofluorescence in Polymorphic Tiger Salamanders ( Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum) - T. Neufell (2023)
Animal communication is vital to nearly every species. Serving multiple functions and being conveyed throughout a variety of modes, communication allows animals to make decisions based on information other animals provide. Numerous examples of this can be found across the animal kingdom, with biofluorescence being a newly investigated form of visual communication. Biofluorescence is the absorption and remission of light by a living organism that generates a fluorescent hue of various colors. Heavily studied in marine species, little is known about the mechanism and function of biofluorescence in tetrapods. Recently, biofluorescent sexual dimorphism was discovered in a species of salamander which prompts the question if their fluorescent response could be used as a form of reproductive visual communication. I explored this topic through the study of biofluorescence in Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum, a polymorphic salamander subspecies that is capable of successfully interbreeding between

Constraining Bedrock Groundwater Residence Times in a Mountain System With Environmental Tracer Observations and Bayesian Uncertainty Quantification - Nicholas Thiros; Erica R. Siirila-Woodburn; P. James Dennedy-Frank; K. H. Williams; William Payton Gardner (Water Resources Research, 2023)
Abstract Groundwater residence time distributions provide fundamental insights on the hydrological processes within watersheds. Yet, observations that can constrain groundwater residence times over broad timescales remain scarce in mountain catchment studies. We use environmental tracers (CFC‐12, SF 6 , 3 H, and 4 He) to investigate groundwater residence times along a hillslope in the East River Watershed, Colorado, USA. We develop a Bayesian inference framework that applies a Markov‐chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach to estimate noble gas recharge temperature, elevation, and excess‐air parameters and the resulting environmental tracer concentrations. MCMC is then used to propagate the environmental tracer uncertainties to estimates of groundwater mean residence times inferred with lumped parameter models. All samples contain 3 H, CFC‐12, and SF 6 in addition to terrigenic 4 He, suggesting a mixture of water characterized by modern and premodern residence times. 4 He exponential mean re

Characterization of thermal tolerance in sub-alpine bumblebee species - H. Burke (2023)
Temperature is one of the limiting factors of life, and it influences an organism’s growth, sexual reproduction, sexual determination, distribution, and metabolism. the interaction between temperature and organisms therefore an essential component of their ecology. Temperature impacts organisms in different ways, and some organisms, such as bumblebees, may be especially sensitive to temperature shifts. With the likelihood of climate change causing a gradually warmer world, it is vital to understand how bumblebees will respond. Phenology plays a large role in how an animal interacts with temperature, and I seek to evaluate if and how emergence timing influences thermal tolerance in sub-alpine bumblebee species. Critical thermal minimum (CTmin) and critical thermal maximum (CTmax) measurements were taken for five common species of sub-alpine bumblebees in the field over the course of the summer using laboratory-verified devices. We found that there was considerable difference between spe

Late Pleistocene Herpetofauna from Two High-Elevation Caves in the Upper Gunnison Basin, Colorado - Jim I. Mead; Steven D. Emslie; David J. Meltzer (Western North American Naturalist, 2023)
Las cuevas Cement Creek y Haystack en Colorado han producido un diverso registro de mamíferos de gran altitud del Cuaternario tardío. Entre los abundantes restos de mamíferos, se registraron raros casos de anfibios y reptiles, los cuales reportamos a continuación. En la cueva Cement Creek (2860 m de elevación) se encontraron solo unos pocos anuros y un número limitado de serpientes. Mientras que, en la cueva Haystack, a una elevación sustancialmente más baja (2450 m de elevación), se encontraron una salamandra, una mayor cantidad de serpientes y una gran cantidad de restos de lagartos, pero no anuros. Las dos faunas son distintas en su composición en general y, aunque no son diversas ni abundantes en términos de especies o número de restos de fauna, proporcionan un registro único y excepcional de una herpetofauna de alta elevación del Pleistoceno tardío del oeste intermontañoso.

Take only pictures, leave only... Cameras influence marmot vigilance but not perceptions of risk - K. Uchida; A. Burkle; Daniel T. Blumstein (Journal of Zoology, 2023)
Abstract Ecotourism provides an opportunity to experience nature that may promote its conservation. Ecotourists photograph wildlife, and photography plays an important role in focusing public's attention on nature. Although photography is believed to be a low‐impact activity, how the visual stimulus of cameras influences wildlife remains unknown. Since animals are known to fear eyes pointed towards them because of similarity to predator eyes, we predicted that cameras with zoom lens would increase vigilance. Using yellow‐bellied marmots ( Marmota flaviventer ) and adopting a behavioural approach to identify marmots' response to photography, we experimentally quantified proportion of time allocated to vigilance during foraging and flight initiation distance (FID, the distance at which a marmot started to flee from an approaching human) towards humans with and without a camera. We focused on time allocated to vigilance measured in three ways: the proportion of time when marmots moved the

Early Snowmelt’s Effects on Floral Traits and Rewards of Two Subalpine Plant Species - C. Searles (2023)
The date of spring snowmelt is advancing in numerous alpine and subalpine ecosystems due to both rising temperatures and reduced snowpack associated with climate change. Snowmelt is a critical source of water for plants in subalpine ecosystems, so changes in snowmelt timing can affect many important traits in subalpine plants. In particular, both floral traits and rewards of subalpine plants can be altered by early snowmelt. While several field studies have examined the effects of snowmelt timing on floral traits and rewards, it is vital to consider numerous species responses since there is high variability in responses to early snowmelt. Examining species that bloom at different points in the season is especially important since they may respond differently to snowmelt timing. This study focuses on two closely related species in the Delphinium genus that have similar floral morphologies but bloom at different points in the season. We used an experimental manipulation of snowmelt timin

