We found that the Broad-Tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) exhibits significant intraspecies variation across several morphological traits, including those important in foraging. However, the effects of these morphological variation on flower visitation is not well understood. To begin to

Nectar robbing is a process used by various insects to retrieve nectar from flowers that would otherwise be inaccessible. The community-level consequences of nectar robbing have not been widely studied, and the differences between primary and secondary robbing have been studied even less. Fitness co

Our goal was to understand how range shifts in detrivorous larval caddisflies could affect nutrient storage along a pond permanence gradient in the Mexican Cut Preserve (Gunnison County, Colorado). As part of a larger project quantifying other ecological impacts and interactions arising from the cad

Despite the broad impacts microbial dormancy has on ecosystems and ecosystem models, dormancy as a response to climate-change-related environmental stressors is poorly understood. Dormancy is an essential bet-hedging strategy used by microbes to tolerate unfavorable conditions and increase overall c

As environments continue to change, plant communities will increasingly be pressured to adapt to their environment to maintain fitness levels. The most common release of climatic stressor result in range shifts and changes in phenology for plants. Boechera stricta, a perennial forb native to a range

Groundwater in high elevation watersheds is difficult to quantify, but remains a major component in the hydrologic budget for the western United States. Concentration-discharge (C-Q) data can provide a framework for characterizing groundwater flow in small alpine catchments by indicating fluid resid

In the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, changes in the availability of floral resources through the growing season may affect the ability of bumble bee colonies to successfully complete their life cycle and produce reproductive individuals in the season’s end. A way bees could potentially deal with this

Climate change alters many biotic and abiotic factors in environments around the world. At higher elevations in particular, climate change brings warmer mean temperatures, reduced snowpack, earlier snowmelt, and more extreme drought. In this study, we analyzed the effect of early snow removal on Boe

It has often been stated that the bill shape of hummingbirds is an example of ecological adaptation, as the morphology of their bills are strongly associated with flower nectar resources (Bleiweiss 1999). ​ Broad­tailed hummingbirds (​Selasphorus platycercus) are considered the most characteristic h

Gene flow in hybrid zones acts as a barrier to speciation, yet we still see cases in which separate hybridizing species are maintained. Selection for different floral traits at each end of a hybrid zone by pollinators and for different vegetative traits by environmental gradients are two possible so

Observational studies of behavior provide insight into the fitness consequences of varying behavioral strategies in mammals. The behavior of golden-mantled ground squirrels (Callospermophilus lateralis, GMGS), an asocial hibernating species, is constrained by the energetic demands of reproduction, p

This study aims to explore the exciting mysteries of road dust. In the beautiful Rocky Mountains, at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in western Colorado, there is an amazing diversity of plants, but one in particular near unpaved roads is Ipomopsis aggregata, Scarlet gilia, a perennial flow

Rising global temperatures are predicted to alter community dynamics by shifting species ranges and altering biotic interactions. Herbivory is expected to increase with prolonged growing seasons and heightened animal metabolic rates; pathogen damage may increase as well. Thus, we investigated whethe

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a critical chemical attribute of freshwater systems, affecting nutrient availability, toxicity and solubility of metals, and biological activity via the absorption of light and microbial consumption of O2 during DOC mineralization. Although DOC contributions to stre

Flight initiation distance, or FID, is the distance between a predator and its prey at which the prey decides to flee. FID is influenced by several internal and external factors, which influence the potential costs and benefits of escape. For refuging prey, their path to a refuge may force them to g

Our study examined the frost sensitivities of subalpine flowering plants near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, in Gothic, CO. Most studies on the impacts of climate change have focused on the effects of temperature warming and how it affects species. Our study examined the frost sensitiviti

Changes in elevation have strong influences on the taxonomic richness and population densities of terrestrial ecosystems (Hawkins et. al, 2013, McCain and Grytnes 2010, Rahbek 1995). These gradients are caused by changes in precipitation, temperature, and several other key environmental factors asso

Climate change may affect individuals within a species differently dependent on sex, leading to skewed sex ratios. This paper considers the effect of mating environment on seed production in the dioecious plant species, Valeriana edulis. The study was conducted in female dominated populations where