Yellow-bellied marmots as prey of coyotes
-Analysis of contents of 395 coyote (Canis latrans) scats collected for 6 yr at a subalpine locality in Colorado showed that yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) were a regular and frequent prey of coyotes during summer. There was no evidence that marmots were especially vulnerable to preda
Adaptive significance of pigment polymorphism in Colias butterflies. III. Progress in study of the "alba" variant
Integrating natural gradients, experiments, and statistical modeling in a distributed network experiment: An example from the WaRM Network
A growing body of work examines the direct and indirect effects of climate change on ecosystems, typically by using manipulative experiments at a single site or performing meta-analyses across many independent experiments. However, results from single-site studies tend to have limited generality. Al
Resource allocation as a driver of senescence: Life history tradeoffs produce age patterns of mortality
It is concluded that, even for species with qualitatively similar life histories, differences in physiological, behavioral and environmental tradeoffs or constraints may strongly influence optimal allocation schedules and produce variation in mortality patterns and life expectancy.
Sublimation of Snow
Abstract Snow is a vital part of water resources, and sublimation may remove 10%–90% of snowfall from the system. To improve our understanding of the physics that govern sublimation rates, as well as how those rates might change with the climate, we deployed an array of four towers with over 100 ins
Ontogenetic variation of heritability and maternal effects in yellow-bellied marmot alarm calls.
Individuals of many species produce distinctive vocalizations that may relay potential information about the signaller. The alarm calls of some species have been reported to be individually specific, and this distinctiveness may allow individuals to access the reliability or kinship of callers. Whil
Recent Upper Colorado River Streamflow Declines Driven by Loss of Spring Precipitation
Abstract Colorado River streamflow has decreased 19% since 2000. Spring (March‐April‐May) weather strongly influences Upper Colorado River streamflow because it controls not only water input but also when snow melts and how much energy is available for evaporation when soils are wettest. Since 2000,
Plant–pollinator interaction niche broadens in response to severe drought perturbations
The composition of plant–pollinator interactions—i.e., who interacts with whom in diverse communities—is highly dynamic, and we have a very limited understanding of how interaction identities change in response to perturbations in nature. One prediction from niche and diet theory is that resource ni
Stream water sourcing from high-elevation snowpack inferred from stable isotopes of water: a novel application of d-excess values
Abstract. About 80 % of the precipitation at the Colorado River's headwaters is snow, and the resulting snowmelt-driven hydrograph is a crucial water source for about 40 million people. Snowmelt from alpine and subalpine snowpack contributes substantially to groundwater recharge and river flow. Howe
An analytical pipeline to support robust research on the ecology, evolution, and function of floral volatiles
Research on floral volatiles has grown substantially in the last 20 years, which has generated insights into their diversity and prevalence. These studies have paved the way for new research that explores the evolutionary origins and ecological consequences of different types of variation in floral
The Colorado East River Community Observatory Data Collection
Abstract The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Colorado East River Community Observatory (ER) in the Upper Colorado River Basin was established in 2015 as a representative mountainous, snow‐dominated watershed to study hydrobiogeochemical responses to hydrological perturbations in headwater systems.
The effect of maternal glucocorticoid levels on juvenile docility in yellow-bellied marmots
The results suggest that a mother's life history stage interacts with stress to influence offspring personality, a personality trait, and can have long lasting effects on an individual's docility throughout life.
A molecular investigation of soil organic carbon composition across a subalpine catchment
The dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and turnover are a critical component of the global carbon cycle. Mechanistic models seeking to represent these complex dynamics require detailed SOC compositions, which are currently difficult to characterize quantitatively. Here, we address this ch
A global assessment of environmental and climate influences on wetland macroinvertebrate community structure and function
Harvest rates and escape speeds in two coexisting species of montane ground squirrels
I measured harvest rates and maximum running-escape speeds of two species of ground-dwelling squirrels, the least chipmunk (Tamias minimus) and the golden-mantled ground squirrel (Spermophilus lateralis). Using seed trays in which foragers experienced diminishing returns, I found that S. lateralis h
Seed Dispersal by Ants in the Rocky Mountains
-Field tests quantifying the behavioral responses of ants to the seeds of twenty Rocky Mountain species were conducted in Gunnison County, Colorado. The results indicate that Claytonia lanceolata Pursh, Corydalis aurea Willd., C. caseana A. Gray., Delphinium nelsoni Greene, and Viola nuttallii Pursh
Three-Dimensional Surface Downwelling Longwave Radiation Clear-Sky Effects in the Upper Colorado River Basin
Abstract In complex terrain, non‐parallel surfaces receive emitted radiation from adjacent surfaces. Qualitatively, where surface skin temperatures and lower tropospheric temperature and humidity are not uniform, the downwelling longwave radiation (DLR) will be determined not just by radiation from
Irrigation and River Control in the Colorado River Delta
384 pages
The forest resource of Colorado /
This report is concerned primarily with the timber resource.However, because practically none of the forest area is managed for timber alone, the report also briefly describes demands for associated forest valueswater, recreation, wildlife, and forage.
Bedazzled by flowers
It is concluded that bees prefer to visit magenta-coloured flowers with a sparkling surface, which has implications for the idea of ‘pollination syndromes’, whereby certain plants are thought to be adapted to attract particular pollinators.