Effects of a caddisfly range shift on competition and facilitation in high elevation ponds - A. Ardito (2023)
As temperatures warm, the climate crisis is having a significant influence on species all across the world and altering their distributions. Colorado's high elevation ponds have recently observed a species range shift, traveling to higher altitudes than they have previously inhabited. The Mexican Cut Nature Preserve near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, CO, is home to a prominent caddisfly Limnephilus externus, but recently a new range-shifting species, Nemotaulius hostilis, has appeared. Caddisflies play an essential role in nutrient cycling and putting energy back into the food web. The range-shifting species is known to excrete high rates of phosphorus (P), and could potentially facilitate the growth of a nutrient dense food source for the resident species. However, the range-shifting species and the resident species have differing life histories and emergence patterns that could increase interspecific competition between the two caddisfly populations. This study

Looking through leftovers: an analysis of bee bowl bycatch - E. Brandon (2023)
In this lab I analyzed the species composition of arthropods in bee bowl bycatch. The results of an analysis of these different communities show a significant difference in the compositional Orders of arthropods found in both the bowl colors and among the different sites along an elevational gradient. Examining the community composition of arthropods caught as bycatch in bee bowl traps provides an opportunity to collect and analyze data that is useful for asking new questions regarding community composition at different study sites, local interactions among biotic and abiotic factors, seasonal changes in community composition, and for long term studies in the effects of climate change on arthropod communities. To answer these questions more studies like this should be done to examine arthropod communities.

Agricultural Water Footprints and Productivity in the Colorado River Basin - George B. Frisvold; Dari Duval (Hydrology, 2023)
The Colorado River provides water to 40 million people in the U.S. Southwest, with river basin spanning 250,000 square miles (647,497 km2). Quantitative water rights assigned to U.S. states, Mexico, and tribes in the Colorado Basin exceed annual streamflows. Climate change is expected to limit streamflows further. To balance water demands with supplies, unprecedented water-use cutbacks have been proposed, primarily for agriculture, which consumes more than 60% of the Basin’s water. This study develops county-level, Basin-wide measures of agricultural economic water productivity, water footprints, and irrigation cash rent premiums, to inform conservation programs and compensation schemes. These measures identify areas where conservation costs in terms of foregone crop production or farm income are high or low. Crop sales averaged USD 814 per acre foot (AF) (USD 0.66/m3) of water consumed in the Lower Basin and 131 USD/AF (USD 0.11/m3) in the Upper Basin. Crop sales minus crop-specific i

Individual life histories: neither slow nor fast, just diverse - J. Van de Walle; Rémi Fay; Gaillard J-M; Fanie Pelletier; Sandra Hamel; Marlène Gamelon; Christophe Barbraud; F. Guillaume Blanchet; Daniel T. Blumstein; Anne Charmantier; Karine Delord; Benjamin Larue; et al. (Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2023)
The slow-fast continuum is a commonly used framework to describe variation in life-history strategies across species. Individual life histories have also been assumed to follow a similar pattern, especially in the pace-of-life syndrome literature. However, whether a slow-fast continuum commonly explains life-history variation among individuals within a population remains unclear. Here, we formally tested for the presence of a slow-fast continuum of life histories both within populations and across species using detailed long-term individual-based demographic data for 17 bird and mammal species with markedly different life histories. We estimated adult lifespan, age at first reproduction, annual breeding frequency, and annual fecundity, and identified the main axes of life-history variation using principal component analyses. Across species, we retrieved the slow-fast continuum as the main axis of life-history variation. However, within populations, the patterns of individual life-histo

Long-term declines in insect abundance and biomass in a subalpine habitat - R. M. Dalton; N. Underwood; David W. Inouye; M. E. Soule; David W. Inouye (Ecosphere, 2023)
Abstract Recent reports of insect declines have caused concern among scientists and the public. Declines in insect abundance and biomass are ubiquitous across many climatic zones and have been largely attributed to anthropogenic land use intensification and climate change. However, there are few examples of long‐term continuous data in relatively undisturbed environments, as opposed to agricultural landscapes. We sampled insects weekly from 1986 to 2020 in a protected subalpine meadow in Colorado, which is embedded in an undisturbed natural landscape. During the study period, summers became warmer, while winters became drier. Insect biomass declined by ∼47% and abundance declined by ∼61.5% over the last 35 years. Insect declines occurred in concert with changes in climate, as some climate factors were correlated with insect abundance and biomass. Specifically, insect abundance was lower during years with less summer precipitation and winter snowfall, and to a lesser degree with warmer

Are juvenile female golden mantle ground squirrels dispersing from their natal burrow due to high-stress levels? - K. Carrera (2023)
Many mammals disperse from the area they were born in. Dispersal is done to avoid inbreeding, resources, and mate competition. Dispersal in mammals tends to be male-biased as juvenile males are the ones that often leave their natal burrow, and females do not. The cost of dispersal is expensive as mammals would need to fight for new territory and compete for resources. Females, on the other hand, either stay in their natal burrows or disperse. Females are either kicked out by their mothers or dispersed voluntarily. Many factors contribute to female juvenile dispersal. For instance, avoiding kin competition, resource, and inbreeding. There is also the physiology associated with dispersal in juveniles. Glucocorticoids help regulate energy balances in animals. And cortisol, a stress hormone that could determine if a female juvenile will disperse away from stressful conditions. Stress could also be associated with weight gain as bigger juvenile females tend to disperse while smaller females

