This award supports the acquisition of instrumentation that will allow scientists to conduct spatially explicit research and to analyze spatially explicit data. Specifically, the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab (RMBL) will purchase a GPS system, GIS software, and robust commercial database software. The RMBL is a biological field station that facilitates research and training. Examples of research projects include avian and mammalian adaptations to high elevation, animal behavior, plant-pollinator interactions, butterfly population ecology and genetics, stream ecology, effects of global warming on montane ecosystems, plant demography, flowering phenology of alpine wildflowers, and insect predator-prey systems. Many research projects are of fifteen to thirty years in duration and cover spatial scales from meters to kilometers. An integrated GPS/GIS instrumentation system will increase the range of questions researchers can ask and improve the quality of existing studies. More specifically, the GPS station will allow scientists to locate research plots with a precision of millimeters as well as conduct detailed and long-term demographic surveys of plant populations. The GIS software will allow scientists to perform spatial analyses to detect relationships between abiotic and biotic variables. Additionally, by integrating the GIS environment with a robust database, the Lab will increase the ability of researchers to collaborate by facilitating spatial integration of historical and current research projects. These enhanced capabilities will aid scientists in a wide range of research activities. This instrumentation will also considerably improve the quality of our coursework program, which offers a wide range of field courses including conservation biology, field ecology, molecular ecology, mammology, botany, stream ecology, ornithology, geology, and independent research. The Lab also hosts a NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates Program. Research and education are tightly integrated at RMBL.
