By Kelsey Simpkins

Principal investigator
Julian Resasco

Funding
NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology; Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship from the 鶹Ƶ

Collaboration + support
Natacha P. Chacoff (National University of Tucumán); Diego P. Vázquez (National University of Cuyo); 鶹Ƶ’s Mountain Research Station

The next time you go for a hike, take a moment toappreciate the seemingly ordinary life all around you.A house fly, humble yarrow weed and other “generalist”plants and pollinators play a crucial role in maintainingbiodiversity and might also serve as buffers againstsome effects of climate change, according toCU Boulder research.

“Species that are common are also in decline and couldgo extinct, and that could have really big repercussionsfor maintaining biodiversity,” said Julian Resasco,assistant professor of ecology and lead author onthe study.

Published in Ecology, these findings provide valuableinsights for prioritizing the conservation of species thatcontribute to the strength of ecological communities,prevent local extinctions and help them weatherincreasing phenological mismatch.

Photo:A bumblebee (Bombus sp.) visiting the flowers of RockyMountain goldenrod (Solidago multiradiata).Photo by Julian Resasco.


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