Aquatic Species Interactions and Phenotypic Responses
studies how aquatic organisms adapt their physical traits and compete with each other in mountain stream and pond environments, helping us understand how species survive and interact in changing freshwater ecosystems.
Concept (46) →
phenotypic plasticity
When a genotype produces different phenotypes under differing environmental conditions
interspecific competition
Negative interactions between individuals of different species competing for limited resources
phenotypic selection
The process by which traits influence fitness, measured through directional and quadratic selection differentials relating trait values to reproductiv...
adaptation
trophic cascade
Indirect effects of predators on lower trophic levels mediated through changes in intermediate consumer behavior or abundance
nonconsumptive effects
Behavioral, physiological, and life-history changes that reduce the risk of predation but have associated energetic or fitness costs to prey individua...
pond hydroperiod
The frequency and duration of annual pond inundation vs. exposure, with categories including temporary ponds (dry annually in early summer), semi-perm...
metapopulation structure
The spatial arrangement and connectivity of subpopulations across a landscape that influences local population dynamics
evolutionary rescue
A process by which adaptive evolutionary change occurs sufficiently rapidly to counteract a decline in population size under initially unfavorable con...
bet-hedging
Show 36 more concepts
algae bloom
Excessive extracellular stalk production by individual cells that coalesce to form a continuous mat covering the stream bottom
intraspecific variation
Raw material on which ecological and evolutionary processes act - variation of traits within species that can mediate responses to biotic and abiotic ...
facultative paedomorphosis
Alternative life history strategy where some individuals retain larval traits and become sexually mature in aquatic environment while others metamorph...
keystone species
A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance and whose presence/absence significantly affects eco...
oviposition host plant choice
The selection of specific plants by female insects for egg-laying that affects larval survival and development
body size
nutritional niche partitioning
The concept that co-occurring species occupy distinct positions in multidimensional nutrient space to minimize competition and facilitate coexistence
temporal dynamics
Changes in ecological patterns and processes across different time scales
nutrient limitation
Growth limitation of organisms due to insufficient availability of essential nutrients like nitrogen or phosphorus
cannibalism
Predation behavior where individuals consume members of their own species, particularly common in A. m. nebulosum populations targeting first year hat...
kairomones
Chemical cues released by predators that benefit prey by providing information about predator presence
demographic factors
Age and sex characteristics affecting susceptibility to mortality
prey selection
size at maturity
Body size when organisms transition from growth to reproduction, with important consequences for lifetime reproductive success
ecosystem engineering
The modification of environments by organisms in ways that influence resource availability for other species, exemplified by beaver dam construction c...
body condition
Measure of an animal's physical state, often assessed through body mass relative to size
individual fitness
invertebrate drift
Downstream movement of benthic invertebrates in flowing water either naturally or induced by disturbance
pond drying
Temporary pond hydroperiod reduction that triggers behavioral and physiological responses in aquatic organisms
response to selection
breeding ecology
The study of reproductive behaviors, nesting habitat selection, and breeding success in bird populations
benthic community sampling
Quantitative collection methods for invertebrates living on or in stream bottom substrates
insect recruitment
Addition of new individuals to insect populations through successful reproduction and development
animal-driven nutrient cycling
The contribution of animals to ecosystem nutrient fluxes through excretion, with supply determined by animal biomass, excretion rates, and time spent ...
recruitment limitation
The hypothesis that relationships between egg and juvenile densities are linear when egg densities are constrained below values where eggs or hatching...
plasticity
instar development
The progression through larval developmental stages with associated changes in size and feeding capacity
Larval survival rate
phenomenon time
phenological mismatch
Food availability timing related to snow melt and vegetation growth potentially mismatched with juvenile foraging periods
stoichiometry
The relative proportions of chemical elements in biological systems
algal resource quality
The nutritional value of algae as food for aquatic consumers, typically measured by nutrient content
case construction
Caddisfly larvae ability to construct protective cases from environmental debris using silk-like string
stalk production
Production of extracellular polymeric stalk material by diatoms when photosynthetic rates exceed cellular growth rates
community composition
The identity and relative abundance of species within an ecological community
functional responses
Protocol (22) →
Factorial environmental stress experiment (Limnephilidae)
2x2 factorial design manipulating temperature and conductivity to test environmental drying cues on caddisfly development and survival. Uses shade man...
benthic sampling
Plastic pan traps with soapy water deployed along stream transects to capture terrestrial invertebrates falling into or near the river. Traps are pool...
mark-recapture (Ambystomatidae)
Annual capture-recapture surveys over 24 years to track individual survival, growth, reproduction and developmental pathways in a polyphenic salamande...
