elevational gradients
Spatial gradients in elevation that capture variation in temperature, soil age and type, disturbance regimes, and land-use histories providing important insights into how organisms, communities, and e...
foraging ecology
The study of how animals search for and utilize food resources in their environment
neighborhood effects
The influence of surrounding plant species composition and density on individual plant fitness and associated herbivore behavior
social network analysis
A method used to quantify social relationships that not only quantifies the direct relationship between a focal individual and its social partners, but also describes the position of the focal individ...
slow-fast continuum
A commonly used framework to describe variation in life-history strategies across species, ranking organisms from slow to fast living based on combinations of late reproduction, low reproductive rates...
reciprocal transplant experiment
Experimental approach where organisms from different source populations are grown in different environments to test for local adaptation
mountain hydrology
The study of water cycling processes in mountainous terrain, including complex interactions between snowpack dynamics, topography, vegetation, and subsurface water storage
temporal dynamics
Changes in ecological patterns and processes across different time scales
climate change impacts
The effects of long-term warming on hydrological processes, including changes in snowpack dynamics, growing season length, and water demand by vegetation
bee conservation
Management strategies and techniques aimed at supporting and maintaining bee populations and their ecological functions.
integrated hydrologic modeling
Coupled modeling approach simulating surface and subsurface hydrologic processes including groundwater flow and particle tracking
water balance
Accounting framework where annual discharge equals precipitation minus evapotranspiration minus storage changes
water quality standards
Regulatory standards for contaminant concentrations in water bodies including acute and chronic limits for aquatic life protection
carbon mass balance
Accounting framework that tracks carbon inputs, transformations, and outputs in environmental systems to quantify net carbon fluxes
food web structure
The network of feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem
dendroecological reconstruction
Method of reconstructing past forest conditions using tree-ring data to determine establishment dates and estimate historical stand structure
ecoregion
Geographic classification system used to reduce complexity and simplify presentation of continental-scale results
visual ecology
quantitative genetics
The study of traits controlled by multiple loci with continuous phenotypic distributions and measurable heritability
animal model
Statistical approach that includes individual identity as a random effect linked to a pedigree to estimate additive genetic variance
climate change projections
Future climate scenarios based on different greenhouse gas emission pathways, specifically RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios
demographic factors
Age and sex characteristics affecting susceptibility to mortality
environmental drivers
social caste system
Division of labor in social insects with distinct morphological and behavioral castes including queens, workers, and males
Rensch's Rule
leaf economics spectrum
Describes consistent and strong correlations among plant functional traits reflecting the ecological tradeoffs and constraints of plants around resource use
model performance evaluation
Statistical assessment of how well model outputs match observational data using metrics like correlation and efficiency measures
network representation
surface energy balance
The balance of vertical radiative, conductive, and turbulent energy transfer across the infinitely thin plane of the surface
time budget
The allocation of time among different activities that determines overall energy expenditure patterns
Michaelis-Menten kinetics
ensemble learning
Machine learning approach that combines multiple algorithms to improve predictive performance and robustness
paleoenvironmental reconstruction
Interpretation of ancient environmental conditions based on fossil assemblages
pollinator visual space
Mathematical models that represent how different pollinators perceive color based on their photoreceptor sensitivities and opponent color processing
resilience
Life Table Response Experiment
A method to partition variance in population growth rate into contributions arising from temporal covariances of demographic parameters at different time lags
biological pest control
Introduction of natural enemies to reduce pest population density through environmentally friendly means
habitat restoration
Restoration of native plant communities in disturbed areas through environmental manipulation
end-member mixing analysis
Statistical approach to quantify proportional contributions of different water sources to mixed samples using tracer concentrations
host-microbiome interactions
The relationship between a host organism and its associated microbial community, including costs and benefits to host fitness
maximum entropy inference
Statistical inference procedure that selects flattest probability distributions compatible with constraints imposed by prior knowledge
multidimensional phenospace
The extent of possible variation in a particular phenotypic trait where different dimensions represent the extent of phenotypic variation in two traits
plant functional groups
Classification of species with similar characteristics into plant functional groups or plant functional types to reduce complexity in ecological communities
stoichiometry
The relative proportions of chemical elements in biological systems
Quality Assurance (QA)
Part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled
binary mixing model
carrion ecology
Study of organisms that utilize dead animal matter as a resource for feeding or reproduction
factorial experiment
Experimental design testing multiple factors simultaneously in all combinations
functional feeding groups
Categorization of invertebrates based on feeding mechanisms: collector-gatherers, grazers, predators, shredders, and suspension-feeders