Biofluorescence, the emission of visible light by organisms following the absorption of shorter wavelengths of light, has been identified recently in various amphibians but remains poorly understood in salamanders. This study investigates the potential relationship between biofluorescence and sexual

Climate change poses a unique problem for sessile species because individuals are unable to move to track their optimal habitat. Instead, population turnover governed by population processes must occur in order for the species distribution to change. Current methods to predict current and future spe

Climate change has brought intense disruptions to the natural patterns of growth and reproduction in sub-alpine ecosystems, generating changes to the food sources that Broad-tailed hummingbirds (Selasphorus platycerus), which breed in the Rocky Mountains, depend on. A hotter, dryer climate results i

Alpine plant communities are particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change, which makes predicting how these communities will respond important for their conservation. This can be better predicted by understanding how the communities assemble, which is highly influenced by species intera

Previous studies on bumblebee foraging behavior found that bumblebees often exhibit optimal foraging behavior when collecting nectar and pollen. A popular theory is that bumblebee foraging can be represented by the marginal value theorem (MVT). This summer, I observed the foraging behavior of Bombus

The relationship between environmental variation and fitness has been well established. However, fitness may also be indirectly impacted by environmental variation through the modulation of social behavior. We aim to quantify the effects of environmental variation on sociality, specifically social r

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ungulate herbivory (clipped, unclipped) and nutrient variation (ambient, water added, fertilizer and water added) on conspecific and heterospecific pollen receipt to Ipomopsis aggregata. I found that both clipping and adding nutrients influ

A 14 year warming experiment being conducted in a subalpine meadow has resulted in several physical changes, including advanced date of snowmelt, a decrease in soil moisture, and increased soil temperature in heated plots versus control plots. These microclimate changes have led to a shift in plant

Environmental change affects the survival, interaction and co-existence of species within an ecosystem. We studied multiple species of Rhyacophila, a primitive genus of caddisfly that, in its larval state, lives at the bottom of cold, oxygen rich and fast flowing streams. Previous research has shown