Microcosm predator avoidance bioassay
Controlled experimental system using circular plastic tanks to test mayfly larval responses to chemical cues by measuring foraging behavior on substra...
automated temperature logging
Time-lapse camera monitoring of aquatic insect landing and oviposition behavior on paired emergent rocks with different embedding characteristics. Com...
slit emergence traps
Systematic collection of water samples from ponds across a hydroperiod gradient for analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. Samples collected a...
focal animal sampling (Limnephilidae)
Individual caddisflies are observed for fixed time periods to record movement patterns, social interactions, and aggressive behaviors. Follows establi...
Fluorometric ammonium method
Fluorometric analysis of ammonia in water samples using working reagent that produces fluorescent compound when reacting with ammonia. Uses quadruplic...
instar staging
Standardized measurements of wing length and dried body mass components under stereomicroscope to quantify adult fitness proxies and assess elevation ...
Controlled temperature development experiment (Animalia)
Laboratory-controlled temperature treatments using paired experimental boxes in contrasting thermal environments to test effects of temperature on ins...
Show 12 more protocols
oven-dry mass measurement
Standardized measurement of individual larval dry mass using precision microbalance after oven-drying at controlled temperature. Applied to assess gro...
Elevational gradient phenotypic survey of Thlaspi arvense (Brassicaceae)
Weekly monitoring of plant phenology, morphological traits, and density across an elevational gradient to assess phenotypic plasticity in response to ...
gastric-lavage (Ambystomatidae)
Modified gastric-lavage technique to obtain stomach contents for prey identification, enumeration, and biomass/caloric calculations using published co...
CNS elemental analysis (Limnephilidae)
Short-term incubation of caddisfly larvae in filtered pond water to measure nitrogen and phosphorus excretion rates under ambient conditions. Five lar...
Stream quality assessment
Comprehensive measurement of stream physical and chemical parameters including substrate characteristics, water quality, and algal biomass. Provides e...
Beaver pond habitat characterization
Multi-parameter assessment of beaver pond physical characteristics including area, depth, flow velocity, and beaver activity indicators to control for...
Tiger salamander feeding preference mesocosm trials (Ambystomatidae)
Controlled feeding trials in plastic mesocosms where starved salamanders are presented with multiple prey types and their consumption and foraging beh...
d-frame net sampling
Standardized sampling of large and small benthic invertebrates using D-net sweeps and benthic cores, with zooplankton sampling using mesh nets. Animal...
Multiple-choice feeding preference assay (Limnephilidae)
Larvae offered multiple food choices in aquatic containers with instantaneous behavioral sampling over extended time periods to quantify feeding prefe...
Macroinvertebrate nutrient excretion incubation
Organisms are incubated in filtered pond water for one hour to measure nitrogen and phosphorus excretion rates through water chemistry analysis before...
Chlorophyll-a extraction and fluorometric analysis
Collection of nitrogen samples via syringe filtration and chlorophyll samples via algae collection from submerged rocks, with spectrophotometric analy...
Nutrient Diffusing Substrates (NDS)
Factorial experimental design using artificial stream channels to test temperature and nutrient effects on algae growth. Solar heating systems create ...
Author (28) →
Publication (139) →
Fitness and community consequences of avoiding multiple predators
Life histories and the strengths of species interactions: combining mortality, growth, and fecundity effects
Carbon Dioxide Concentrations and Efflux from Permanent, Semi-Permanent, and Temporary Subalpine Ponds
The influence of predatory fish on mayfly drift: extrapolating from experiments to nature
Predator effects on prey population dynamics in open systems
Caddisfly life histories along permanence gradients in high-altitude wetlands in Colorado (U.S.A.)
Caddisfly behavioral responses to drying cues in temporary ponds: Implications for effects of climate change
Predator-induced resource heterogeneity in a stream food web
Hydrologic and behavioral constraints on oviposition of stream insects: implications for adult dispersal
Animal-Driven Nutrient Supply Declines Relative to Ecosystem Nutrient Demand Along a Pond Hydroperiod Gradient
Show 129 more publications
Larval cannibalism, time constraints, and adult fitness in caddisflies that inhabit temporary wetlands
Reinforcing abiotic and biotic time constraints facilitate the broad distribution of a generalist with fixed traits
Consumptive and nonconsumptive effects of cannibalism in fluctuating age-structured populations
Nonlinear effects of consumer density on multiple ecosystem processes
Elevation alters outcome of competition between resident and range shifting species
Predator chemicals induce changes in mayfly life history traits: a whole-stream manipulation
Variation in mayfly size at metamorphosis as a developmental response to risk of predation
High interspecific variation in nutrient excretion within a guild of closely related caddisfly species
The role of environmental variation in mediating fitness trade-offs for an amphibian polyphenism
Predator defense along a permanence gradient: roles of case structure, behavior, and developmental phenology in caddisflies
Lifetime Fitness, Sex-Specific Life History, and the Maintenance of a Polyphenism
Climate mediates the trade-offs associated with phenotypic plasticity in an amphibian polyphenism
Fluctuation in a Rocky Mountain population of salamanders: anthropogenic acidification or natural variation?
