A plant’s functional traits, which aid with survival, growth, and reproduction, are shaped by different abiotic and evolutionary elements. Some communities have a larger degree of variation in their functional traits, and this study aimed to see if this variation is directly linked to the level of e

The Mexican Cut Nature Preserve supports diverse populations of caddisflies (Limnephilus externus), whose larvae construct protective cases from environmental debris. Case morphology varies with ecological pressures, but gaps remain in understanding how intra- and interspecific interactions influenc

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

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 phenolo

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 pla

A Mid-Tertiary igneous intrusion into the Upper Cretaceous Mancos Shale provides an excellent natural laboratory to study the thermal effects of an intrusion on the organic geochemistry and water-rock system across a contact metamorphic profile. The intrusion, is believed to have established a high

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 tha

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 m

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

Edited transcription of three lectures, given by Virginia Satir, on the same topic, but presented in three different ways. Lectures were each a part of a month-long seminar given in 1981, 1982, and 1983 during module I of the Avanta Process Community Meetings in Crested Butte, Colorado. [Article cop

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

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

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

Cheaters affect most mutualisms, but their effects remain misunderstood. This thesis

Snowfall, temperature and wind are three factors that quickly change avalanche conditions. Ridge-top winds have been used to assess avalanche conditions with mixed success due to high variability. Few analyses have tested the effect upper atmospheric winds have on avalanche conditions. This study at

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 phenolo