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rmblscience.bsky.social
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL)
@rmblscience.bsky.social
24 followers 12 following 12 posts
In a rapidly changing world, RMBL sustains our quality of life by accelerating discoveries about the ecosystems that replenish the world’s air, water, and food supplies. Learn more here! rmbl.org
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rmblscience.bsky.social
Climate change reshuffles plant communities in unexpected ways.
RMBL found warming and cooling change which species appear, but not how related they are.
👉 Species counts don’t tell the full story.

#RMBL #ClimateChange #PlantScience

Read more here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org
January 16, 2026 at 7:33 PM
rmblscience.bsky.social
What lives on conifer needles?

Metagenomics of 67 Rocky Mountain trees uncovered 447 microbial genomes. Communities vary more by location than tree species—revealing a highly adaptive phyllosphere.

#Microbiome #ForestEcology #Metagenomics

link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Host species and geographic location shape microbial diversity and functional potential in the conifer needle microbiome - Microbiome
Background The aerial surface of plants, known as the phyllosphere, hosts a complex and dynamic microbiome that plays essential roles in plant health and environmental processes. While research has fo...
link.springer.com
January 5, 2026 at 12:24 AM
rmblscience.bsky.social
Plant metabarcoding upgrade:
Adding time + place data boosted bumble bee pollen ID by 77.5%. Clearer bee diets, stronger ecology. 🌿🐝

#Metabarcoding #Pollinators

Learn more here: bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Improving plant DNA metabarcoding accuracy with ecological filters and Angiosperms353: Field and pollen microscopy validation
Premise Metabarcoding has become a successful tool for the identification of species in ecological assemblages. However, the usefulness of metabarcoding for identifying plant species has been hamper...
bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:17 AM
rmblscience.bsky.social
❄️ Snowfall study!

W-band radar and snowflake images show high KDP can arise from turbulence, blowing snow, small crystals, and surface dendritic aggregates—not just heavy snowfall.

#SnowScience #RadarMeteorology #Cryosphere
Learn more Here: acp.copernicus.org/articles/25/...
Investigating KDP signatures inside and below the dendritic growth layer with W-band Doppler radar and in situ snowfall camera
Abstract. Polarimetric radars provide variables like the specific differential phase (KDP) to detect fingerprints of dendritic growth in the dendritic growth layer (DGL) and secondary ice production, ...
acp.copernicus.org
December 12, 2025 at 7:07 PM
rmblscience.bsky.social
🌼 New Science study shows that even common, widespread plants like Drummond’s rockcress are at real risk from climate change. Big implications for biodiversity.

Read Here: ecology.uga.edu/2025/05/01/s...

#ClimateScience #Ecology #Biodiversity #PlantResearch #RMBL #ClimateChange
Study reveals even common plants are threatened by climate change - Odum School of Ecology
New research from Jill Anderson is published in Science.
ecology.uga.edu
December 1, 2025 at 4:34 PM
rmblscience.bsky.social
Beavers aren’t just cute engineers—they’re reshaping mountain rivers in big ways. 🦫💧
A new study used hydrologic models + machine learning to see how beaver ponds boost groundwater.

Read here: agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
Quantifying Groundwater Response and Uncertainty in Beaver‐Influenced Mountainous Floodplains Using Machine Learning‐Based Model Calibration
Floodplain structures and hydraulic conductivities are important for groundwater response with beaver ponds in mountainous floodplains Large down-valley underflow in permeability-stratified flood...
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:46 PM
rmblscience.bsky.social
🐜 Check this study out! It reveals that not all “dominant” ants rule the same way! 💪 The study highlights that dominance in nature is complex, with different species excelling in different ways. 🌿
#RMBLResearch #Ecology #AntScience #ClimateBiology
Read here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Different Aspects of Dominance Are Not Equivalent When Testing for Trade‐Offs in Ant Communities
Dominance hierarchies are often invoked to explain the outcomes of competition across ecological communities. However, there are a number of difficulties associated with quantifying dominance, making...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:13 PM
rmblscience.bsky.social
🎉 Big congrats to RMBL scientists Reed Benkendorf, Jane Ogilvie, Paul CaraDonna, and collaborators on their new paper in Applications in Plant Sciences! Their work reveals hidden plant–pollinator stories by pairing field data with genomics.

Read here: bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Improving plant DNA metabarcoding accuracy with ecological filters and Angiosperms353: Field and pollen microscopy validation
Premise Metabarcoding has become a successful tool for the identification of species in ecological assemblages. However, the usefulness of metabarcoding for identifying plant species has been hamper.....
bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:58 PM
rmblscience.bsky.social
✨ A rare sight in Gothic! A strong geomagnetic storm sent charged solar particles colliding with Earth’s magnetic field, painting our mountain skies with the aurora borealis. 🌌

#RMBL #NorthernLights #AuroraBorealis #ScienceInTheMountains
Read more: www.denverpost.com

📸 Ashley Hale & David Inouye
November 12, 2025 at 5:26 PM
rmblscience.bsky.social
🌼 New research alert! A study led by Kaysee Arrowsmith and co-authored by Berry Brosi reveals that rising temperatures are changing which flowers pollinators choose—reshaping plant-pollinator networks.🌿#ClimateChange #Pollination #MountainScience

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Temperature influences pollinators' choice of floral partners independently of community composition
This paper presents novel research that empirically demonstrates a direct link between temperature and plant–pollinator interaction patterns, independently of changes to community composition in eith...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:14 PM
rmblscience.bsky.social
❄️ Exciting news from RMBL! Anton Kötsche and collaborators published their findings on snowfall microphysics in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics from the 2022–2023 SAIL atmospheric campaign. Congratulations to the team! 🎉 acp.copernicus.org/articles/25/...
#RMBL #SnowScience #ClimateResearch
Investigating KDP signatures inside and below the dendritic growth layer with W-band Doppler radar and in situ snowfall camera
Abstract. Polarimetric radars provide variables like the specific differential phase (KDP) to detect fingerprints of dendritic growth in the dendritic growth layer (DGL) and secondary ice production, ...
acp.copernicus.org
November 7, 2025 at 9:46 PM
rmblscience.bsky.social
Hello, Bluesky! 👋
We are the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) — one of the world’s leading field stations for ecological and climate research 🏔️ rmbl.org

Follow us for field research highlights, scientist stories, and updates from Gothic, Colorado! #Ecology #FieldScience #ClimateResearch
Science at the Top - Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory
rmbl.org
November 7, 2025 at 9:42 PM