Abiotic stressors can affect organisms both directly and indirectly by causing behavioral changes and altering species interactions. Metal pollution caused by mining activities is a major stressor on freshwater ecosystems, particularly affecting macroinvertebrate communities. Historical mining has l

Defining the mechanisms that enable species to coexist is a fundamental goal of community ecology. Attention to this question has traditionally focused on antagonistic species interactions, namely competition and predation, as controls on species coexistence. However, positive species interactions m

Community ecology has recently begun to focus on using plant functional traits to understand community processes. In this experiment, I reduced specific leaf area (SLA) variance to determine how a reduced trait variance would affect plant production in a sub-alpine meadow community. The SLA was comp

Nearly every aspect of a butterfly’s life is dependent on flight. Flight metabolic rate (FMR), which is the amount of CO2 produced during flight, serves as an indicator of flight capacity and performance. High flight metabolic rate has been found to be correlated with greater dispersal distance, and

Over the next century the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other contributing greenhouse gases is predicted to generate an average increase in temperature 1-6˚C (Saavedra et al., 2003; Cleland et al., 2012). The proposed warming climate suggests a common myth of global warming th

Across all species, biparental care is an atypical and intriguing adaptation. Burying beetles, (Coleptera: Silphidae) exhibit a large range of biparental care to offspring, involving the upkeep of their sole food source, direct feeding to larvae, and protection of the brood from a wide variety of in

Characterizing the factors that determine the geographic range limits of species is a major goal of ecology. Historically, abiotic factors (e.g. light environment) have been the focus of research of species geographical distributions. While recent work has shown that pairwise species interactions (e

Benefits between species engaged in mutualistic interactions are often dependent on ecological context. For instance, in mutualisms in which aphids exchange food for ant protection from predators, the degree of benefit that aphids receive from ants depends on the presence of other arthropod predator

The structure of native bee assemblages and the nature of spatial variation of pollinator populations have direct effects on the reproductive success of plant species across their ranges and floral evolution. It is possible that changes in regional temperatures and precipitation are shifting foragin

We examined how ectoparasites affect body condition and other traits that indicate individual health in mountain white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys oriantha; hereafter, MWCS). We also investigated the factors that potentially influence susceptibility to ectoparasites in the MWCS populati

Individuals are generally predicted to avoid inbreeding because of detrimental fitness effects. However, several recent studies have shown that limited inbreeding is tolerated by some vertebrate species. Here, we examine the costs and benefits of inbreeding in a largely polygynous rodent, the yellow

• Premise of the study: Novel microsatellite primers were developed for the native wildflower Ipomopsis aggregata to facilitate ongoing studies of the genetics of local adaptation and patterns of hybridization with closely related species within the genus.• Methods and Results: Thirteen primer sets

While the impacts of pollinator species on selection for floral traits in angiosperms are relatively well-studied, less is known about the contributions of herbivores towards selection on floral traits. We investigated the relationship among a variety of floral traits (including volatile emissions a

Past research suggests that the detritus pathway, or brown trophic pathway, is key to the availability of nutrients in nutrient-limited aquatic ecosystems. The interplay between the green and brown paths in aquatic food webs is relatively understudied, yet it is likely that the productivity of nutri

Many, but not all, animals respond to the sounds of their predators to assess predation risk. For those that can, does this ability persist after a predator has gone extinct? Are all predatory species equally likely to generate antipredator responses? And, more generally, what are the proximate mech

With human population on the rise, human presence in wildlife areas will rise along side it. The study of how human activity is affecting wild animals in any and all aspects is of vast importance. This growing overlap is due to effect both sides of the issue, the humans and the animals. My study foc

Natal dispersal is a primary force in shaping ecological processes and population dynamics. There are several costs to the disperser that may be outweighed by potential benefits, including increased resources or access to mates in a new population site. Personality types or behavioral syndromes appe

There are many abiotic and biotic factors that affect plant distribution. Both of these have the potential to create strong selective pressures and drive habitat specialization. Here Cardamine cordifolia is used to investigate the differences in flowering phenology and bittercress fitness across and