Mass gain is an important fitness correlate for survival in highly seasonal species. While many physiological, genetic, life history, and environmental factors can influence mass gain, more recent work suggests the specific nature of an individual’s own social relationships also influences mass gain

Balancing selection is frequently invoked as a mechanism to maintain variation within and across populations. However, rigorous tests demonstrating balancing selection operating in nature are scarce, particularly on complex traits, which frequently display high levels of variation. Leveraging a foca

Bumble bee queens initiate nests solitarily and transition to living socially once they successfully rear their first cohort of offspring. Bumble bees are disproportionately important for early season pollination, and many populations are experiencing dramatic declines. In this system, the onset of

Species responses to climate change depend on environment, genetics, and interactions among these factors. Intraspecific cytotype (ploidy level) variation is a common type of genetic variation in many species. However, the importance of intraspecific cytotype variation in determining demography acro

Organismal traits often influence fitness via interactions with multiple species. That selection is not necessarily predictable from pairwise interactions, such as when interactions occur during different lifecycle stages. Theoretically, directional selection during two sequential episodes, e.g., po

Phylogenetic relationships may underlie species-specific phenological sensitivities to abiotic variation and may help to predict these responses to climate change. Although shared evolutionary history may mediate both phenology and phenological sensitivity to abiotic variation, few studies have expl

Strategies that enable species to persist in changing environments have historically been divided into ecological (distributional shifts and phenotypic plasticity) and evolutionary (adaptation and gene flow). However, most species will likely need to rely on a combination of approaches to mitigate

Anthropogenic climate change has already altered the timing of major life-history transitions, such as the initiation of reproduction. Both phenotypic plasticity and adaptive evolution can underlie rapid phenological shifts in response to climate change, but their relative contributions are poorly u

In this study I examined the effects of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation to light environment in the crucifer Cardamine cordifolia, at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, in Gothic, Colorado. Previous work by Louda and colleagues showed that plants in sun environments were subject to

Mutualisms are mutually exploitative relationships in which the benefits to both partners outweigh the costs. Mutualisms are expected to exist in a fragile balance, and these interactions may vary, both across their geographic range and temporally. Valeriana edulis, a dioecious perennial, is host to

Seasonal change in pollinator-mediated selection on style length may help maintain variation in this trait in M. fusiformis, but adaptation to local flowering time is not apparent. The prevalence of short styles in these populations requires further explanation.

The importance of field studies for understanding the evolutionary dynamics of model and nonmodel systems are emphasized, a key life history trait (flowering time) is highlighted and emerging conservation issues are discussed.

Brassicaceae plants, such as bittercress (Cardamine cordifolia) produce characteristic glucosinolates, which are secondary metabolites used as defense compounds to deter pathogens and insect herbivores, such as the leaf mining fly (Scaptomyza nigrita). These compounds are produced constitutively and

Black sage aphids, Obtusicauda frigidae, are infected by the bacterial endosymbiont Hamiltonella defensa. The bacteria confers a resistance to parasitism by the solitary endoparastic wasp Aphidius ervi. The bacteria also confers a number of other advantages to the aphids. Despite the number of advan

The link between reproductive and vegetative ecology of flowering plants is rarely explored, despite its importance for understanding population processes and fitness. This link can be studied by using experimental or natural variation in seed input to the soil to assess how reproductive success aff