Seasonal movement patterns in a subalpine population of the tiger salamander, <i>Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum</i>
Emergence cues of a mayfly in a high-altitude stream ecosystem: Potential response to climate change
Reach-scale Manipulations show invertebrate grazers depress algal resources in streams
Lack of appropriate behavioral or development responses by mayfly larvae to trout predators
Consequences of climate-induced range expansions on multiple ecosystem functions
Sampling stream invertebrates using electroshocking techniques: implications for basic and applied research
Diet and a developmental time constraint alter life-history trade-offs in a caddis fly (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae)
Foraging tactics in alternative heterochronic salamander morphs: trophic quality of ponds matters more than water permanency
Foraging trade-offs along a predator-permanence gradient in subalpine wetlands
Why do vulnerable mayflies thrive in trout streams?
Determinants of diet of brook trout (<i>Salvelinus fontinalis</i>) in a mountain stream
Intraguild predation and cannibalism among larvae of detritivorous caddisflies in subalpine wetlands
Natal philopatry varies with larval condition in salamanders
Sublethal consequences of stream-dwelling predatory stoneflies on mayfly growth and fecundity
Does the morphology of beaver ponds alter downstream ecosystems?
The influence of recruitment on within-generation population dynamics of a mayfly
Effects of larval energetic resources on life history and adult allocation patterns in a caddisfly (Trichoptera: Phryganeidae)
Mayflies avoid sweets: fish skin mucus amino sugars stimulate predator avoidance behaviour of <i> Baetis </i> larvae
Bumble bee queen plasticity and social regulation of traits
Ecosystem engineering by beavers affects mayfly life histories
Disturbance legacies and nutrient limitation influence interactions between grazers and algae in high elevation streams
Nutrient limitation controls the strength of behavioral trophic cascades in high elevation streams
Hydraulic and geomorphic effects on mayfly drift in high-gradient streams at moderate discharges
Habitat selection by stream-dwelling predatory stoneflies
From individuals to ecosystem function: toward an integration of evolutionary and ecosystem ecology
Biogeochemical characteristics and hydroperiod affect carbon dioxide flux rates from exposed high-elevation pond sediments
Genetic structure in a montane mayfly <i>Baetis bicaudatus</i> (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae), from the Rocky Mountains, Colorado
The role of larval cases in reducing aggression and cannibalism among caddisflies in temporary wetlands
Revisiting Darwin's hypothesis: Does greater intraspecific variability increase species' ecological breadth?
Effects of size at metamorphosis on stonefly fecundity, longevity, and reproductive success
Diel feeding and positioning periodicity of a grazing mayfly in a trout stream and a fishless stream
Intraguild predation and competition between larval dragonflies: direct and indirect effects on shared prey
Evolution of Facultative Paedomorphosis in Salamanders
Cyclic Colonization in Predictably Ephemeral Habitats: A Template for Biological Control in Annual Crop Systems
Do Stream Mayflies Exhibit Trade-Offs Between Food Acquisition and Predator Avoidance Behaviors?
Stonefly predation along a hydraulic gradient: a test of the harsh-benign hypothesis
Extrapolating from individual behavior to populations and communities in streams
Measuring dispersal in a metapopulation using stable isotope enrichment: high rates of sex-biased disperal between patches in a mayfly population
Stonefly nymphs hydrodynamic cues to discriminate between prey
Seasonal variation in the intensity of competition and predation among dragonfly larvae
Microhabitat and activity periodicity of predatory stoneflies and their mayfly prey in a western Colorado stream
Niche overlap and the potential for competition and intraguild predation between size-structured populations
Nutrient availability and phytoplankton nutrient limitation across a gradient of atmospheric nitrogen deposition
Characterizing disturbance regimes of mountain streams
Maintenance of polymorphism promoted by sex-specific fitness payoffs
Prey preference in stoneflies: a comparative analysis of prey vulnerability
Predator effects in predator-free space: The remote effects of predators on prey
Consumptive and non-consumptive effects of predators on metacommunities of competing prey
Feeding habits and prey consumption of three predaceous stoneflies (Plecoptera) in a mountain stream
Criteria determining behavioural responses to multiple predators by a stream mayfly
Understanding Organismal Capacity to Respond to Anthropogenic Change: Barriers and Solutions
Perils of life on the edge: Climatic threats to global diversity patterns of wetland macroinvertebrates
The effects of reduction in trout density on the invertebrate community of a mountain stream
A global assessment of environmental and climate influences on wetland macroinvertebrate community structure and function
Prey exchange rates and the impact of predators on prey populations in streams
Integrating behavioral, population and large-scale approaches for understanding stream insect communities
Estimates of mayfly mortality: is stonefly predation a significant source?
