Comparing clines in floral and vegetative traits along an elevation gradient in an <i>Ipomopsis</i> hybrid zone
Gene flow in hybrid zones acts as a barrier to speciation, yet we still see cases in which separate hybridizing species are maintained. Selection for different floral traits at each end of a hybrid zone by pollinators and for different vegetative traits by environmental gradients are two possible so
Mysteries of road dust: Does road dust influence flower lifespan in scarlet gilia?
This study aims to explore the exciting mysteries of road dust. In the beautiful Rocky Mountains, at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in western Colorado, there is an amazing diversity of plants, but one in particular near unpaved roads is Ipomopsis aggregata, Scarlet gilia, a perennial flow
The Role of Alpine Wetlands as Hot Spots of Dissolved Organic Carbon in the East River, Colorado
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a critical chemical attribute of freshwater systems, affecting nutrient availability, toxicity and solubility of metals, and biological activity via the absorption of light and microbial consumption of O2 during DOC mineralization. Although DOC contributions to stre
Faunal report
The role of extrafloral nectaries in seed predation of <i>Helianthella quinquenervis</i>: life without the ant
Does snowmelt timing affect bumble bee colony abundance?
Average temperatures are increasing globally and causing shifts in the timing of weather events such as spring snowmelt, which may have profound consequences on the phenology of many organisms. Working at the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab in central Colorado, we examined the relationship between spr
How an environment's moisture heterogeneity affects a community's traits
A plant’s functional traits, which aid with survival, growth, and reproduction, are shaped by different abiotic and evolutionary elements. Some communities have a larger degree of variation in their functional traits, and this study aimed to see if this variation is directly linked to the level of e
Water chemistry of a stream in Paradise Basin
Habitat Selection in Nicrophoryus investigator and defodiens.
We investigated habitat selection in Nicrophorus investigator, an obligate carrion breeder. The source-sink hypothesis states that some environments will be resource rich and produce a high amount of offspring while other environments will be resource low and produce a low amount of offspring. Carca
Increased energy demands and trends in dietary preferences of the montane vole (<i>Microtus montanus</i>)
Field Estimation of food-web complexity in a sub-alpine meadow
Mechanisms of tolerance to floral larceny in two animal-pollinated wildflowers, <i>Polemonium viscosum</i> and <i>Ipomopsis aggregata</i>
Reproductive strategies in the butterflies. I. Mating frequency, plugging, and egg number
Frost Sensitivity of Subalpine Plants in the Colorado Rocky Mountains: The Effects of Seasonality, Water Content, and Phylogeny
Our study examined the frost sensitivities of subalpine flowering plants near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, in Gothic, CO. Most studies on the impacts of climate change have focused on the effects of temperature warming and how it affects species. Our study examined the frost sensitiviti
Associational effects of E. speciosus and E. elatior on their pollinators and seed predators.
Studying the relationships between plants and insects is important in natural and agricultural communities. It has been shown that plant community composition has an effect on insect pollinators and herbivores. However, these relationships have only been researched independently and no study has com