Theses and Dissertations - Ecology
Recent Submissions
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The future of Colorado forests : assessing seedling performance under climate change
Warming temperatures as a primary manifestation of climate change will dramatically alter the forests of the Rocky Mountain region as species will either adapt in place, migrate to suitable habitats, or face extirpation. ... -
Frameworks for testing mechanisms of invasion and plant defense
To view the abstract, please see the full text of the document. -
Tracing carbon flows through Arctic and alpine watersheds
Organic matter turnover and mobilization links the productivity of terrestrial and fluvial ecosystems and regulates global climate. The first part of this dissertation reviews how our conceptual framework of soil organic ... -
Reproductive ecology and population viability of alpine-endemic ptarmigan populations in Colorado
To view the abstract, please see the full text of the document. -
Don’t cry over spilled water : identifying risks and solutions for produced water spills
Resource requirements and future energy generation requires careful evaluation, particularly due to climate change and water scarcity. This thesis discusses one aspect of energy generation linked to water; oil-and-gas ... -
Using ecological niche modeling to identify the potential range of novel invasive toadflax genotypes in the U.S. Northern Rockies
Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica [L.] Mill.) and yellow toadflax (Linaria vulgaris Mill.) are vigorous invasive weeds posing significant management challenges. Predictions of suitable environments for these aggressive, ... -
Impacts and management of the invasive Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.) in a hereogenous riparian ecosystem
Russian olive is an exotic actinorhizal tree intentionally introduced to the U.S. in the early 1900's. It has become a dominant component of riparian ecosystems throughout the western U.S. Unlike most other riparian trees ... -
Is it plastic or just fantastic? : understanding the role of plasticity and local adaptation in the drought tolerance of Bouteloua gracilis
The ability of an organism to tolerate or acclimate to drought may become a major driver of changes in community composition, carbon and water cycles and ecosystem services as we encounter increasing severity and frequency ... -
Ecological characteristics, environmental services and the potential for change in a semi-arid agricultural landscape in Colorado, U.S.A.
The conversion of native vegetation to cities and agriculture has caused a loss in habitat diversity with subsequent effects on plant and animal populations. Hydrologic modifications have increased land available for ... -
Patterns of association in a co-introduced insect herbivore and parasitoid wasp
Species within trophic networks that experience a range expansion can lead to populations of coevolved species re-associating in some areas, not associating in others, or creating novel associations with native species at ... -
Evaluation of population monitoring strategies for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in northwestern Colorado
Population monitoring programs are essential for the proper management of wildlife species but, despite recent advances in methodologies, generating accurate and defensible estimates of population size and trend remains a ... -
Tools for improved management of sagebrush avifauna and sagebrush rangelands
To view the abstract, please see the full text of the document. -
Disentangling drivers of colonization success in laboratory and natural systems
Understanding why colonizing populations successfully establish is important for predicting dynamics of invasive species. Propagule pressure, or the number of individuals in a founding group, is considered the most consistent ... -
Factors influencing breeding avifauna abundance and habitat selection in the alpine ecosystem of Colorado
Species in alpine habitat occupy high elevation areas with limited scope for upslope migration, and as a result are expected to react sensitively to climate-caused habitat alteration. Changes in temperature are causing an ... -
An introduced plant affects the structure and function of riparian food webs
Aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are closely linked by the reciprocal flux of resource subsidies, but these dynamics can be uncoupled by anthropogenic change. Introduced species are easily spread by riverine systems, but ... -
Temperature sensitivity as a microbial trait
Reaction rates in biological systems are strongly controlled by temperature, yet the degree to which temperature sensitivity varies for different enzymes and microorganisms is being largely reformulated. The Arrhenius ... -
Hierarchical Bayesian models for population ecology
Models, by their definition, are abstractions of the systems they describe and require a delicate balance of inclusion of information with reduction. Hierarchical Bayesian models are well suited for ecological problems, ... -
Assessing plant diversity to enable continental-scale monitoring and forecasting
The Earth System is dynamic. It influences and is influenced by physical, chemical, and geological processes, but it may be the least understood of these systems. The biosphere interacts with the physical Earth System on ... -
Soil heterogeneity in agricultural and natural ecosystems : relationships between anaerobic activity, organic matter, nutrients, and greenhouse gases
Many soil biogeochemical processes are difficult to predict, in part, due to the spatial heterogeneity of physical, chemical, and biological components of soil. Understanding how heterogeneity forms and affects biogeochemical ... -
A social-ecological approach to managing agricultural ammonia emissions and nitrogen deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park
Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is harmful to nutrient-limited mountain ecosystems. Annual wet deposition of total inorganic N in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) is dominated by ammonium, which primarily comes from ...
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