The distributional ecology and diversity of benthic insects in Cement Creek, Colorado
Influence of handling stress and fasting on estimates of ammonium excretion by tadpoles and fish: recommendations for designing excretion experiments
An experimental analysis of biological factors contributing to stream community structure
Blooms of benthic diatoms in phosphorus-poor streams
Predator-prey interactions between stoneflies and mayflies: behavioral observations
Alternative predator avoidance syndromes of stream-dwelling mayfly larvae
Aquatic insect predator-prey relations
Possible effects of acidic deposition on a Rocky Mountain population of the tiger salamander <i>Ambystoma tigrinum</i>
Differential behavioural responses of mayflies from stream with and without fish to trout odour
Is predaceous stonefly behavior affected by competition?
Shifts in lake N:P stoichiometry and nutrient limitation driven by atmospheric nitrogen deposition
Why predaceous stoneflies do not aggregate with their prey
Trout predation and the size composition of stream drift
Trout predators and demographic sources and sinks in a mayfly metapopulation
Iron is not responsible for <i>Didymosphenia geminata</i> bloom formation in phosphorus-poor rivers
Macroinvertebrate drift in a Rocky Mountain stream
Using ecological stoichiometry to understand and predict infectious diseases
The mating biology of a mass-swarming mayfly
Life history patterns of Ambystoma tigrinum in montane Colorado
Empirical evidence for nonselective recruitment and a source-sink dynamic in a mayfly metapopulation
Biological interactions as determinants of distribution of benthic invertebrates within the substrate of stony streams
Consequences and plasticity of the specialized predatory behavior of stream-dwelling stonefly larvae
From Insects to Frogs, Egg–Juvenile Recruitment Can Have Persistent Effects on Population Sizes
Non-visual communication in freshwater benthos: an overview
Do stonefly predators influence benthic distributions in streams?
Do predaceous stoneflies and siltation affect the structure of stream insect communities colonizing enclosures?
Why do Ephemerella nymphs scorpion posture: a "ghost of predation past"?
Heterospecific prey and trophic polyphenism in larval tiger salamanders
The diet of Ambystoma tigrinum larvae from western Colorado
The quantification of stream drift
The adaptive significance of paedogenesis in North American species of <i>Ambystoma</i> (Amphibia: Caudata): an hypothesis
Mortality in a population of Daphnia rosea
Diet of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis Mitchill) and brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) in an alpine stream
Dispersal of the fairy shrimp <i>Branchinecta coloradensis</i> (Anostraca): Effects of hydroperiod and salamanders
Prey preference of stoneflies: sedentary vs. mobile prey
Early warning lowers risk of stonefly predation for a vulnerable mayfly
Effects of enclosures on stream microhabitat and invertebrate community structure
Ecosystem-size relationships of river populations and communities
The effect of mermithid parasitism on predation of nymphal Baetis bicaudatus (Ephemeroptera) by invertebrates
Influence of detritus upon colonization of stream invertebrates
Colonization of natural substrates by stream benthos
Experimental manipulations involving the determinants of the spatial distribution of benthic invertebrates within the substrate of stony streams
Mayfly cerci as defense against stonefly predation: deflection and detection
Growth rates and size at metamorphosis of high elevation populations of Ambystoma tigrinum
Neotenic salamanders, Ambystoma tigrinum, in the Elk Mountains of Colorado
Shifts in natural isotopic signatures of animals with complex life-cycles can complicate conclusions on cross-boundary trophic links
Morphological variation of Daphnia pulex Leydig (Crustacea: Cladocera) and related species from North America
The distribution and habitat separation of three corixids (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) in western Colorado
Embryological induction and predation ecology in Daphnia pulex
Zooplankton competition and predation: an experimental test of the size-efficiency hypothesis
Reply to comment by Sell
Effect of Keystone Mine effluent on colonization of stream benthos
The size composition of invertebrate drift in a Rocky Mountain stream
Writing an Effective Response to a Manuscript Review
Genetic population structure of the fairy shrimp <i>Brachinecta coloradensis</i> (Anostraca) in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado
A field test of resource depression by predatory stonefly larvae
Distances travelled by drifting mayfly nymphs: factors influencing return to the substrate
Feeding strategies of an adult stonefly (Plecoptera): implications for egg production and dispersal
The scale of resource specialization and the distribution and abundance of lycaenid butterflies
Dataset (26) →
Carpenter_Meadow_experiment
This file contains data from the experiment at Carpenter Meadow to assess natural selection on flowering in local genotypes. Jill Anderson collected d...
