Scholarly Work - Ecology
Recent Submissions
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Insect and Pathogen Influences on Tree-Ring Stable Isotopes
(Springer Nature, 2022-06)Understanding long-term insect and pathogen effects on host tree physiology can help forest managers respond to insect and pathogen outbreaks, and understand when insect and pathogen effects on tree physiology will be ... -
Effects of Soil Microbes on Functional Traits of Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) Seedling Families From Contrasting Climates
(Frontiers Media SA, 2020-01)Examining factors that influence seedling establishment is essential for predicting the impacts of climate change on tree species’ distributions. Seedlings originating from contrasting climates differentially express ... -
Investigating old‐growth ponderosa pine physiology using tree‐rings, δ13C, δ18O, and a process‐based model
(Wiley, 2019-06)In dealing with predicted changes in environmental conditions outside those experienced today, forest managers and researchers rely on process‐based models to inform physiological processes and predict future forest growth ... -
Faster drought recovery in anisohydric beech compared with isohydric spruce
(Oxford University Press, 2023-01)With drought and heat events increasing in frequency and intensity worldwide, global drought-induced tree decline (Allen et al. 2010, Hammond et al. 2022) has resulted in widespread interest in understanding the physiological ... -
Functional traits underlie specialist-generalist strategies in whitebark pine and limber pine
(Elsevier BV, 2023-08)Plant species life history strategies are described by functional variation spanning an acquisitive and conservative resource use continuum. Specialist species can exhibit traits promoting one end of the continuum, while ... -
Facilitation strength across environmental and beneficiary trait gradients in stream communities
(Wiley, 2023-08)Ecosystem engineers modify habitats in ways that facilitate other community members by ameliorating harsh conditions. The strength of such facilitation is predicted to be influenced by both beneficiary traits and abiotic ... -
Evaluating the importance of individual heterogeneity in reproduction to Weddell seal population dynamics using integral projection models
(Wiley, 2023-07)Identifying and accounting for unobserved individual heterogeneity in vital rates in demographic models is important for estimating population-level vital rates and identifying diverse life-history strategies, but much ... -
Spawning Locations of Pallid Sturgeon in the Missouri River Corroborate the Mechanism for Recruitment Failure
(MDPI, 2023-05)Conservation propagation of pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) upstream of Fort Peck Reservoir, MT, USA, has successfully recruited a new generation of spawning-capable pallid sturgeon where there would otherwise be ... -
First observations of Weddell seals foraging in sponges in Erebus Bay, Antarctica
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2023-05)Attaching cameras to marine mammals allows for first-hand observation of underwater behaviours that may otherwise go unseen. While studying the foraging behaviour of 26 lactating Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in ... -
Density-related reproductive costs and natal conditions predict male life history in a highly polygynous mammal
(Elsevier BV, 2023-06)Polygynous males allocate substantial resources to sexual traits and behaviours to improve their chances of winning competitions for mates often at the cost of body maintenance. However, the degree to which males experience ... -
Home Range and Use Area Sizes of Territorial Golden Eagles Tracked with Tail-Mounted Satellite Transmitters
(The Raptor Research Foundation, Inc., 2022-09)Recent use of satellite-tracked platform transmitter terminals (PTTs) has increased knowledge of movements of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) and virtually all have been attached via backpack harnesses. To avoid reported ... -
Increasing equitable access to graduate education through competitive hiring in the life sciences
(Wiley, 2023-06)Many professions necessitate a graduate-level education, and research conducted by graduate students is integral in many fields, particularly those in the life science programs like ecology and environmental sciences. ... -
Endurance Swimming Is Related to Summer Lake Survival of Rainbow Trout in a Warm Lake with Avian Piscivores
(MDPI AG, 2023-04)Fitness of fish is assumed to be influenced by locomotion performance, but empirical evidence linking swimming capacity to survival in nature remains sparse. Poor triploid (3N) fish aerobic swimming performance in conjunction ... -
Predation strongly limits demography of a keystone migratory herbivore in a recovering transfrontier ecosystem
(Wiley, 2022-10)Large herbivore migrations are imperiled globally; however the factors limiting a population across its migratory range are typically poorly understood. Zambia's Greater Liuwa Ecosystem (GLE) contains one of the largest ... -
Declines in body size of sockeye salmon associated with increased competition in the ocean
(The Royal Society, 2023-02)Declining body sizes have been documented for several species of Pacific salmon; however, whether size declines are caused mainly by ocean warming or other ecological factors, and whether they result primarily from trends ... -
Evidence of an Absence of Inbreeding Depression in a Wild Population of Weddell Seals (Leptonychotes weddellii)
(MDPI AG, 2023-02)Inbreeding depression can reduce the viability of wild populations. Detecting inbreeding depression in the wild is difficult; developing accurate estimates of inbreeding can be time and labor intensive. In this study, we ... -
Patterns, sources, and consequences of variation in age-specific vital rates: Insights from a long-term study of Weddell seals
(Wiley, 2022-12)Variations in the reproductive and survival abilities of individuals within a population are ubiquitous in nature, key to individual fitness, and affect population dynamics, which leads to strong interest in understanding ... -
Faster drought recovery in anisohydric beech compared with isohydric spruce
(Oxford University Press, 2023-01)With drought and heat events increasing in frequency and intensity worldwide, global drought-induced tree decline (Allen et al. 2010, Hammond et al. 2022) has resulted in widespread interest in understanding the physiological ... -
Relative Condition Parameters for Fishes of Montana, USA
(MDPI AG, 2022-12)Body condition indices are commonly used in the management of fish populations and are a surrogate to physiological attributes such as tissue-energy reserves. Relative condition factor (Kn) describes the condition of species ... -
Understanding Local Adaptation to Prepare Populations for Climate Change
(Oxford University Press, 2022-11)Adaptation within species to local environments is widespread in nature. Better understanding this local adaptation is critical to conserving biodiversity. However, conservation practices can rely on species’ trait averages ...