AN ACCELEROMETER STRAPPED TO A TREE ON CU BOULDERā€™S EAST CAMPUS. PHOTO: DEIDRE JAEGER/CIRES

Tree ā€œFitbitsā€ Track Urban Growth, Flowering, More

May 17, 2022

CU Boulder study: trees outfitted with accelerometers could be the future of arborism, agriculture Low-cost ā€œtree fitbitsā€ can pinpoint the precise timing of tree activities, like spring bloom or autumn leaf change, according to a new CU Boulder study. Researchers outfitted two East Boulder ash trees with high-resolution accelerometers, efficiently...

Left to right: Brian Hynek, professor of geological sciences and LASP research associate; Adam Solon, graduate student in ecology and evolutionary biology; and Amanda Steckel, graduate student in geological sciences and LASP.

Expedition to highest active volcano unearths clues about life on other worlds

March 11, 2022

A harsh sun shines down through a cloudless sky, across a vast and unforgiving landscape. Itā€™s covered in gray rock, giant ice sculptures and expansive fields of spiky, yellow and orange bushes. In the distance, intimidating mountain peaks dominate the desolate scene, many miles from the nearest town. Yet alpacas...

Chickadee in birdhouse

Introduced Avian Malaria Strain Found in Colorado Chickadees

Oct. 25, 2021

When Angela Theodosopoulos began studying Colorado's Mountain and Black-capped Chickadees four years ago, her original goal was to research hybridization among the species and the various parasites they each co-evolved with. But when the PhD candidate at the University of Colorado Boulder began analyzing the birds' blood, she made a...

Barn swallows in their nest.

Sheela Turbek: Genetic and Phenotypic Divergence in the Barn Swallow Species Complex and Southern Capuchino Seedeaters

April 21, 2017

I am a PhD student in Dr. Rebecca Safranā€™s lab in the EBIO department. My research focuses on behavioral mechanisms of reproductive isolation that contribute to the generation of biodiversity. To investigate how animal behavior influences genetic and phenotypic divergence in the initial stages of speciation, I am working in...

Amanda Hund, examining a barn swallow, captured in a net

Attractive males advertise clean territories

Feb. 1, 2016

Amanda Hund. I am a PhD student in EBIO working with Dr. Rebecca Safran. My research focuses on understanding how parasites may play an important role in how new species form. Specifically, I am interested in how parasites influence the evolution of sexual traits across closely related populations. To explore...

Erin Tripp's students sit at a picnic table, examining plants.

Deep, Steep, and Narrow

Oct. 13, 2015

Between 2-4 October 2015, students enrolled in Plant Systematics (EBIO 4520/5520) traveled to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park for a botany camping trip. Participatory were: Reese Beeler, Ryan Byrne, Keric Lamb, Mandy Malone, Kelsey McCoy, Matt Schreiber, and Sydney Sharek along with Erin Tripp (course instructor) and Matt...

Citheronia caterpillar eating leaf

Can gut microbes help insects overcome plant defenses?

Sept. 9, 2015

EBIO graduate student Tobin Hammer and Professor Deane Bowers were recently featured on the cover of Oecologia . How are herbivorous insects able to subsist on a diet that is often rich in toxic chemical compounds? In this issue Hammer and Bowers outline the ā€˜Gut microbial facilitation hypothesis,ā€™ arguing that...

Collin talking in greenhouse

Collin Schwantes: Bee Behavior Experiment

July 15, 2015

This short documentary goes into the world of Native Bees and how they interact with other insects in the plant community around them. This experiment was designed by Collin Schwantes to test how bees interact with competitors and predators in a sunflower patch located behind the 30th street greenhouse in...

Miranda in South Africa

Miranda Redmond: Ecosystems and Management Practices

July 14, 2015

I am a Ph.D student in the EBIO department and my research focuses on understanding ecosystems so that better management practices can be developed. My research examines patterns of pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) and juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) recruitment following recent drought and insect-induced pinyon mortality. Pinyon-Juniper woodlands are the third...

Daniel Preston holding a snake

Daniel Preston: Ecology of Parasites and Invasive Species in Freshwater Ponds

July 14, 2015

My research focuses on understanding the ecological roles of parasites and invasive species in freshwater ecosystems. Current projects are investigating the roles of parasites in food webs, energy flow and nutrient cycling within wetlands; the influence of nutrients on host-parasite relationships; the effects of parasites on host behavior; and the...

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