Introductions of novel plant species can disturb the historical resource environment of herbivorous insects, resulting in strong selection to either adopt or exclude the novel host. However, an adaptive response depends on heritable genetic variation for preference or performance within the targeted

Maternal characteristics, social dynamics, and environmental factors can all influence reproduction and survival as well as shape trade-offs that might arise between these components of fitness. Short-lived mammals like the golden-mantled ground squirrel (GMGS; Callospermophilus lateralis) tend to m

The data set consists of lead (Pb) isotopic ratios (206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/207Pb, as well as 206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, 208Pb/204Pb) for particulate samples collected from snow and dry deposition. This was part of a study (O Day et al. 2020) that was looking at the speciation of phosphorous in splits

Soil moisture, temperature and electrical conductivity have been monitored with 5TE sensors (Decagon Inc.) located at 10 and 50 cm depth at 4 different locations along the northeast-facing slope at the Lower Montane site in the East River Watershed, Colorado from Oct 2016 to Oct 2018. The purpose of

The fate of natural populations is mediated by complex interactions among vital rates, which can vary within and among years. While the effects of random, among-year variation in vital rates have been studied extensively, relatively little is known about how periodic, non-random variation in vital r

These R scripts contain the code to replicate the analyses performed in Demographic consequences of changing environmental periodicity , Ecology. Vital-rate estimation We used the demographic data of each species to model periodic differences in vital rates for each life-cycle stage using generalize

An outstanding goal in speciation research is to trace the mode and tempo of the evolution of barriers to gene flow. Such research benefits from studying incipient speciation, in which speciation between populations has not yet occurred, but where multiple potential mechanisms of reproductive isolat

Chemically defended plant tissues present formidable barriers to herbivores. Although mechanisms to resist plant defenses have been identified in ancient herbivorous lineages, adaptations to overcome plant defenses during transitions to herbivory remain relatively unexplored. The fly genus Scaptomyz

It is shown how MaxEnt can accurately predict patterns such as species-area relationships (SARs) and abundance distributions in macroecology and be a foundation for ecological theory.

Climate change is a global process that will impact local places in heterogeneous and unpredictable manners. This dissertation considers whose knowledge and observations could contribute to conservation and climate adaptation planning, how perceptions influence social-ecological feedbacks, and how s

Genetic variation and environmental influences are important drivers of variation in individual traits. Environment is an important selective force in shifting genetic variation as individuals respond to climate change. Climate change has a very strong effect on precipitation which affect many organ

As environments change, natural selection will increasingly favor plasticity, a mechanism by which organisms express variable phenotypes based on their abiotic or biotic environment. While these trends occur in sweeping macroenvironmental or coarse-grain patterns, this variation can also exist on an

Background: The enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, PEPCK, occurs in its guanosine-nucleotide-using form in animals and a few prokaryotes. We study its natural genetic variation in Colias (Lepidoptera, Pieridae). PEPCK offers a route, alternative to pyruvate kinase, for carbon skeletons to mov

AbstractGenetic variation at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is vitally important for wildlife populations to respond to pathogen threats. As natural populations can fluctuate greatly in size, a key issue concerns how population cycles and bottlenecks that could reduce genetic diversity w

The molecular tools of genomics have great power to reveal patterns of genetic difference within or among species, but must be complemented by the mechanistic study of the genetic variants found if these variants’ evolutionary meaning is to be well understood. Central to this purpose is knowledge of

Community structure and ecosystem processes often vary along elevational gradients. Their responses to elevation are commonly driven by changes in temperature, and many community- and ecosystem-level variables therefore frequently respond similarly to elevation across contrasting gradients. There ar