RMBL PHENOLOGY PROJECT:  The project brings together long-term studies on flowering plants, pollinators, and climate (among other variables) to examine the importance of the timing of biological events (phenology) and the influence of climate on the phenology, diversity and abundance of plants and pollinators in high altitude meadows.

WATER RESEARCH IN THE GUNNISON BASIN The Watershed Function group aims to predict how mountainous watersheds retain and release water, nutrients, carbon and metals. Researchers will quantify how droughts, early snowmelt, and other perturbations that are expected to be increasingly common will influence mountainous watershed dynamics that impact downstream water availability and biogeochemical cycling.

ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH IN THE GUNNISON BASIN: The Gunnison Basin hosted two major meteorological research projects led by some of the top atmospheric scientists in the country.  SAIL was a two-year campaign (2021-2023) through the Department of Energy that focused on understanding the physical processes that control where and how precipitation forms across the watershed.  SPLASH was a one-year project (2022-2023) funded by the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration that was complimentary to SAIL with additional emphasis on improving weather and water prediction capabilities in complex mountainous terrain.

PROJECT APHIDS: Insect herbivores such as aphids play outsized roles in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. Consequently, understanding factors that control aphid abundance is critical for managing many ecosystems in the future. Rising temperatures can directly impact aphid development, growth, and survival and shift how these insect herbivores interact with plants and other organisms in their environment. Biotic interactions such as those that influence food resources or vulnerability to predators may be especially important in determining whether aphids and other insect herbivores are able to persist and adapt to rapid climate change. This project examines the effects of warming and biotic interactions on aphids to improve our understanding of factors that influence herbivore abundance under current and future climate scenarios.