Ecology
The department's teaching and research addresses critical ecological and natural resources issues for Montana, but also tackles fundamental and applied questions around the globe. Undergraduate programs within the department include Fish & Wildlife Management and Ecology, Conservation Biology and Ecology, Organismal Biology, and Biology Teaching. Graduate programs (M.S. and P.hD.) include Fish & Wildlife Management or Biology and Biological Sciences and an intercollege PhD in Ecology and Environmental Sciences.
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Montana Cooperative Fishery Research Unit
www.montana.edu/mtcfru
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Recent Submissions
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A Survey of Bacterial Respiratory Pathogens in Native and Introduced Mountain Goats ( Oreamnos americanus)
(2018-06)In contrast to broad range expansion through translocations, many mountain goat ( Oreamnos americanus) populations have shown signs of decline. Recent documentation of pneumonia in mountain goats highlights their susceptibility ... -
Aquatic macroinvertebrates stabilize gravel bed sediment: A test using silk net-spinning caddisflies in semi-natural river channels
(2019-01)Organisms can have large effects on the physical properties of the habitats where they live. For example, measurements in laboratory stream microcosms have shown that the presence of silk net-spinning insect larvae ... -
Wild horse demography: implications for sustainable management within economic constraints
(2018-04)Management of wild horse (Equus ferus caballus) populations on western U.S. rangelands has been a challenge since horses were given legal protection through the passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act (WFRHba) ... -
Respiratory pathogens and their association with population performance in Montana and Wyoming bighorn sheep populations
(2018-11)At the request of National Park Service resource managers, we began a study in 2000 to evaluate causes for the decline of the bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) population inhabiting Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area ... -
A list of bees from three locations in the Northern Rockies Ecoregion (NRE) of Montana
(2018-10)Background Wild bees that were collected in conjunction with a larger study are presented as a checklist of species for the Northern Rockies Ecoregion of Montana, USA. Over the course of four field seasons (2013-2016), ... -
Disentangling climate and disturbance effects on regional vegetation greening trends
(2018-11)Productivity of northern latitude forests is an important driver of the terrestrial carbon cycle and is already responding to climate change. Studies of the satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) ... -
Moving Forward in Global-Change Ecology: Capitalizing on Natural Variability
(2013-01)Natural resources managers are being asked to follow practices that accommodate for the impact of climate change on the ecosystems they manage, while global-ecosystems modelers aim to forecast future responses under different ... -
Postfledging Survival of Grasshopper Sparrows in Grasslands Managed with Fire and Grazing
(2011-05)More accurate estimates of survival after nestlings fledge are needed for population models to be parameterized and population dynamics to be understood during this vulnerable life stage. The period after fledging is the ... -
Another Tool in the Toolbox? Using Fire and Grazing to Promote Bird Diversity in Highly Fragmented Landscapes
(2011-03)The grasslands of central North America have experienced drastic reductions in extent, removal of historic disturbance patterns, and homogenization of remaining fragments. This has resulted in steep declines for a broad ... -
Spatial heterogeneity across five rangelands managed with pyric‐herbivory
(2012-07)1. Many rangelands evolved under an interactive disturbance regime in which grazers respond to the spatial pattern of fire and create a patchy, heterogeneous landscape. Spatially heterogeneous fire and grazing create ... -
A Cross-Taxonomic Comparison of Insect Responses to Grassland Management and Land-Use Legacies
(2011-12)Many species of plants and animals associated with grasslands are rare or declining due to habitat loss and degradation. Although grassland plants and insects evolved in the context of both grazing and fire, the appropriate ... -
Using Biodiversity Data to Assess Species--Habitat Relationships in Glacier National Park, Montana
(1994-11)Biodiversity surveys are becoming increasingly popular. However, standard analysis techniques for these data have not yet been developed. This paper explores the use of multivariate ordination techniques for assessing ... -
Montane Meadow Change during Drought Varies with Background Hydrologic Regime and Plant Functional Group
(2010-01)Climate change models for many ecosystems predict more extreme climatic events in the future, including exacerbated drought conditions. Here we assess the effects of drought by quantifying temporal variation in community ... -
Quantifying Relationships Between Bird and Butterfly Community Shifts and Environmental Change
(2006-02)Quantifying the manner in which ecological communities respond during a time of decreasing precipitation is a first step in understanding how they will respond to longer‐term climate change. Here we coupled analysis of ... -
Growth and physiological responses of subalpine forbs to nitrogen and soil moisture: investigating the potential roles of plant functional traits
(2018-06)Anthropogenic inputs of biologically available nitrogen (N) and climate change are simultaneously altering N and soil moisture availability in terrestrial ecosystems. Yet, plant responses to concurrent changes in both N ... -
Improving geographically extensive acoustic survey designs for modeling species occurrence with imperfect detection and misidentification
(2018-06)Acoustic recording units (ARUs) enable geographically extensive surveys of sensitive and elusive species. However, a hidden cost of using ARU data for modeling species occupancy is that prohibitive amounts of human ... -
Habitat characteristics of the hoary marmot: assessing distribution limitations in Montana
(2018-10)Species that live in ecosystems with extremely different seasonal conditions must balance the constraints of each season to survive. Alpine species that do not migrate seasonally are especially adept at balancing the ... -
Occupancy modeling of Parnassius clodius butterfly populations in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
(2018-05)Estimating occupancy patterns and identifying vegetation characteristics that influence the presence of butterfly species are essential approaches needed for determining how habitat changes may affect butterfly populations ... -
Movement of Imperiled Chiricahua Leopard Frogs during Summer Monsoons
(2018-12)Habitat fragmentation and subsequent disruption of animal movement are responsible for extinctions in some species, including amphibians. Amphibians that can travel across fragmented landscapes may be at lower risk of ... -
Drought and increased CO2 alter floral visual and olfactory traits with context-dependent effects on pollinator visitation
(2018-03)Climate change can alter species interactions essential for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function, such as pollination. Understanding the interactive effects of multiple abiotic conditions on floral traits and ...
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