Graduate Highlight

CU Boulder study: trees outfitted with accelerometers could be the future of arborism, agriculture Low-cost “tree fitbits” 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...

A harsh sun shines down through a cloudless sky, across a vast and unforgiving landscape. It’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...

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...

I am a PhD student in Dr. Rebecca Safran’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. 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...

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...

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 ‘Gut microbial facilitation hypothesis,’ arguing that...

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...

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...

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...