Nectar robbing is a process used by various insects to retrieve nectar from flowers that would otherwise be inaccessible. The community-level consequences of nectar robbing have not been widely studied, and the differences between primary and secondary robbing have been studied even less. Fitness co

As environments continue to change, plant communities will increasingly be pressured to adapt to their environment to maintain fitness levels. The most common release of climatic stressor result in range shifts and changes in phenology for plants. Boechera stricta, a perennial forb native to a range

Climate change alters many biotic and abiotic factors in environments around the world. At higher elevations in particular, climate change brings warmer mean temperatures, reduced snowpack, earlier snowmelt, and more extreme drought. In this study, we analyzed the effect of early snow removal on Boe

Observational studies of behavior provide insight into the fitness consequences of varying behavioral strategies in mammals. The behavior of golden-mantled ground squirrels (Callospermophilus lateralis, GMGS), an asocial hibernating species, is constrained by the energetic demands of reproduction, p

At the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), road dust is easily dispersed by vehicle transportation and can travel 200 meters from the road. A previous study found that road dust had an ecological impact on several species of common wildflowers at the RMBL, including scarlet gilia, Ipomopsis

Climate change is impacting ecological systems around the globe with much of current research characterizing direct plant and animal responses. However, there is a gap in our knowledge regarding the direct response of fungal symbionts to climate change. Horizontally transmitted leaf endophytes (type

Evolution by natural selection is influenced by an organism’s environment. Biodiversity, an aspect of the biotic environment, is rapidly changing due to anthropogenic activity, so its impacts on selection must be better understood. In this study, the effects of diversity on selection for an insect r

Avian populations at high elevation are well-adapted to extreme and variable abiotic conditions. Species have adapted efficient foraging strategies, as well as well-timed nest incubation patterns. These behavioral traits are essential in order for parents to meet their metabolic needs while simultan

Stridulation is a key behavior to determining survival in Nicrophorus investigator. In this paper, the roles it plays in competition over a carcass, burying process, and larval development have been studied. Their ability to stridulate was manipulated through clipping part of their plectra and they

Rusts are pathogens of rapidly growing plant tissue and are of particular concern in agricultural settings due to their reduction of plant fitness. These phytopathogens depend heavily on abiotic features such as humidity, temperature, and UV strength, and with a changing climate, the rust ranges may

Boechera stricta is a mustard that grows naturally throughout a wide range of altitudes in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. B. stricta has a variety of natural herbivores, which makes it an interesting system in which to study how plant-herbivore relationships vary over an elevational gradient. Through

Flight initiation distance, or FID, is the distance between a predator and its prey at which the prey decides to flee. FID is influenced by several internal and external factors, which influence the potential costs and benefits of escape. For refuging prey, their path to a refuge may force them to g

Changes in elevation have strong influences on the taxonomic richness and population densities of terrestrial ecosystems (Hawkins et. al, 2013, McCain and Grytnes 2010, Rahbek 1995). These gradients are caused by changes in precipitation, temperature, and several other key environmental factors asso

Climate change may affect individuals within a species differently dependent on sex, leading to skewed sex ratios. This paper considers the effect of mating environment on seed production in the dioecious plant species, Valeriana edulis. The study was conducted in female dominated populations where

Alarm calling is a behavior that typically benefits individuals through an increase in indirect fitness, an increase in social status, or in relation to reciprocity. Despite the risk of potentially higher detection by predators, callers emit these vocalizations in response to a threat. While previou