Climate change is causing species with non-overlapping ranges to come in contact, and a key challenge is to predict the consequences of such species re-shuffling. Experiments on plants have focused largely on novel competitive interactions; other species interactions, such as plant–microbe symbioses

I studied survivorship from the period of egg laying to winter diapause in a population of E. gillettii (Nymphalidae). I investigated if fitness, in the context of hatching and succesful development to diapause was related to egg cluster size, habitat parameters, or both, and if there were factors a

Coexistence of closely related species can be explained by a number of biotic and abiotic factors. In Trichoptera (caddisflies), the patterns of coexistence of the species Rhyacophila in streams near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) has been tracked for 43 years. This study is a conti

Plant-insect interactions are ecologically important relationships that are greatly affected by climate change. Previous research concerning an aphid species (Aphis asclepiadis) and its host plant (Ligusticum porteri) has shown that aphid abundances correlate significantly with snowmelt date in the

Floodplain stratigraphy, a major structural element of alluvial aquifers, is a fundamental component of floodplain heterogeneity, hydraulic conductivity, and connectivity. Watershed-scale hydrological models often simplify floodplains by modeling them as largely homogeneous, which inherently overloo

A 14 year warming experiment being conducted in a subalpine meadow has resulted in several physical changes, including advanced date of snowmelt, a decrease in soil moisture, and increased soil temperature in heated plots versus control plots. These microclimate changes have led to a shift in plant

The abiotic environment drives species abundances and distributions both directly and indirectly through effects on multi-trophic species interactions. However, few studies have documented the individual and combined consequences of these direct and indirect effects. We studied an ant-tended aphid a

A growing body of work has shown that parasites’ growth and reproduction can be influenced by the food quality available to their hosts. Consumers, including parasites, require a balanced diet to grow. Unlike many consumers, however, parasites are beholden to the diet quality presented to them by th

Climate change is predicted to impact pollinators through both direct and indirect mechanisms: by altering physiological stress through warming temperatures and by changing species interactions through the altered phenology and abundance of food sources and competitors. While research has been done

Dispersal is important for recolonization, migration and maintenance of local metapopulations and populations, in case of disruption in an animal's habitat. Morphology (wing loading and wing aspect ratio) and physiology (metabolic rates) are features that have been shown to explain dispersal process

Environmental change affects the survival, interaction and co-existence of species within an ecosystem. We studied multiple species of Rhyacophila, a primitive genus of caddisfly that, in its larval state, lives at the bottom of cold, oxygen rich and fast flowing streams. Previous research has shown

Dispersal is a core mechanism in the maintenance of metapopulations. It maintains genetic diversity by connecting subpopulations and generates new populations to replace those that die out. However, as populations become more isolated, as occurs in habitat fragmentation, dispersal becomes more diffi

Alteration of rocks by contact metamorphism directly impacts rock pore structure and mineralogy, potentially decreasing weathering susceptibility and altering water residence times and release rates of aqueous solutes. Mountainous catchments, which can often be metamorphosed, are important for water

Niche-based processes, such as environmental filtering and niche differentiation, have been proposed to contribute to the assembly of ecological communities. While functional traits can be useful for testing hypotheses regarding niche-based community assembly, most studies utilizing functional trait

This study utilizes apatite (U-Th)/He, or AHe, to produce a vertical transect of cooling histories along the height of the partially exhumed Crystal Pluton in the Elk Mountains of west/central Colorado. These cooling histories are interpreted to reflect exhumation controlled by the incision of the C

Interactions among organisms regulate the structure and function of ecosystems and the response of ecosystems to global change. The outcome of species interactions is shaped by the partners involved in the interaction and the climate contexts of the systems in which they reside. Global change is alt

Climate change has had numerous ecological effects, including species range shifts and altered phenology. Altering flowering phenology often affects plant reproduction, but the mechanisms behind these changes are not well-under- stood. To investigate why altering flowering phenology affects plant re

Formica obscuripes, or the Western Thatching Ant, is a native North American ant species commonly found throughout the central and western US. Like many ant species, F. obscuripes acts as an ecosystem engineer, as colonies can significantly alter the nutrient content, moisture content, temperature,