Checking billy barr’s snow log…
Studying changes in species interactions allows us to better predict and plan for future global change. In this study system, aphids feed on the host plant, Ligusticum poteri. Ants harvest the honeydew excreted by the aphids, and in return, protect the aphids from predators. This research will utilize long-term observational data as well as artificial warming experiments in 2024 to determine how traits among varying ant species impact their behaviors and how these changes alter interactions within the plant-herbivore-predator network. Observations will count insect abundance and track plant phenology, and the experiment will warm host plants and control ant access to the plant colonies. Models will be created to illustrate how aphid distribution and abundance is tied to temperature and the traits of ants tending their colonies.