Because phenology and climate are linked, studying the consequences of shifting phenology can help scientists understand the systems that make up current climates and construct future ones. In the Rocky Mountains, climate change has led to earlier snowmelt, an event that triggers the start of the gr

Carrion plays an important role in maintaining ecosystems and providing resources for different forms of life, returning key nutrients to the environment and serving as a food source for animals. While vertebrates who consume carrion are well studied, invertebrates are not as well studied, primarily

There are two types of cavity nesting birds: excavators and non-excavators. In the aspen (Populus tremuloides) woodlands of Colorado, the red-naped sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) is the predominant primary cavity nester. Sapsuckers excavate new holes each year in trees infected with the heartwood

One of the most interesting questions that ecologists strive to answer is how and why species diversity and richness amongst organisms varies across geographical regions. Of course, there are multiple possible factors that impact the patterns of species diversity but this study compounds data from h

Sex-biased herbivory towards male plants has been shown to be common in many dioecious species. Valeriana edulis is a perennial, dioecious dicot that is the plant host to an ant-aphid mutualism. We investigated the interaction between ants and aphids to determine if it differs based on the sex of a

Ecologists are always interested in studying populations of a certain area. There are many reasons for this, but two reasons include to see the change in distribution over time and because it can help tell about interactions between species. A traditional way of studying small mammal populations tha

There is an incredible diversity of floral morphologies and colors within plant communities of the southwestern, Rocky Mountains. However, little research has been done to quantify exactly how diverse these communities are, and to assess which ecological and phylogenetic processes are structuring th

Mosses are foundational members of alpine plant communities but are often excluded from vegetation monitoring. In this study, I surveyed moss and vascular plant cover across five alpine ridges near Gothic, Colorado to understand how environmental variables shape moss abundance. I analyzed vegetation

As there is an increase in greenhouse gasses, it is causing direct and indirect changes in plant interactions with herbivory and fungal pathogens. By imitating the increase in climate change through temperature, it is possible to observe the indirect effect it has on herbivory/fungal pathogens on th

The Mountain White-crowned Sparrow(Zonotrichia leucophrys oriantha) is a migratory songbird that nests in alpine and sub-alpine meadows in the Rocky Mountains. They return to their natal elevation to breed, and nest from 2,438m to 3,657m above sea level in the spring to late summer. Because they nes