Elevation alters outcome of competition between resident and range-shifting species
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Osmia_iridis_summer_duration_expt_2013-14
Please see README file.
Osmia_iridis_2015_summer_incubator_expt
Data used to generate Fig. 3A-B. Please see README file for details.
Osmia_iridis_summer_duration_expt_2014-15
Please see README file.
Osmia_iridis_2016_summer_incubator_expt
Data used to generate Fig. 3C-D. Please see README file for details.
Osmia_iridis_development_by_DD_2015-16
Data used to generate Fig. 4. Please see README file for details.
Osmia_iridis_parsivoltinism_stats
Data used to generate Fig. 6. Please see README file for details.
Forrest_HOBO_data_May2013-Dec2016
Temperature data from field sites. Please see README file for details.
Carpenter_Meadow_transect_2010
This file contains phenotypic and fitness data on naturally-recruiting Boechera stricta plants in 5 transects. Jill Anderson collected these data at t...
Show 16 more datasets
Carpenter_Meadow_transect_2011
This file contains phenotypic and fitness data on naturally-recruiting Boechera stricta plants in 5 transects. Jill Anderson collected these data at t...
NOAA_CB_DD12_1950-2015_by_day
Data used to generate Fig. 5. Please see README file for details.
Individual level data for RILs (Recombinant Inbred Lines)
This file contains the individual level data for selection analyses and estimates of response to selection in the recombinant inbred lines (RILs) plan...
NOAA_CB_data
Processed data from NOAA's Crested Butte weather station. Please see README file for details.
NOAA_CB_DD12_1950-2015
Please see README file.
Family level averages for the Recombinant Inbred Lines (Colorado)
This file contains family-level average trait values for the recombinant inbred lines (RILs) in the Colorado garden. Columns include: family, leaf num...
Data from: Lifetime fitness, sex-specific life history, and the maintenance of a polyphenism
Polyphenisms, alternative morphs produced through plasticity, can reveal the evolutionary and ecological processes that initiate and maintain diversit...
The role of environmental variation in mediating fitness tradeoffs for an amphibian polyphenism
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Data from: Climate mediates the tradeoffs associated with phenotypic plasticity in an amphibian polyphenism
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Rainbow trout diet and invertebrate drift data from 2012-2015 for the Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Arizona
These data were compiled to explore the foraging ecology of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Arizona. These da...
Facilitation strength across environmental and beneficiary trait gradients in stream communities
Ecosystem engineers modify habitats in ways that facilitate other community members by ameliorating harsh conditions. The strength of such facilitatio...
Cottonwood Lake Study Area - Invertebrate Counts
This dataset contains macroinvertebrate sampling data for the wetlands in the Cottonwood Lake Study Area, Stutsman County, North Dakota. This dataset ...
Biological, chemical, and physical data from the Phytoplankton Monitoring Network from 2001-09-13 to 2013-03-07 (NCEI Accession 0117942)
The Phytoplankton Monitoring Network (PMN) is a part of the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS). The PMN was created as an outreach pro...
Estimating densities of larval Salmonflies (Pteronarcys californica) through multiple pass removal of post-emergent exuvia in Colorado rivers
Traditional methods of collecting, sorting, and identifying benthic macroinvertebrate samples are useful for stream biomonitoring and ecological studi...
An organizing feature of bumble bee life history: worker emergence promotes queen reproduction and survival in young nests
Bumble bee queens initiate nests solitarily and transition to living socially once they successfully rear their first cohort of offspring. Bumble bees...
Replication data for: Fig 6.1, Dates of capture and ages of victims for single American Badger, 03 Nov 2025
FILE DESCRIPTION Keywords: American badger, dates of capture, age of victims, Gunnison's prairie dogs Filename = Fig 6.1, Dates of capture and ages of...