One of the most talked about potential consequences of climate change is that of phenological mismatches between interacting species, such as flowering plants and their pollinators. While there is ample long term data for plant phenology, there is little data on pollinator phenology. It is becoming

The risk of predation influences the behavior of individuals and can determine how an animal allocates its time when searching for and obtaining food. To reduce predation risk, many animals use refuges and protective cover to increase their chances of survival, but it is unclear how these safe areas

Phenology is an important life history trait. As altitude increases in alpine environments, the growing season shortens and flowering phenology is more compressed. Co-flowering could occur more at higher elevations as a compensation for the shorter growing season. However, interspecific competition

Dioecious plants have been observed to exhibit differences in growth rates and levels of herbivory defense between the sexes, with slower growing females investing more into constitutive defenses than fast-growing males. There are no predictions or empirical data, though, regarding differences in in

Ant and aphid interactions are often assumed to be mutualistic, with both participating parties receiving a benefit that outweighs the cost. Yet this interaction can range between mutualistic and antagonistic due to factors that alter this ratio of cost and benefit. Some factors that can affect the

Whirligig beetle populations from five temporary kettle ponds and one marsh near the Rocky Mountain Biological laboratory, Gunnison County, western Colorado U.S.A. were studied during summer 2010. The purpose of the study was to measure the effects of extreme fluctuating environmental conditions inc

Spatial patterns of the magnitude and rate of exhumation occurring during the late

The way in which plants respond evolutionarily to environmental change partially depends on the magnitude of variation present within populations. In an attempt to understand the evolutionary response of Androsace septentrionalis (Rock Jasime) to current and future climate change in the Elk mountain

Nectar robbing can affect both male and female components of plant reproduction. To understand the mechanisms driving those plant-reproductive outcomes, I studied the effects of nectar robbing on pollen deposition and pollinator behavior in the hummingbird-pollinated host plant Ipomopsis aggregata.

At the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), revegetation is an important area of research because there are many areas of disturbed land that are more vulnerable to the spread of invasive species. In my project, I revisited a former student’s revegetation work in order to determine the long-