Season Of The Chanterelles And Other Stories - Kirsten Ferguson (2023)
This collection of short literary fiction springs loosely from a contemplation of the enduring influence of Washington Irving’s Gothic in the Hudson Valley. The first story, “Life Is Good,” centers on a fictionalized account of a morbidly obese bear named Allen and a resilient child, Henny, who forms an unlikely bond with the captive animal, reflecting on themes of nature, independence, and abandonment. The second story, “Recipes for Radicals,” delves into the COVID-19 pandemic with a diary-like structure and an underlying theme of confronting moral injustices and the complexities of justice and revenge. In “The Wild Thing,” the protagonist, Meredith, navigates the contradictions of her feelings in working for a morally bereft socialite, and her ultimate decision to choose integrity over loyalty. The final two stories, “A Very Special Murder” and “Season of the Chanterelles,” explore the danger and diversity of nature, including ominous aspects of the natural world that surpass human a

Effects of Microclimate Variation on Diversity of Plants and Pollinators - I. Larson (2023)
High alpine ecosystems have heterogeneous topography that provides microclimatic niches for species to inhibit. Due to climate change, alpine ecosystems are experiencing shifts in snowpack amount, snowmelt timing, and growing season lengths resulting in phenological and abundance responses within ecosystems. Although previous studies have focused on various microclimatic effects on plant communities, there is less known about the effect of snowmelt timing on floral abundance and pollinator diversity. This study investigates the effects of microclimate variation on diversity of plants and pollinators. We performed plant phenology and pollinator surveys along two established 50 meter transects at our Judd Falls and Snodgrass sites. Each transect was divided into 2 meter by 2 meter plots, which were observed twice a day for plant and pollinator interactions for a duration of 2 minutes. We found that although plant richness was higher on high microclimate heterogeneity transects, observed

In your stomach or in your nectar? Disentangling the effects of two pollination-related yeasts on bumblebee behavior and foraging - N. Dabagia (2023)
The study of plant-insect interactions and pollination has just begun to scratch the surface of the microbes that inhabit many of the surfaces involved in these interactions. While most microbial studies have focused on the roles of obligate nectar yeasts in mediating pollinator behavior and fitness outcomes in plants, there are entire communities of nectar and pollinator microbes that have been overlooked. Their involvement in these areas is no less important than that of nectar yeasts, but their roles are harder to investigate and quantify. Here, we investigated one such microbe: the bumblebee specialist, Starmerella bombi, which primarily lives in the nests and stomachs of bumblebees but can be dispersed to other bee nests via nectar. By inoculating the species-specific nectar analogue of Corydalis caseana ssp. brandegeei near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory with S.bombi, we tested whether Bombus appositus foragers preferred S. bombi inoculated flowers over sterile control

Extending the social cohesion hypothesis: Is group cohesion associated with dispersal? - S. Schneidman (2023)
Dispersal is an important decision for an individual to make which may influence individual fitness as well as population viability. Prior work has shown that dispersal decisions can be influenced by an individual’s position in their social network (the social cohesion hypothesis), but the dispersal consequences of group social structure have not been explored. We quantified the affiliative and agonistic social network structure of female yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), a facultatively social ground-dwelling squirrel, where about half of all females disperse, and using mixed-effects models, asked whether group structure was associated with dispersal. We found no support for the hypothesis that affiliative group structure explained any variation in a marmot’s decision to disperse but marmots in groups with less agonistic centralization were less likely to disperse. The former finding may result from cognitive limitations on social knowledge while the later finding might re

Antibody development to identify components of IIS and mTOR signaling pathways in lepidopteran species, a set of non-model insects - Augustus Armstrong; C. L. Boggs (microPublication Biology, 2023)
Nutritional stress impacts many insect species that have differing reproductive strategies and life histories, yet it is unclear how nutrient-sensing signaling pathways mediate tissue-specific responses to changes in dietary input. In Drosophila melanogaster, insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IIS) and mTOR-mediated signaling within adipocytes regulates oogenesis. To facilitate comparative study of nutrient-sensing pathway activity in the fat body, we developed antibodies to assess IIS (anti-FOXO) and mTOR signaling (anti-TOR) across three µP microPublication Biology Submit a microPublication nymphalid species (Lepidoptera). By optimizing whole-mount fat body immunostaining, we find FOXO nuclear enrichment in adult adipocytes, like that observed in Drosophila. Additionally, we show a previously uncharacterized TOR localization pattern in the fat body. µP microPublication Biology Submit a microPublication

The Surface Atmosphere Integrated Field Laboratory (SAIL) Campaign - Daniel Feldman; Allison Aiken; W. R. Boos; R. W. H. Carroll; V. Chandrasekar; Scott Collis; J. M. Creamean; Gijs de Boer; Jeffrey Deems; P. J. DeMott; J. Fan; Alejandro Flores; et al. (Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 2023)
Abstract The science of mountainous hydrology spans the atmosphere through the bedrock and inherently crosses physical and disciplinary boundaries: land–atmosphere interactions in complex terrain enhance clouds and precipitation, while watersheds retain and release water over a large range of spatial and temporal scales. Limited observations in complex terrain challenge efforts to improve predictive models of the hydrology in the face of rapid changes. The Upper Colorado River exemplifies these challenges, especially with ongoing mismatches between precipitation, snowpack, and discharge. Consequently, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility has deployed an observatory to the East River Watershed near Crested Butte, Colorado, between September 2021 and June 2023 to measure the main atmospheric drivers of water resources, including precipitation, clouds, winds, aerosols, radiation, temperature, and humidity. This effort, called the Surf

