The decomposition of animal carrion, particularly small animals that are used as a breeding resource for carrion insects, is little studied but is likely to be a major component of nutrient cycling in many ecosystems. This project focuses on how carrion insects affect small vertebrate carrion decomp

Low temperature AHe thermochronology shows that Gothic Mountain, at the center of a bull's-

Climate change threatens the close relationship between wildflowers and the hummingbirds that pollinate them, both through gradual warming that shifts and misaligns their phenologies, and also potentially through increasingly erratic day-to-day temperature changes, a phenomenon especially apparent a

Social transmission of novel behaviors can be an adaptive technique to rapidly and flexibly change responses to the surrounding environment. Although the dynamics of social transmission have been studied in highly social birds, primates, otters, and bats, we lack a solid understanding of the dynamic

Detritivores diets are very limited in key nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen, and fatty acids. This study looked at how detritivores caddisflies selected food based on nutrient quality. We set up controlled experiments to examine food preference and how that might affect overall growth. Our stu

High alpine ecosystems have heterogeneous topography that provides microclimatic niches for species to inhibit. Due to climate change, alpine ecosystems are experiencing shifts in snowpack amount, snowmelt timing, and growing season lengths resulting in phenological and abundance responses within ec

The long-term relationships between animal and plant species and their relationships to their abiotic environment are closely tied to climate change. Stream macroinvertebrates are excellent indicators of freshwater conditions and respond measurably to environmental changes. Previous studies have obs

Mount Lamborn, a granodiorite laccolith in the West Elk Mountains, provides a useful

Plant-pollinator networks have been shown to have a general structure that is constant across time and geographic range. However, the identities of the plants and pollinators within these networks and the ways in which they interact are highly variable. We investigated a possible mechanism for this

Noticeable changes such as the alteration of ecosystem productivity, the influence of species interactions with one another and its environment, and the transformation of habitats are all linked to climate change. Although plant functions might be a useful tool in understanding plant communities and

In Gothic Colorado, the invasive common dandelion or Taraxacum officinale has slowly made its way through the meadows and along the road flourishing as people aid in dispersing its seeds as the wind carries them. Due to this, the focus of this study is to determine if dandelions compete with native

Dispersal is an important decision for an individual to make which may influence individual fitness as well as population viability. Prior work has shown that dispersal decisions can be influenced by an individual’s position in their social network (the social cohesion hypothesis), but the dispersal

The date of spring snowmelt is advancing in numerous alpine and subalpine ecosystems due to both rising temperatures and reduced snowpack associated with climate change. Snowmelt is a critical source of water for plants in subalpine ecosystems, so changes in snowmelt timing can affect many important

The excess of greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide in the atmosphere urgently calls for a deeper understanding of existing natural mechanisms for carbon sequestration. Montane meadows act as a critical natural carbon sink, often having the capacity to store much more carbon in their soils than surr

Montane landscapes are topographically complex and contain a biodiverse community of flora and pollinators. As with many other ecosystems, these subalpine and alpine landscapes are changing with the climate, altering the way these ecosystems regulate. As climates become warmer and drier, microclimat