This dataset contains Leaf Area Index (LAI) measurements made as part of the Colorado Headwaters Ecological Spectroscopy Study (CHESS) during June and July of 2025. Data were collected in the Upper Gunnison Basin, Colorado, across three study domains: the Upper East River (CRBU), Almont Triangle (AL

This dataset represents geolocation data associated with field observations and sampling from the Colorado Headwaters Ecological Spectroscopy Study (CHESS) during June and July of 2025. Location data were collected using Trimble DA2 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers with Trimble Ca

We explored the relative importance of temporal vs. spatial variability to the conditionality of a mutualism between the treehopper Publilia modesta and the ant Formica obscuripes. The effect of the ants on the membracids varied considerably among years. When the effect of the ants on the membracids

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

Previous studies have shown that plant species diversity, habitat type, elevation, and temperature affect ant community structure. In this study, I examined the roles of these factors at 10 sites in and around Gothic, CO in aspen stands and meadows. Data gathered through baiting experiments and pitf

Experimental tools that enable manipulations of organisms at larger scales allow for comparisons of processes across multiple spatial scales and expand our ability to make predictions about ecological processes. We performed reach scale (i.e., 50 m2) manipulations of invertebrate communities in stre

Results suggest that butterflies are unlikely to be useful indicators of moth diversity at a local scale, phylogenetic relatedness is not a reliable criterion for selecting appropriate indicator taxa, and a habitat-based approach would more effectively conserve moth diversity in this landscape.

Physicists seek simplicity in universal laws. Ecologists revel in complex interdependencies. A sustainable future for our planet will probably require a look at life from both sides.

Plants that experience variation in pollinator visitation rates or fluctuations in weather conditions may be expected to have evolved homeostatic mechanisms that regulate their nectar offerings, thereby providing a more constant reward to the pollinators. A limited degree of such nectar homeostasis

Hybridization in flowering plants is determined in part by the rate at which animal pollinators move between species and by the effectiveness of such movements in transferring pollen. Pollinator behavior can also influence hybrid fitness by determining receipt and export of pollen. We incorporated i

Board of Trustees of The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. Rights of re-use of all photographs reserved to Ward B. Watt. 1977.