Climate data from the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (1975–2022) - R. M. Prather; N. Underwood; R. M. Dalton; barr b; B. D. Inouye (Ecology, 2023)
The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL; Colorado, USA) is the site for many research projects spanning decades, taxa, and research fields from ecology to evolutionary biology to hydrology and beyond. Climate is the focus of much of this work and provides important context for the rest. There are five major sources of data on climate in the RMBL vicinity, each with unique variables, formats, and temporal coverage. These data sources include (1) RMBL resident billy barr, (2) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), (3) the United States Geological Survey (USGS), (4) the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and (5) Oregon State University's PRISM Climate Group. Both the NOAA and the USGS have automated meteorological stations in Crested Butte, CO, \ 10 km from the RMBL, while the USDA has an automated meteorological station on Snodgrass Mountain, \ 2.5 km from the RMBL. Each of these data sets has unique spatial and temporal coverage and formats. Despit

How beaver pond age affects aquatic invertebrates - J. Rivera (2023)
Beavers are ecological engineers, benefitting the aquatic ecosystems with their dams and ponds. The beaver ponds change over time; beaver ponds of different ages will have different characteristics. These differences will influence what types of aquatic invertebrates will inhabit these ponds. Understanding these different successional stages will help us understand more about the beavers’ role in the ecosystem. We surveyed three newer beaver ponds and four older beaver ponds to assess the aquatic invertebrate community composition and taxa richness. The newer beaver ponds had an average of 18 taxa, whereas the older beaver ponds had an average of 28.25 taxa. The community composition between newer and older ponds was significantly different, due to some species that were unique or abundant for each pond age group. The habitat in the newer ponds is a type of middle ground between wetland and stream habitat. This could mean that few wetland and stream invertebrates can colonize there. Th

Leveraging groundwater dynamics to improve predictions of summer low-flow discharges - K. Johnson; A. Harpold; R. W. H. Carroll; H. R. Barnard; Mark S. Raleigh; Langlang Li; K. H. Williams; Wenming Dong; P. Sullivan (Water Resources Research, 2023)
Abstract Summer streamflow predictions are critical for managing water resources; however, warming‐induced shifts from snow to rain regimes impact low‐flow predictive models. Additionally, reductions in snowpack drive earlier peak flows and lower summer flows across the western United States increasing reliance on groundwater for maintaining summer streamflow. However, it remains poorly understood how groundwater contributions vary interannually. We quantify recession limb groundwater (RLGW), defined as the proportional groundwater contribution to the stream during the period between peak stream flow and low flow, to predict summer low flows across three diverse western US watersheds. We ask (a) how do snow and rain dynamics influence interannual variations of RLGW contributions and summer low flows?; (b) which watershed attributes impact the effectiveness of RLGW as a predictor of summer low flows? Linear models reveal that RLGW is a strong predictor of low flows across all sites and

Silviculture - Kristen M. Waring; Ethan Bucholz (2023)
Abstract Silviculture is the art and science of managing forest stands to meet landowner goals and objectives; traditional examples of goals and objectives include managing for timber production, improved wildlife habitat, fuels reduction, and maintenance or improvement of forest health.

Application of pressure balancing techniques at the West Elk coal mine - Charles Kocsis; F. Calizaya; J. C. Johnson; Tulio Dias; Natanna Nunes; Elizabeth A. Lindgren; Garren Atchley; John Poulos (2023)
Spontaneous combustion is a serious safety hazard in underground coal mines, particularly in mined-out areas (e.g., gob). It is estimated to be the cause of more than 20% of coal mine fires. Pressure balancing is a ventilation technique that can be used to reduce or eliminate the ingress of oxygen to the mine gob (in-gassing), thus reducing the risk of spontaneous combustion. At the same time, pressure balancing can also be used to reduce the risk of methane seeping into the mine ventilation circuits from the gob (out-gassing), due to barometric pressure changes on the surface. Two pressure balancing chambers have been constructed at the West Elk Mine, Colorado, operated by the Mountain Coal Company (MCC): one in a mined-out area, and another close to the active area, near a longwall mine gob. Each chamber is equipped with an isolation stopping, safety doors, a nitrogen injection system, and a set of pressure and environmental monitoring sensors. Several pressure balancing tests for di

Daily roadkill monitoring and long-term population census reveal female-biased mortality for a small mammal along a wildland-urban interface - K. Burgstahler; J. Isidro; D. H. Van Vuren; A. C. Collins; J. R. Aliperti; Caitlin P. Wells (Biological Conservation, 2023)

Perception of experiential value in luxury hotel settings: The case of experiential programming and impact on consumers - Matthew Miller (2023)
A luxury shift has occurred and been reflected in the way consumers now define luxury.

