Tag Archives: ecology

Uncovering the function of host-associated microbial communities

This post is by MSU grad student Connie Rojas Microbes colonize every surface of their hosts. Once established, they do not live in isolated patches, but instead form highly regulated, structurally and functionally organized communities, termed ‘microbiota’. Due to the … Continue reading

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Can evolution help us rebuild native habitats?

This post is by MSU graduate student Anna Groves. If you look at the lyrics of two of the most iconic songs in American history, you’ll find that both reveal the composers’ fondness for the wide open spaces of our … Continue reading

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A niche in time: adaptations in sensory processing associated with temporal niche

This post is by MSU graduate student Andrea Morrow. People often associate certain physical adaptations with an animal’s temporal niche, i.e. daily activity pattern. For example, some nocturnal animals have larger eyes, larger corneas, or higher concentrations of rod cells than … Continue reading

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How lemur social networks shape microbial transmission

This post is by UT Austin graduate student Amanda Perofsky. Primates exhibit diverse ecological and behavioral patterns, ranging from solitary foragers to several hundred individuals, as in the multi-level societies of hamadryas baboons [1]. Many wild primates live in social … Continue reading

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Manipulating evolution to conserve species

This post is by MSU Postdoc Sarah Fitzpatrick working at the Kellogg Biological Station Consider a native fish population in a small headwater stream with low genetic diversity due to genetic drift and founder effect (loss of variation that occurs when … Continue reading

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BEACON Researchers at Work: Patterns and processes of community assembly of plants in oceanic and alpine island ecosystems

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work blog post is by University of Idaho graduate student Hannah Marx. “I love my job.” – written by me, at 12,009 feet in the summit log on Hyndman Peak, Pioneer Mountains, Idaho. Although I … Continue reading

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BEACON Researchers at Work: A Tiny Teal Tale

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work blog post is by MSU graduate student Jessica Caton. Birds are everywhere! With 10,000 species living on every continent, you are bound to have come across a bird in your lifetime with possibly a … Continue reading

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Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics

This week’s Evolution 101 blog post is by MSU graduate student Byron Smith. Evolution is often thought of as a constant, gradual change in the characteristics of a species based on how well those traits are adapted to a static … Continue reading

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BEACON Researchers at Work: The effect of landscapes and ecology on gene flow and speciation in amphibians

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work blog post is by University of Idaho graduate student Tyler Hether. The amount of biological diversity at all levels of biological organization—from genes to ecosystems—fascinates me. This interest is the reason I study evolutionary … Continue reading

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BEACON Researchers at Work: How do geckos stick to the wall?

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work post is by University of Idaho graduate student Travis Hagey. I am a fourth year grad student in Dr. Luke Harmon’s lab at the University of Idaho. My thesis looks at how geckos (and … Continue reading

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