D3262: Anthropogenic climate change and it’s effects on herbivorous arthropods within the pinyon pine-juniper communities of the Great Basin

Anthropogenic climate change is severally impacting the community structure of Pinus monophyla found within the Great Basin. Single-leafed pinyon pine is adapted to use little water to survive. However, pinyon pine trees are unable to survive the increasing drought conditions resulting in the desiccation of pinyon pine and juniper communities. The increase in desiccated vegetation has led to a greater incidence of fires. Wildfires in the pinyon-juniper community in the Great Basin have burned for longer periods of time and have been hotter due to drought conditions. The aftermath of these intense fires is an alteration to the ecosystem with invasive species such as cheat grass invading burned areas. With climate change altering the delicate balance of this community, factors such as intense fire events alter the community structure involving pinyon pines. This effects herbivorous arthropods that utilize pinyon-juniper communities as a food resource and in turn their parasitoids. I plan to quantify the interactions between anthropogenic climate change factors and arthropod populations by collecting herbivorous arthropods within the Great Basin to address the question: 1) Has anthropogenic climate change factors such as drought and fire affected the community structure of Pinus monophyla’s herbivorous arthropods?