Sage-Grouse - Jeffrey L. Beck; Thomas J. Christiansen; Kirk W. Davies; Jonathan B. Dinkins; Adrian P. Monroe; David E. Naugle; Michael A. Schroeder (2023)
Abstract In this chapter, we summarize the ecology and conservation issues affecting greater ( Centrocercus urophasianus ) and Gunnison ( C . minimus ) sage-grouse, iconic and obligate species of rangelands in the sagebrush ( Artemisia spp.) biome in western North America. Greater sage-grouse are noted for their ability to migrate, whereas Gunnison sage-grouse localize near leks year-round. Seasonal habitats include breeding habitat where males display at communal leks, nesting habitat composed of dense sagebrush and herbaceous plants to conceal nests, mesic summer habitats where broods are reared, and winter habitat, characterized by access to sagebrush for cover and forage. While two-thirds of sage-grouse habitat occurs on public lands, private land conservation is the focus of national groups including the USDA-NRCS Sage-Grouse Initiative. Sage-grouse are a species of great conservation concern due to population declines associated with loss and fragmentation of more than half of th

Agonistic and affiliative social relationships are associated with marmot docility but not boldness - D. M. Williams; S. Beckert; J. G. A. Martin; Daniel T. Blumstein (Animal Behaviour, 2023)
All animals must face predation risks at some points in their lives and individuals may vary in how much risk they are willing to accept. While it is well recognized that sociality is a way to manage risks, and social group size effects are well studied, the specific ways in which different types of social relationships influence individual risk response, such as number of interaction partners or the centrality of an individual's position in their group, are not well understood. We examined how yellow-bellied marmots, Marmota flaviventer, affiliative and agonistic social networks are associated with two repeatable measures of risk-related behaviour: boldness/risk taking, quantified from flight initiation distance to a simulated predator approach, and docility/risk aversion, quantified from response to human trapping and handling. We found that docile individuals were less socially integrated and that certain agonistic, but not affiliative, social network measures that quantified their

Simultaneous niche expansion and contraction in plant–pollinator networks under drought - C. N. Morozumi; X. Loy; V. A. Reynolds; A. Schiffer; B. Morrison; J. Savage; B. J. Brosi (Oikos, 2022)
Global climate change threatens to substantially rearrange species interactions, yet we lack clear predictions on how these changes will cascade through communities. Many perturbations associated with climate change, such as droughts, will change resource levels, with consequences for species interactions and thus ecological network structure. Diet theory predicts foraging niche expansion when preferred resources are scarce, yet under severe resource reduction interspecific competition could alternatively increase niche partitioning. Such niche expansion and/or contraction could profoundly shape ecological network structure following perturbations, but whether these predictions hold at the community level is unclear. We studied the impacts of drought on plant–pollinator networks in long‐lived perennial plant communities in which drought affects flower and floral reward production. We assessed whether drought effects on available floral resources altered pollinator dietary niche breadth

Environmental and Genetic Effects of Elevation on Plant Defense - M. Sherwood (2022)
Plant communities are shaped by their interactions with biotic and abiotic factors in their environment, including herbivores. In response to pressures from herbivores, plants develop a variety of physical and chemical defenses to protect themselves. The investment that plants make in these defenses varies with the environment. Using fully reciprocal turf transplants at three different elevations and a variety of focal plant species, we tested patterns of plant defense against herbivory along elevational gradients and examined whether any intra-specific variation in plant defense is due to genetic variation among populations and/or are changed by the environment of the plant. After collecting leaves in the field and conducting grasshopper feeding bioassays, our experiment did not find any significant effect of treatments in either the environmental or the genetic tests. This result contradicts previous work done at RMBL and in other study systems. One possible explanation for this is t

Three-Dimensional Surface Downwelling Longwave Radiation Clear-Sky Effects in the Upper Colorado River Basin - Daniel Feldman; M. Worden; Nicola Falco; P. James Dennedy-Frank; Jiancong Chen; Baptiste Dafflon; Haruko M. Wainwright (Geophysical Research Letters, 2022)
Abstract In complex terrain, non‐parallel surfaces receive emitted radiation from adjacent surfaces. Qualitatively, where surface skin temperatures and lower tropospheric temperature and humidity are not uniform, the downwelling longwave radiation (DLR) will be determined not just by radiation from the atmosphere above a given location, but also by adjacent surface temperatures. We quantify this three‐dimensional longwave radiative effect over the Upper Colorado River Basin in clear‐sky conditions by calculating surface DLR with observed land‐surface temperatures from ECOSTRESS. We find that this effect is due to terrain‐subtended sky‐view and represents ∼22% of the surface longwave flux, rising to ∼28% and ∼24% in the East and Southeast of the Basin, respectively, and can be >50% in extreme cases. The common omission of this effect in atmospheric radiation models leads to an underestimation of DLR in complex terrain, especially at higher elevations, which has significant implicatio

Advancements in Measuring and Modeling the Mechanical and Hydrological Properties of Snow and Firn: Multi-sensor Analysis, Integration, and Algorithm Development - Tate G. Meehan (2022)
Estimating snow mechanical properties – such as elastic modulus, stiffness, and strength – is important for understanding how effectively a vehicle can travel over snow-covered terrain. Vehicle instrumentation data and observations of the snowpack are valuable for improving the estimates of winter vehicle performance. Combining in-situ and remotely-sensed snow observations, driver input, and vehicle performance sensors requires several techniques of data integration. I explored correlations between measurements spanning from millimeter to meter scales, beginning with the SnowMicroPenetrometer (SMP) and instruments applied to snow that were designed for measuring the load bearing capacity and the compressive and shear strengths of roads and soils. The spatial distribution of snow’s mechanical properties is still largely unknown. From this initial work, I determined that snow density remains a useful proxy for snowpack strength. To measure snow density, I applied multi-sensor electromagn

