How do riparian songbirds (Passerines) coexist? Effects of vegetative structural complexity on habitat selection in willow (<i>Salix</i> spp.)
The diversity of avian species and their coexistence in riparian habitat has become increasingly significant in the face of rapidly decreasing vegetation along hydric areas, primarily due to pollution, urbanization, overgrazing, and climate change. The complex and rare riparian habitat system is pri
The effects of the Keystone Mine on aquatic invertebrates
Pre-dispersal seed predation by <i>Hylema</i> (Delia) sp. (Diptera: Anthomyiidae): mechanisms and consequences of oviposition choice
The effects of cattle grazing on montane meadows
Examining top-down and bottom up effects on aphid abundance on Ligusticum porteri
Top-down and bottom-up effects can be seen in tritrophic systems of plants, herbivores and predators. Understanding what factors have a significant impact on herbivores can explain patterns of herbivory in the field. In this study, I report on the aphid Cavariella aegopodii on the plant, Ligusticum
Mining the plant-insect interface with a leafmining <i>Drosophila</i> of <i>Arabidopsis</i>
Experimental infections of Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) with genomically charac- terized plant pathogens such as Pseudomonas syringae have facilitated the dissection of canonical eukaryotic defence pathways and parasite virulence factors. Plants are also attacked by herbivorous insects, and th
Do dandelion flowers influence seed set of a native plant (<i></i>Delphinium nuttallianum<i></i>) in subalpine meadows?
The Ecology of Place
Studies of predation traditionally focus on how predators influence prey communities and prey population oscillations via mortality. Studies carried out for nearly 40 years in one place have enabled us to evaluate the gener- ality of this focus. Early observations in one high-altitude, rocky-bottom
Intraspecific variation of specific leaf area along an elevational gradient
We measured Specific leaf area for 23 plants across six elevational sites spanning a total of 610 meters. Within each site, we sampled twenty individuals from each species that was present to determine intraspecific variance in SLA. Nine species showed a significant positive relationship with elevat
Mule deer (<i>Odocoileus hemionus</i>) respond to yellow-bellied marmot (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>) alarm calls
Individuals may obtain valuable information about the presence of predators by eavesdropping on heterospecific alarm signals. While playback studies have demonstrated that similarly-sized and taxonomically-related species may respond to the calls of each other, less work has been done to define the
Butterflies: Ecology and Evolution Taking Flight
Ecological studies: population viability in plants: conservation, management, and modeling of rare plants
Does species diversity of caddisflies enhance detritus breakdown and nutrient release in temporary ponds?
In small temporary ponds (“Kettle Ponds”) near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, several species of detritivorous caddisflies coexist as detritus processors. Three congeneric caddisflies, Limnephilus externus, Limnephilus sublunatus, and Limnephilus tarsalis play an impor
Behavioral syndromes in yellow-bellied marmots, <i>Marmota flaviventris</i>: Is there a correlation between boldness and exploration?
Animal personality typically refers to a behavioral manifestations stable across time and contexts (Sih et al. 2004, Réale et al. 2007). Personality has been shown to shape fitness and may therefore shape population dynamics though such traits as dominance, response to stress, and reproductive perfo
Long-distance pollinator flights and pollen dispersal between populations of <i>Delphinium nuttalianum</i>
Wildlife Responses to Climate Change: North American Case Studies
The effect of Yellow bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) on the sub-alpine vegetation of the Colorado rocky mountains
Impacts of climate disruption on avian species in the southern Rocky Mountains: a retroanalysis of the Gothic breeding bird survey and pilot point count surveys at Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory weather stations
Changes in species distributions across elevations can be responses to anthropogenic climate disruption. Movement of species to higher elevations can result in local extirpations and colonization that could escalate and critically endanger native species. Studying systems that have experienced histo
Assessing the Presence of Supercooled Liquid Water and Stability Using Radiometer Data Collected during the 2015-2016 Winter Cloud Seeding Program in the Upper Gunnison River Basin, Colorado
During the 2015-2016 Winter Cloud Seeding Program, a Radiometrics microwave radiometer was installed in the Upper Gunnison River Basin cloud seeding target area. The main purpose of using this device was to provide the ability to measure temperature and liquid water in frequent vertical profiles of