Ethanol is a natural byproduct of yeast fermentation of plant sugars. In flowering plants, yeasts often form mutualistic relationships by inhabiting nectar, where they benefit from access to sugar and confer antimicrobial protection through the production of ethanol. Ethanol in nectar not only shape

Biological interactions reliant on synchronized phenology are being thrown into disarray with warming temperatures and an earlier onset of spring. Migrating Broad-tailed Hummingbirds (Selasphorus platycercus) in Gothic, Colorado tend to arrive and breed in alignment with wildflower flowering phenolo

Differences or similarities in floral morphology can affect the interactions between plants and shared pollinator communities. As such, plant species with similar floral morphology may be competing for pollinators or facilitating pollinator attraction. Thus, pollinators mediate selection on floral m

Bumble bees are important pollinators in both the wild and in agriculture; however, several species globally are under threat due to multiple anthropogenic factors. One of these threats is climate change, and many bumble bee species have adapted by moving up in elevation. This has only been observed

Biological interactions reliant on synchronized phenology are being thrown into disarray with warming temperatures and an earlier onset of spring. Migrating Broad-tailed Hummingbirds (Selasphorus platycercus) in Gothic, Colorado tend to arrive and breed in alignment with wildflower flowering phenolo

The study of plant-insect interactions and pollination has just begun to scratch the surface of the microbes that inhabit many of the surfaces involved in these interactions. While most microbial studies have focused on the roles of obligate nectar yeasts in mediating pollinator behavior and fitness

Most living organic material goes through the detrital pathway. Detritovores are incredibly important in ecosystems for the recycling of nutrients and energy. This project explores the inter- and intraspecies relationships between two co-dominant detritovores that inhabit the high-elevation rocky mo

The plant and pollinator mutualism is under increased stress due to climate change, especially in subalpine ecosystems. Climate change is altering the timing of snowmelt in subalpine ecosystems, which changes the flowering phenology and possible the floral abundance of subalpine plants and therefore

Introduced species are thought to be free of natural enemies when they are brought into a new area. Euphydryas gilletti was introduced to RMBL to the south of its native range in the northern Rockies. I used this butterfly to examine whether it has fewer parasitoids in its new environment. To check,

Mexican Cut Preserve in the Elk Mountains is home to a unique system of ponds with a high diversity of aquatic life. Many species of caddisflies inhabit the various temporary, semi- permanent, and permanent ponds, including Asynarchus nigriculus. A. nigriculus is an aggressive caddisfly species that

In 2020, wildfires burned more acreage in the United States than in the past twenty-one years.1 Boreal wildfires are the cause of ten percent of all annual atmospheric soot in the Northern Hemisphere, which is alarming because soot is detrimental to both human health and environmental health. Some o

Geranium richardsonii was studied at three different elevations to determine if there was a change in the type of pollinator species that visited it. The purpose of this experiment was to test the hypothesis that flies are more abundant at higher elevations and replace bee species found at lower obs

Climate change is causing warmer temperatures and earlier snowmelt throughout the mountains of Western North America. This study was designed to investigate how these two factors of temperature and snowmelt date influence floral traits, using Ipomopsis aggregata as a model species. While phenologica

High elevation plant ecosystems are heavily dependent on snowmelt for maintaining spring soil moisture levels. As climate change alters traditional weather patterns and reduces snowpack, snow is melting earlier and altering flowering phenology. With this change in flowering time potentially exposing

Pollinators play an important role within a variety of ecosystems but are experiencing declines. In recent years, climate change has been affecting the mutualistic relationship between these organisms and the corresponding plants they interact with. It is important to closely study interactions such

High altitude regions are likely to be highly affected by climate change. Pollinators such as bees in these regions may have to change life history traits to survive. Because eusociality is associated with reduced mortality and increased resilience to resource variation, primitively eusocial bees ma

With earlier snowmelt, the impacts of a late frost in the Rocky Mountains have been more consequential for the production of flowers in species such as Erigeron speciosus. Several species of Tephritid flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) are pre-dispersal seed herbivores of E. speciosus. The neighborhood ar

It’s common for scientists to apply experimental practices that have worked well in another study to their own studies without a complete consideration of how that manipulation may impact their system. Open-top warming chambers and pollinator exclusion bags are two such common experimental manipulat