(Socio-)ecological tools and insights for a changing climate - Zachary James Miller (2022)
In one way or another, climate change is impacting all social, economic, and ecological systems on the planet. Scientists worldwide warn of catastrophic and irreversible damage to social and ecological systems in absence of rapid, far-reaching, and unprecedented shifts in energy and land use. Yet, many social systems continue to operate business-as-usual, and decision-making across multiple levels of social organization continues to neglect the use of scientific evidence to minimize long-term risk. Contemporary biodiversity losses are occurring on scales that surpass the major extinction events in geological records, threatening the loss of critical ecosystem services, such as pollination, that underpin myriad facets of human societies as well as ecosystem resilience. In my dissertation, I call into question conventional lethal sampling approaches for bumble bees, an economically and ecologically important pollinator group, and simultaneously advance non-lethal techniques. Additionally

Efficacy and Uses of PIT Tag Telemetry in Salamanders From the Western USA: , Aneides vagrans , Ensatina eschscholtzii , and Ambystoma mavortium - C. E. Brown; J. Campbell-Spickler; S. B. Marks; J. O. Reiss; H. H. Whiteman (Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 2022)

Survival rates of translocated Gunnison sage‐grouse - Anthony D. Apa; James H. Gammonley; Daniel J. Neubaum; Evan Phillips; Jonathan P. Runge; Nathan Seward; Scott Wait; Brad Weinmeister (Wildlife Society Bulletin, 2022)
Abstract Translocations have been used as a management tool for the federally threatened Gunnison sage‐grouse ( Centrocercus minimus ) but have not been rigorously evaluated. We estimated survival of translocated Gunnison sage‐grouse during the first year following release. Survival rates differed among satellite population where grouse were released, and survival was lower during the first 75 days following release than during the remainder of the first year. Age and sex of translocated grouse also influenced survival, but the timing of translocation (spring or fall) was less influential. Survival estimates of translocated Gunnison sage‐grouse were comparable to available estimates for resident Gunnison and greater sage‐grouse ( C. urophasianus ), suggesting that translocations may be an effective management tool for maintaining isolated populations. However, annual m

Earlier snow melt and reduced summer precipitation alter floral traits important to pollination - J. M. Powers; H. M. Briggs; R. Dickson; Li Xinyu; Diane R. Campbell (Global Change Biology, 2022)

Beaver dams overshadow climate extremes in controlling riparian hydrology and water quality - Christian Dewey; P. M. Fox; Nicholas J. Bouskill; Dipankar Dwivedi; P. Nico; Scott Fendorf (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

Revealing the direct and indirect effects of climate change on soil nutrient dynamics and forage resources in mountain ecosystems - Kenna E Rewcastle (2022)
The loss of aboveground plant diversity alters belowground ecosystem function; yet, the mechanisms underpinning this relationship and the degree to which plant community structure and climate mediate the effects of plant species loss remain unclear. Here, we explored how plant species loss through experimental removal shaped belowground function in ecosystems characterized by different climatic regimes and edaphic properties. We measured plant community composition as well as potential carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) mineralization and microbial extracellular enzyme activity in soils collected from four unique plant removal experiments located along an elevational gradient in Colorado, USA. We found that regardless of the identity of the removed species or the climate at each site plant removal decreased the absolute variation in potential N-mineralization rates and marginally reduced the magnitude of N- mineralization rates. While plant species removal also marginally reduced C- 12 minera

Tritrophic mutualisms in a changing climate - A. M. Keeler (2022)
Warmer than average temperatures and decreased annual precipitation caused by climate change are affecting the growth and reproduction of many species, including flowering plants. Climatic shifts may affect angiosperm functional traits, such as water use efficiency and nectar sugar concentration, which can in turn alter the strength and incidence of interactions between plants and their mutualists. Climatic stress can separate mutualists, leading to additional alterations in partner traits which may have consequences for plant fitness. Here, we explore how warming temperatures, early snowmelt, and below-average annual precipitation (snow and summer monsoonal rains) can affect plant functional traits such as water use efficiency and lead to a loss of interaction with symbiotic rhizobia, thereby altering legume nitrogen content and leaf carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures. In a snowmelt manipulative experiment, we found that early snowmelt increased nectar sugar concentrations, reduc

Habitat Quality Affecting the Body Mass of Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels - B. Spinner (2022)
In conservation, it is vital to understand how organisms use their habitat and what constitutes high quality habitat. This has become increasingly urgent in ecosystems impacted by direct or indirect human disturbances such as habitat loss or climate change. High elevation ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to climate change, putting pressure on the organisms in these systems. However, local and micro-scale heterogeneity across the landscape potentially offers a buffer against climate change by creating small-scale differences in habitat quaility. Small hibernating Commented [BS1]: Could insert a transition sentence mammals such as the golden-mantled ground squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis) may leverage microclimates to cope the effects of a warming climate. This study used drone imagery to collect fine scale data on factors contributing to habitat quality within home ranges of golden- mantled ground squirrels in the vicinity of Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. Thermal var

The social microbiome: the relationship between the microbiome and sociality in a wild mammal - M. Pfau (2022)
The microbiome has a well-documented relationship with host behavior. Greater microbial diversity and specific microbes have been associated with improved fitness, though these associations have been studied almost exclusively in captive animals with implications for human health. In wild populations, the microbiome has important fitness consequences, such as being associated with mass gain and body condition, and specifically, microbial diversity has been associated with increased individual stability and resistance to over-domination of specific microbes. An individual's social behavior also has important fitness consequences for acquiring food resources and avoiding predation. While both factors individually influence fitness, the relationship between the microbiome and sociality is understudied. Here we use social network analysis to quantify the relationship between microbial diversity and a variety of attributes of social relationships in a wild, free-living population of yellow-

