The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ungulate herbivory (clipped, unclipped) and nutrient variation (ambient, water added, fertilizer and water added) on conspecific and heterospecific pollen receipt to Ipomopsis aggregata. I found that both clipping and adding nutrients influ

Pollination is essential for maintaining global biodiversity and our world’s food supply. Climate change is causing inefficiencies in plant-pollinator networks, so understanding the factors that determine which pollinators visit which plants will be exceedingly important for a sustainable future. Ou

Conflict and cooperation can drive how unrelated individuals interact, while illustrating whether the interests of two individuals converge or diverge. The subsocial, biparental beetle Nicrophorus investigator provides an excellent model to study these two interactions because researchers can manipu

Animal personality is becoming increasingly relevant behavioral ecology because of its potential impact on reproductive success. Measuring personality however can be difficult because many factors, such as microhabitat variation and habituation, affect how an animal responds to a given test. Using n

In subalpine ecosystems, climate change has contributed to an earlier snowmelt as a result of warmer temperatures in the winter and spring. This shift may act to limit water availability for plant communities by prolonging the period between initial snowmelt and late-season monsoon rains, placing th

This investigation focused on how mutualists and antagonists affect the flowers of different sexes within the same species. My study examined plant and insect interactions in Polemonium foliosissimum to better understand the selective pressures that influenced the evolution of gynodioecy in this pla

Spatial-temporal variation in pollinator populations can have an impact in plant reproduction. This study assessed the effects of elevation on flower abundance, pollinator visitation, and types of pollinators visiting the Helianthella quinquenervis This flower species was chosen due to its vast abun

Nutrient supply into an ecosystem is an important factor that can influence its productivity. While some nutrients enter the ecosystem from external sources, cycling of nutrients internally can also be an important process in determining nutrient supply. In this study I examined the role of benthic

Across different landscapes, plant abundance and richness change. Bee distributions may vary spatially in accordance to these differences in floral diversity. I used a habitat-based approach to investigate this hypothesis across three distinct meadow types: dry meadow, wet meadow-Veratrum and wet me

1. Beavers are ecosystem engineers. They alter the structure of their habitats when they cut woody vegetative material to create dams that result in ponds. Ponding slows water flow, resulting in fine sediment deposition. A wetland is created as the sediment continues to deposit. 2. The formation of

Flowering plants are in an evolutionary battle for the attention of pollinators to increase their fitness. However, microbes are increasingly recognized as key players in mediating interactions between plants and pollinators. Most studies of floral microbes have focused on the role of obligate necta