Hybridization between interspecific angiosperms is common, yet the initial stages are rare (REF- is this even true????). One of the factors that aeffects the rate of hybridization is the behavior of pollinators responsible for transferring pollen and fertilizing the flowers – only for some plants. P

A plants ability to resist high levels of herbivory may increase performance and fitness, then be favored by natural selection (Agrawal et al 1998, Karban 1993). The objectives of this study were to find if Chamerion angustifolium, Fireweed, develops an induced resistance to herbivory damage and if

Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs) are human-made structures mimicking beaver dams and are implemented in restoration projects to slow flow, aggrade sediment, and reconnect streams to floodplains or create wetland conditions. Despite the recent popularity of this technique, very little monitoring occurs at

Vanston 2 Plant-pollinator communities are complex networks that are essential to the promotion of biodiversity and ecosystem health. Plant pollinator networks are sensitive to environmental change, and climate change poses a severe threat to the dynamics of these networks. It is important to examin

The caddisfly L. externus has been observed to have a decline in population density over the summer months as the larvae develop. However this pattern has not been formally tested, so collecting population density data is important for future research and understanding changes in densities over time

Rising global temperatures are predicted to alter community dynamics by shifting species ranges and altering biotic interactions. Herbivory is expected to increase with prolonged growing seasons and heightened metabolic rates; pathogen damage may increase as well. We predict that damage by herbivore

Schenker 1 Intraspecific trait variation – the variation among individuals within the same species – is seen within all natural populations and strongly affects the dynamics of and interactions between populations, communities, and ecosystems. Individual trait variation fluctuates across space and t

This study examined sexual dimorphism and dichromatism in mountain white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys oriantha) and how it changes over an elevational gradient. Birds living in high elevation habitats are subject to harsh climatic conditions and a shorter breeding season, which affects h

​ Puddling is a form of supplemental feeding for nectivorous Lepidoptera to acquire necessary mineral nutrients, primarily sodium, that are otherwise absent from their nectar diets. For many species sodium is important for growth, nervous system function, and egg production. However, the mechanisms

The interaction network between pollinators, plants, and the microbes that inhabit them is not yet widely understood. Most studies of floral microbes have focused on the role of nectar yeasts (e.g., Metschnikowia reukaufii) in the behavior of bumblebee pollinators and how they affect the fitness of

Light response is a unique plant trait that is caused by a species level adaptation to a particular light environment and leaf morphology. By ignoring individuals and focusing on communities as a whole, I was better able to understand how irradiance levels shape plant life. I measured some key chara

Wetland nutrient cycling occurs through complex feedback mechanisms and dynamic inter- and intra-species interactions. In the shallow, oligotrophic ponds at the Mexican Cut Nature Preserve, near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in the Elk Mountains of Western Colorado, detritovore caddisfly

As secondary cavity-nesters, mountain bluebirds are limited in their selection of nest sites by the choices of primary (excavating) cavity nesters. In the aspen forests of Colorado, red-naped sapsuckers are the primary excavators and several species depend on sapsucker nest cavities for their own ne

I examined the effect of forest fragment area on bird species richness and abundance in high- elevation Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmanni) and sub-alpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) patches in Gunnison County, Colorado. Point counts were used to survey birds in 26 forest patches, ranging from 0.06 to 8.