An Extreme Number of Sensors in One Spot - Jessica D. Lundquist (Mt. Views Chronicle, 2022)

Understanding the Hydrogeochemical Response of a Mountainous Watershed Using Integrated Surface-Subsurface Flow and Reactive Transport Modeling - Zexuan Xu; Sergi Molins; Ilhan Özgen-Xian; Dipankar Dwivedi; D. Svyatsky; J. D. Moulton; Carl I. Steefel (Water Resources Research, 2022)
Abstract Climate change and other disturbances significantly impact hydrogeochemical exports from mountainous headwater catchments such as the Upper Colorado River Basin. Developing a mechanistic understanding of how the physical and chemical processes interact in time and space in an integrated manner is key to quantifying the future impacts of such disturbances. The hydrogeochemical response of a mountainous catchment in the 2010–2019 period is evaluated quantitatively using a high‐resolution model that simulates integrated hydrology, and transport and reactions for selected solutes and minerals. The model assumes that pyrite is present only at depth while calcite is distributed uniformly, and captures the observed C‐Q reasonably well. Distinct C‐Q dynamics are observed in an average (WY16), a wet (WY17), and a dry (WY18) water year. The model also quantifies the water fraction from surface, shallow and deep groundwater compartments using tracers, and suggests greater groundwater con

Watershed zonation through hillslope clustering for tractably quantifying above-and below-ground watershed heterogeneity and functions - Haruko M. Wainwright; Sebastian Uhlemann; Maya Franklin; Nicola Falco; Nicholas J. Bouskill; Michelle Newcomer; Baptiste Dafflon; Erica R. Siirila-Woodburn; Burke J Minsley; K. H. Williams; S. S. Hubbard (Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 2022)
Abstract. In this study, we develop a watershed zonation approach for characterizing watershed organization and functions in a tractable manner by integrating multiple spatial data layers. We hypothesize that (1) a hillslope is an appropriate unit for capturing the watershed-scale heterogeneity of key bedrock-through-canopy properties and for quantifying the co-variability of these properties representing coupled ecohydrological and biogeochemical interactions, (2) remote sensing data layers and clustering methods can be used to identify watershed hillslope zones having the unique distributions of these properties relative to neighboring parcels, and (3) property suites associated with the identified zones can be used to understand zone-based functions, such as response to early snowmelt or drought and solute exports to the river. We demonstrate this concept using unsupervised clustering methods that synthesize airborne remote sensing data (lidar, hyperspectral, and electromagnetic sur

Novel host unmasks heritable variation in plant preference within an insect population - Rachel A Steward; Rebecca S Epanchin-Niell; C. L. Boggs (Evolution, 2022)
Introductions of novel plant species can disturb the historical resource environment of herbivorous insects, resulting in strong selection to either adopt or exclude the novel host. However, an adaptive response depends on heritable genetic variation for preference or performance within the targeted herbivore population, and it is unclear how heritability of host-use preference may differ between novel and historical hosts. Pieris macdunnoughii butterflies in the Rocky Mountains lay eggs on the nonnative mustard Thlaspi arvense, which is lethal to their offspring. Heritability analyses revealed considerable sex-linked additive genetic variation in host preference within a population of this butterfly. This was contrary to general predictions about the genetic basis of preference variation, which are hypothesized to be sex linked between populations but autosomal within populations. Evidence of sex linkage disappeared when butterflies were tested on methanol-based chemical extracts, sug

Plant removal across an elevational gradient marginally reduces rates, substantially reduces variation in mineralization - Kenna E Rewcastle; Jeremiah A Henning; Quentin D Read; R. E. Irwin; Nathan J. Sanders; Aimee T Classen (Ecology, 2022)
The loss of aboveground plant diversity alters belowground ecosystem function; yet, the mechanisms underpinning this relationship and the degree to which plant community structure and climate mediate the effects of plant species loss remain unclear. Here, we explored how plant species loss through experimental removal shaped belowground function in ecosystems characterized by different climatic regimes and edaphic properties. We measured plant community composition as well as potential carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) mineralization and microbial extracellular enzyme activity in soils collected from four unique plant removal experiments located along an elevational gradient in Colorado, USA. We found that, regardless of the identity of the removed species or the climate at each site, plant removal decreased the absolute variation in potential N mineralization rates and marginally reduced the magnitude of N mineralization rates. While plant species removal also marginally reduced C mineraliz

Evolution and genomic basis of the plant penetrating ovipositor: a key morphological trait in herbivorous Drosophilidae - J. N. Peláez; A. D. Gloss; J. F. Ray; S. Chaturvedi; D. Haji; J. L. M. Charboneau; K. I. Verster; Noah K Whiteman (Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2022)
Herbivorous insects are extraordinarily diverse, yet are found in only one-third of insect orders. This skew may result from barriers to plant colonization, coupled with phylogenetic constraint on plant-colonizing adaptations. The plant-penetrating ovipositor, however, is one trait that surmounts host plant physical defences and may be evolutionarily labile. Ovipositors densely lined with hard bristles have evolved repeatedly in herbivorous lineages, including within the Drosophilidae. However, the evolution and genetic basis of this innovation has not been well studied. Here, we focused on the evolution of this trait in Scaptomyza, a genus sister to Hawaiian Drosophila, that contains a herbivorous clade. Our phylogenetic approach revealed that ovipositor bristle number increased as herbivory evolved in the Scaptomyza lineage. Through a genome-wide association study, we then dissected the genomic architecture of variation in ovipositor bristle number within S. f

