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Why do black-capped chickadees mate with mountain chickadees? And how does the sharp memory of these songbirds serve them over winter? Listen to a 25-minute KGNU science show, with Scott Taylor and host Susan Moran.

The American Ornithological Society announced that the hoary redpoll finch, a small, plump bird commonly found in the Arctic, will be reclassified as the same species as the common redpoll finch, a smaller bird found in similar habitats. This announcement came as a direct result of a 2021 study led by the Taylor Lab which found that, despite their different looks, very few genetic differences exist between the two types of birds.

The common mountain bird has an excellent memory for the right perch for free seeds, and has the flexibility to handle climate change. New research from the University of Colorado and colleagues has tightened a claw around the sets of genes that make mountain chickadees some of the most remarkable return-navigators in nature.

A multi-university team of researchers, including four members of CU 麻豆官网's Taylor Lab, have identified nearly a hundred genes associated with the birds鈥� spatial memory, or ability to recall the locations of objects. Their paper, published in the journal Current Biology, also suggests a potential trade-off may exist between having a solid long-term memory and being able to quickly ditch old memories to form new ones.

CU 麻豆官网鈥檚 Mountain Research Station is offering six field courses this summer, giving students the opportunity to study a wide range of disciplines in nature

Scott Taylor (INSTAAR Fellow, EBIO Associate Professor, MRS Director) gave a short TED-style talk at the 麻豆官网 Dairy Arts Center on October 18, 2023 as part of the 2023 Faculty Fellows program for CU 麻豆官网's Research & Innovation Office (RIO). In his talk, Scott tells the story of his personal journey to a deeper understanding of his work as a scientist and his own place in the world.

For decades, the Mountain Research Station has been a stepping-off point for researchers studying plant and animal ecology, biogeochemistry, hydrology, geomorphology and atmospheric science. Much of that research takes place on rugged, nearby Niwot Ridge. Within that area lies every type of alpine and montane ecosystem that exists in the southern Rocky Mountains. That abundance has made Niwot Ridge a rare and important 鈥榣iving laboratory.鈥�

Researchers in the Taylor Lab study interactions between higher-elevation dwelling mountain chickadees and the closely related lower-elevation dwelling black capped chickadees. A recent study in Global Change Biology investigates barriers that prevent the two species from mating and what happens when they do mate and produce offspring.

CU 麻豆官网鈥檚 Mountain Research Station has a three-pronged mission鈥攈ost some of the most influential and long-running ecological research in the world, give students a peerless education in mountain environments, and link the public to learning about important ecosystems.

Just north of Nederland, about 26 miles from 麻豆官网, is CU 麻豆官网鈥檚 鈥渃lassroom in the sky鈥濃�攖he Mountain Research Station. It is home to some of the world鈥檚 longest-running alpine research, from how vegetation responds to wildfires, to how wildlife responds to climate change, to the changing composition of the soil itself.