The diversity of avian species and their coexistence in riparian habitat has become increasingly significant in the face of rapidly decreasing vegetation along hydric areas, primarily due to pollution, urbanization, overgrazing, and climate change. The complex and rare riparian habitat system is pri

Top-down and bottom-up effects can be seen in tritrophic systems of plants, herbivores and predators. Understanding what factors have a significant impact on herbivores can explain patterns of herbivory in the field. In this study, I report on the aphid Cavariella aegopodii on the plant, Ligusticum

In order to maintain in the population, female plants of gynodioecious species must compensate for their loss of male function. Understanding how mutualist pollinators and antagonists such as seed predators respond to floral cues presented by female and hermaphrodite flowers in ways that could contr

Pollination by native bees is an essential ecosystem service in both natural and agricultural systems. During the last several decades, there have been reported declines in native bee populations worldwide. Due to recent declines, there is an increasing need for standardized population monitoring pr

Experimental infections of Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) with genomically charac- terized plant pathogens such as Pseudomonas syringae have facilitated the dissection of canonical eukaryotic defence pathways and parasite virulence factors. Plants are also attacked by herbivorous insects, and th

Studies of predation traditionally focus on how predators influence prey communities and prey population oscillations via mortality. Studies carried out for nearly 40 years in one place have enabled us to evaluate the gener- ality of this focus. Early observations in one high-altitude, rocky-bottom

Individuals may obtain valuable information about the presence of predators by eavesdropping on heterospecific alarm signals. While playback studies have demonstrated that similarly-sized and taxonomically-related species may respond to the calls of each other, less work has been done to define the

In small temporary ponds (“Kettle Ponds”) near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, several species of detritivorous caddisflies coexist as detritus processors. Three congeneric caddisflies, Limnephilus externus, Limnephilus sublunatus, and Limnephilus tarsalis play an impor

Animal personality typically refers to a behavioral manifestations stable across time and contexts (Sih et al. 2004, Réale et al. 2007). Personality has been shown to shape fitness and may therefore shape population dynamics though such traits as dominance, response to stress, and reproductive perfo

Changes in species distributions across elevations can be responses to anthropogenic climate disruption. Movement of species to higher elevations can result in local extirpations and colonization that could escalate and critically endanger native species. Studying systems that have experienced histo

We measured Specific leaf area for 23 plants across six elevational sites spanning a total of 610 meters. Within each site, we sampled twenty individuals from each species that was present to determine intraspecific variance in SLA. Nine species showed a significant positive relationship with elevat

The Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) is a keystone species in montane/subalpine ecosystems of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. By excavating nest cavities in aspen trees and sap wells in willow shrubs, sapsuckers indirectly provide nest holes and food, respectively, to many other species.

I tested the oviposition preference of the leaf miner Scaptomyza nigrita of and within its native host plant Cardamine cordifolia. Gravid female S. nigrita were used in cafeteria-style choice tests to quantitatively evaluate feeding and oviposition preference between C. cordifolia from shaded and su

The risk of predation influences the behavior of individuals and can determine how an animal allocates its time when searching for and obtaining food. To reduce predation risk, many animals use refuges and protective cover to increase their chances of survival, but it is unclear how these safe areas

Phenology is an important life history trait. As altitude increases in alpine environments, the growing season shortens and flowering phenology is more compressed. Co-flowering could occur more at higher elevations as a compensation for the shorter growing season. However, interspecific competition

Dioecious plants have been observed to exhibit differences in growth rates and levels of herbivory defense between the sexes, with slower growing females investing more into constitutive defenses than fast-growing males. There are no predictions or empirical data, though, regarding differences in in

One of the most talked about potential consequences of climate change is that of phenological mismatches between interacting species, such as flowering plants and their pollinators. While there is ample long term data for plant phenology, there is little data on pollinator phenology. It is becoming

Ant and aphid interactions are often assumed to be mutualistic, with both participating parties receiving a benefit that outweighs the cost. Yet this interaction can range between mutualistic and antagonistic due to factors that alter this ratio of cost and benefit. Some factors that can affect the

Whirligig beetle populations from five temporary kettle ponds and one marsh near the Rocky Mountain Biological laboratory, Gunnison County, western Colorado U.S.A. were studied during summer 2010. The purpose of the study was to measure the effects of extreme fluctuating environmental conditions inc