Ecology & Entomology
Our second NEON ants and 5th pub for 2020 was just published in Global Ecology and Biogeography. Led by Jelena Buajn, this is our first paper linking physiological traits like critical thermal max and min (CTmax and CTmin ) to different environmental abiotic conditions at a large geographical scale. A summary from Jelena in GEB... "In … Continue reading NEW PAPER OUT! Thermal diversity of North American ant communities: Cold tolerance but not heat tolerance tracks ecosystem temperature
Great to see another publication out from one of my favorite places to do field work, the University of Oklahoma Biological Station. This is the 4th pub for 2020, which is shaping up to be quite the productive year! Recently published in Ecology, Jelena and I were interested in seeing if thermal tolerance, an important … Continue reading NEW PAPER OUT! Seasonal plasticity of thermal tolerance in ants
Second paper of 2018 is out in Ecology! This one was led by Rebecca Prather, fellow graduate student in the Kaspari lab, and demonstrates how seasonal and daily temperature differences affect foraging for resources by ants. The abstract is listed below and sums up some of the key results... "As ecosystems warm, ectotherm consumer activity should … Continue reading NEW PAPER OUT! Using metabolic and thermal ecology to predict temperature dependent ecosystem activity: a test with prairie ants
This summer has been quite the adventure. I have been trying out a few different techniques, reading a ton of literature, and trying not to go crazy with all of the ideas. As of this week my first dissertation chapter was submitted and I just got the acceptance letter for our Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Ant … Continue reading Summer heat and mid field season update!
New Mexico is a beautiful state. Despite its proximity to both Texas and Oklahoma, I really haven't spent much time here. At the end of May, I was fortunate to join a team from the Kaspari lab who are resurveying ant transects that were initially measured 20 years ago. They are doing a lot of really cool, … Continue reading Ant Ecology in New Mexico
Labor day weekend brought about an interesting opportunity. Jelena Bujan, ant lover and fellow lab mate in Mike Kaspari's lab, brought forth an idea about measuring the thermal performance of ants in Oklahoma. We jotted down a rough sketch for the project and then headed to the University of Oklahoma Biological Station (UOBS). Having been stationed there all summer, I … Continue reading Ant Ecology at the University of Oklahoma Biological Station (UOBS)
Check out my research on ants, size, and stable isotopes (CLICK ME)! Besides working on understanding how size affects an ant's stable isotope signature, I have also been collecting, identifying, and creating species lists of ants at the University of Oklahoma Biological Station and the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. So far we have found new records … Continue reading Summer Research 2015 – University of Oklahoma Biological Station and Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
