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Plant Ecology
Plants are the living foundation of ecosystems, and mountains are no exception. The diversity of tundra plants is truly amazing — lots of different species pack into very small spaces and completely different species inhabitat areas just a few meters away. We study changes in plant composition and diversity over time to better understand the threats that these diversity hotspots face, and how these changes will affect tundra system as a whole.
Hydrology
High-elevation ecosystems function like water towers. They store snow during the winter, and release snowmelt in the spring. Decades of water monitoring show how atmospheric deposition and permafrost thaw can affect the export of many constituents found in our water, such as nitrate, sulfate, and carbon.
Animal Ecology
Mountain animals live at the edge of environmental extremes, and climate change is making their persistence even more uncertain. Studies of animals like pika, marmots, and bees provide indicators of environmental change through shifts in their abundance and distribution over time.