Data-Theory Integration Workshop at RMBL this summer

Applications are now open to participate in a 3-day data-theory integration workshop at the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab! Berry will be instructing this workshop alongside several of our collaborators (Fernanda Valdovinos, Mark Novak, Ian Breckheimer, and Taranjot Kaur).

With a focus on the structure and dynamics of plant-pollinator interactions, the goals for this workshop are to introduce participants to the theory underlying metrics of network structure, the statistical methods for quantifying interaction processes from data, and the mathematical tools that enable inferences regarding community dynamics.

Applications are due January 15th, 2024. For more information and to apply, visit https://models4data2theory.github.io/

The Lab Presents at Ecoseminar

This week, the Brosi Lab was in charge of leading Ecoseminar! Berry gave a brief overview of our lab’s work, followed by four lightning talks from Annie, Chris, Madeleine, and Manogya. This quarter in Ecoseminar we’ve been hearing from all the ecology labs about their ongoing research — it has been a blast chatting about science and building 4th floor community!

New Paper from Laura!

Congratulations to Laura Avila (and co-authors Berry and Annie S) for their recent publication on the effects of antibiotics on pollination! This study, published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, compared the effects of two fire blight control methods (spraying an antibiotic and a biological antagonist) on honeybee pollination and fruit set, as well as lab experiments to understand the effects of these treatments on foraging behavior. You can read the full paper titled: “Effects of a field-sprayed antibiotic on bee foraging behavior and pollination in pear orchards” here!

MeadoWatch featured in Mt Rainier National Park Video

The MeadoWatch program was recently featured in a Mt Rainier National Park video about research in the park! In the interview, Berry discusses how and why we monitor wildflower phenology at Rainier, as well as the importance of citizen science. The video also features clips of previous MeadoWatch coordinators Annie Schiffer and Ava Kloss-Schmidt collecting data on the trails. You can check out the video titled “Climate Change Science at Mt Rainier” on Youtube or on the NPS website!

If you are interested in finding out more about MeadoWatch or becoming a volunteer, visit our website and sign up for our listserv!

Congratulations Dr. Arrowsmith!!

A huge congratulations to Kaysee Arrowsmith for successfully defending and completing her dissertation! She gave an amazing presentation on the biotic and abiotic drivers of plant-pollinator interaction turnover. Her presence in the Brosi Lab will be missed, but we can’t wait to see where she goes next. We’re so proud of you, Kaysee!

Chris passes his general exam!

Chris passed his general exam with flying colors and as of yesterday is officially a PhD candidate! He presented his dissertation proposal on investigating the structure and stability of mutualistic networks using computational models and simulations alongside empirical data and answered questions from his committee. Great Job, Chris!

Matt Smith visits UW

The Brosi Lab was very excited to host Dr. Matt Smith at UW this week! Matt is currently a postdoc in the Crall Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He gave a fascinating talk discussing his research on individuality in insect behavior across individual, social, and environmental scales. He also assisted with the setup of our own “AutoPolls” units (automated pollinator camera systems) which we plan to implement in the field this season. It was great having him!

Kaysee gets the PRFB!

A huge congratulations to Kaysee for receiving an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology (PRFB)!! Kaysee will be working with Dr. Shalene Jha at the University of Texas, and will be using this fellowship to study the environmental and biological drivers of pollinator niche dynamics. Amazing work, Kaysee!

New Paper from Therese!

Congratulations to Therese for her new paper “Rewilding in Southeast Asia: Singapore as a Case Study” out now in Conservation Science & Practice. Her paper combined camera trap data, modeling, and the input of local wildlife experts to describe the recolonization of native Singapore herbivores and consider rewilding as a method to restore biodiversity. Read the full paper here!

PCC grant and Cascades Fieldwork

Congratulations to Madeleine and Berry for receiving the UW Program on Climate Change (PCC) Climate Science Research Acceleration Grant! Their project titled “Experimentally induced timing mismatches in multi-species pollination systems” will investigate the systems-level impacts of timing mismatches between plants and pollinators, advancing our understanding of phenological mismatches at the community and species-interaction-network levels. This summer, Madeleine will be looking for potential sites and collecting preliminary data in the Cascade Mountains so that we can conduct manipulation experiments next Spring. We are very excited to be conducting more fieldwork in Washington!

New undergraduates in the lab this quarter

We are very excited to welcome three new undergrad students to the Brosi lab this winter: Emma Wells, Mahika Rao, and Dylan Strauss! This quarter they will learn how to process insect specimens, focusing on pinning, sorting, and IDing pollinators for our Quantitative Nestedness project. Welcome to the Brosi lab!

New Paper from Annie S!

Congratulations to Annie Schiffer (as well as Loy, Connor, and Berry) for recently publishing a paper in the American Journal of Botany! Their paper titled “Differences in individual flowering time change pollen limitation and seed set in three montane wildflowers” used snowmelt acceleration treatments to examine the relationship between individual phenology and fecundity of three plant species. Read the full paper here!

Connor and Donna successfully defend their dissertations!!

Huge congrats to Dr. Connor Morozumi and Dr. Donna McDermott for defending their dissertations this week! The Brosi Lab reunited in Atlanta for their defenses (both on the same day, in a “defense double header”). Connor and Donna both had amazing presentations! Connor’s dissertation focused on how plant-pollinator networks respond to perturbation, and Donna’s focused on ecology teaching assessments and social cues in bee foraging. After completing their PhDs, Connor will start a postdoc at University of Louisville and Donna will start in a faculty position in the Emory Writing Center. Well done, and we’re very proud of you both!

Incoming PhD student Annie Colgan visits UW

We’re happy to announce that we have a new PhD student starting this fall: Annie Colgan! Annie is currently a student contractor for the USGS Rocky Mountain Science Center and is interested in ecological communities and global change. She is visiting UW and our lab this weekend to meet everyone in person and check out the UW campus and Seattle neighborhoods. We can’t wait for her to join us in the fall!

Brosi Lab featured in UW and Emory news

Laura’s work on antibiotics in agriculture and bee foraging was highlighted in the UW News and Emory News last week! In the articles, Berry and Laura talked about their recent paper in Proceedings of the Royal Society B which found that exposure to streptomycin reduces bumblebee learning and foraging. Laura conducted this study in the lab and will test it in the field this spring in eastern Washington. We are very excited about this work and that it was highlighted in the UW and Emory news.