Life-history traits predict responses of wild bees to climate variation - Pardee G.; Sean R. Griffin; M. Stemkovski; J. W. Harrison; Z. M. Portman; Melanie R Kazenel; J. S. Lynn; David W. Inouye; R. E. Irwin (Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2022)
Life-history traits, which are physical traits or behaviours that affect growth, survivorship and reproduction, could play an important role in how well organisms respond to environmental change. By looking for trait-based responses within groups, we can gain a mechanistic understanding of why environmental change might favour or penalize certain species over others. We monitored the abundance of at least 154 bee species for 8 consecutive years in a subalpine region of the Rocky Mountains to ask whether bees respond differently to changes in abiotic conditions based on their life-history traits. We found that comb-building cavity nesters and larger bodied bees declined in relative abundance with increasing temperatures, while smaller, soil-nesting bees increased. Further, bees with narrower diet breadths increased in relative abundance with decreased rainfall. Finally, reduced snowpack was associated with reduced relative abundance of bees that overwintered as prepupae whereas bees tha

The shifting importance of abiotic and biotic factors across the life cycles of wild pollinators - Jane E. Ogilvie; Paul J. CaraDonna (Journal of Animal Ecology, 2022)
Abstract Organisms living in seasonal environments are exposed to different environmental conditions as they transition from one life stage to the next across their life cycle. How different life stages respond to these varying conditions is a fundamental aspect of biology and is critical for understanding how organisms will respond to environmental change. Despite the importance of animal pollinators, we lack a basic understanding of the influence of different environmental factors across their life cycles. We investigated the relative importance of climate conditions, food availability, and previous life stage abundance in a community of wild bumble bee species, asking: how do these three factors influence bee abundance at each life stage? We used a 7-year dataset to examine the i

Downscaled hyper-resolution (400 m) gridded datasets of daily precipitation and temperature (2008-2019) for East Taylor subbasin (western United States) - Utkarsh Mital; Dipankar Dwivedi; J. B. Brown; Carl I. Steefel (Earth System Science Data Discussions, 2022)
Abstract. High resolution gridded datasets of meteorological variables are needed in order to resolve fine-scale hydrological gradients in complex mountainous terrain. Across the United States, the highest available spatial resolution of gridded datasets of daily meteorological records is approximately 800 m. This work presents gridded datasets of daily precipitation and mean temperature for the East-Taylor subbasin (in western United States) covering a 12-year period (2008–2019) at a high spatial resolution (400 m). The datasets are generated using a downscaling framework that uses data-driven models to learn relationships between climate variables and topography. We observe that downscaled datasets of precipitation and mean temperature exhibit smoother spatial gradients compared to their coarser counterparts. Additionally, we also observe that when downscaled datasets are reaggregated to the original resolution (800 m), the mean residual error is almost zero, ensuring spatial consist

Disinfection byproducts formed during drinking water treatment reveal an export control point for dissolved organic matter in a subalpine headwater stream - Laura T. Leonard; Gary F. Vanzin; Vanessa A. Garayburu-Caruso; Stephanie S. Lau; Curtis A. Beutler; Alexander W. Newman; William A. Mitch; James C. Stegen; K. H. Williams; Jonathon O. Sharp (Water research X, 2022)
Changes in climate, season, and vegetation can alter organic export from watersheds. While an accepted tradeoff to protect public health, disinfection processes during drinking water treatment can adversely react with organic compounds to form disinfection byproducts (DBPs). By extension, DBP monitoring can yield insights into hydrobiogeochemical dynamics within watersheds and their implications for water resource management. In this study, we analyzed temporal trends from a water treatment facility that sources water from Coal Creek in Crested Butte, Colorado. These trends revealed a long-term increase in haloacetic acid and trihalomethane formation over the period of 2005-2020. Disproportionate export of dissolved organic carbon and formation of DBPs that exceeded maximum contaminant levels were consistently recorded in association with late spring freshet. Synoptic sampling of the creek in 2020 and 2021 identified a biogeochemical hotspot for organic carbon export in the upper domai

Soil feedbacks and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi of Linaria vulgaris invasion - L. Novak (2022)
Invasive plants reduce native plant diversity both directly through competition and

“How Do We Do This at a Distance?!” A Descriptive Study of Remote Undergraduate Research Programs during COVID-19 - O. A. Erickson; Rex D. Cole; J. M. Isaacs; S. Alvarez-Clare; J. Arnold; A. Agustus-Wallace; J. C. Ayoob; A. Berkowitz; J. Branchaw; K. R. Burgio; C. H. Cannon; R. M. Ceballos; et al. (CBE Life Sciences Education, 2022)
The COVID-19 pandemic shut down undergraduate research programs across the United States. A group of 23 colleges, universities, and research institutes hosted remote under- graduate research programs in the life sciences during Summer 2020. Given the unprec- edented offering of remote programs, we carried out a study to describe and evaluate them. Using structured templates, we documented how programs were designed and im- plemented, including who participated. Through focus groups and surveys, we identified programmatic strengths and shortcomings as well as recommendations for improvements from students’ perspectives. Strengths included the quality of mentorship, opportuni- ties for learning and professional development, and a feeling of connection with a larg- er community. Weaknesses included limited cohort building, challenges with insufficient structure, and issues with technology. Although all programs had one or more activities related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justic