https://www.wogwog.org/home daily 1.0 2026-06-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/27069628-9543-4975-af96-4241c5ba12da/unsplash-image-U-Dhokv9iXk.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031564089-BI1ZU12H3JGJT0DBSPGZ/WogWog-Logo_White_small.png Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031565338-DMHQJO364IL62PCM5UEZ/fabio-hanashiro-FIO0rMvydkU-unsplash.jpg Home - Discover the science https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031565346-LJR237BOWNY086V56L5T/McAllisterM_Slides2_001.jpg Home - See our publications https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031565352-99U8WU9Q5W4HHPP11XT6/crew2.JPG Home - Meet our team https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031569808-CWBBAM0OPL546RVWMSTX/McAllisterM_Slides_1_019.jpg Home - 01 Understanding the dynamics of populations at large scales The Wog Wog Experiment established forest fragments of different sizes, each its own ecosystem. This allows us to investigate the importance of population size to long term dynamics. The Wog Wog experiment is one of the largest scale and longest-running ecology experiments in the world. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781032850178-6FKD70JAT02SNE8YW4J0/unsplash-image--X8ruveqUv0.jpg Home - 02 Understanding how life persists on forest fragments For 41 years, we have monitored how the forest and its wildlife have persisted on these forest fragments. We have studied over 1000 species of invertebrates, particularly beetles, as well as trees, understory plants, skinks, and birds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781033049823-A6NCLAYPQL49S78HPURT/unsplash-image-Ihsi88KpQkE.jpg Home - 03 Understanding the impacts of mega-fire In 2020, the Wog Wog Experiment burned in a huge fire, called a megafire, which also burned an enormous area of surrounding forest. These fires provide a unique opportunity to study the resilience of species to extreme disturbance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031573683-3AQRIM10MBYCOA5SWFRL/McAllisterM_Slides_1_018.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031573658-1MFS7QMXNK62QC0RIRIQ/McAllisterM_Slides_1_016.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031573695-SXVNQZNOFNV59ZQQRXIQ/McAllisterM_Slides_1_019.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031573633-ROPBQ1KX3XNZGJOXRU4G/McAllisterM_Slides_1_020.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031573671-YNWH9VYCLVVZORWUAKZ0/McAllisterM_Slides_1_021.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031573645-2H8GE5GTOU0HWWIPO2GD/McAllisterM_Slides_1_022.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031573714-DQL5LHFRPBF2EY2TJUV3/WogWog-Logo_Badge-Solid-Navy_small.png Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031573720-URIJSMY9A23BSICEXSRK/McAllisterM_Slides_1_014.jpg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.wogwog.org/news daily 0.75 2026-06-09 https://www.wogwog.org/news/new-rio-funding-to-the-lab-jfcnt monthly 0.5 2026-06-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781037223542-P4B7UC6GCE8PES1V4SQW/unsplash-image-n4N42Lvo9S4.jpg Latest news - New RIO funding to the lab: using computer vision AI to identify insect species - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.wogwog.org/news/phd-student-kaylee-rosenberger-wins-lotka-volterra-prize-at-esa-meeting-xws2g monthly 0.5 2026-06-11 https://www.wogwog.org/news/template-d57an-ewfy4-szcg4 monthly 0.5 2026-06-09 https://www.wogwog.org/news/template-d57an-a6rlj monthly 0.5 2026-06-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031570718-E2ANUG5YZFIU7EFUQJA9/figures+3-3-2023.jpg Latest news - How the fire affected carabid beetle species - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.wogwog.org/news/template-ckl4t-dxd4k monthly 0.5 2026-06-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031570706-F6Z1XX4C2Q5WHIE3UIMT/bitters_exit_talk.jpg Latest news - PhD student Matt Bitters successfully defends PhD - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.wogwog.org/news/template-9739f-hzx73 monthly 0.5 2026-06-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031570692-OXX2G6G8BRA8QO0QTQ7P/spiers_exittalk_final.jpg Latest news - PhD student Anna Spiers successfully defends her PhD - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.wogwog.org/news/two-new-lab-publications-njbdy monthly 0.5 2026-06-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031570742-OXE6Z0NECXGYKYFBHB5T/bottleneck.jpg Latest news - Two new lab publications - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.wogwog.org/news/funnel-web-spiders-df9bx monthly 0.5 2026-06-11 https://www.wogwog.org/news/fieldwork-rbsft monthly 0.5 2026-06-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031570617-RUE0SOJ5QWRYE8K93MXR/2020-11-17+15.26.17.jpg Latest news - Team completes two successful post-fire field missions https://www.wogwog.org/news/nsf-award-kfmnp monthly 0.5 2026-06-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031570654-9WJ3ONQJ7OTRTYR3ON1J/wogwog_firefront.png Latest news - The lab is awarded RAPID NSF funding Satellite imagery of the fires burning through the Wog Wog forest fragments experiment (Image: Sentinel-2). The black squares are forest fragments within a pine plantation matrix (bottom squares) and controls within continuous forest (top squares). https://www.wogwog.org/people daily 0.75 2026-06-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031558852-UW3SZ1R1QG40OTC74I6P/plantation4.JPG People https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031566815-LST61D5C7EOLXX7MD2RQ/Kendi+Photo+copy.jpg People - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.wogwog.org/research daily 0.75 2026-06-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031560729-L2GB4LWBPAE0W7ZY0WL9/unsplash-image-QDFbLwy0hMY.jpg Research https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781033466607-CWWR28DJJHQI1QRV1SUV/unsplash-image-oKT2ARCA4is.jpg Research - 01. How does megafire change the population size of different beetle species? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031557142-QTUIYJR0FSUJQQN5RRS4/McAllisterM_Slides2_002.jpg Research - 02. do traits predict which species are most resilient to megafire? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031557151-D17S44JIZN5HLN49OCRV/McAllisterM_Slides_1_021.jpg Research - 03. What ecological mechanisms cause resilience of species to megafire? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031559803-09F7P6XGX3NN0BBHRTER/McAllisterM_Slides2_001.jpg Research https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781033694330-MDQC8P1GXFX196SMTSXE/unsplash-image-emTCWiq2txk.jpg Research - Before the fire, species’ short-term dynamics did not predict their long-term dynamics. Instead species’ traits predicted their long-term dynamics. Overall, species’ dynamics in the first decade did not predict their dynamics in the third decade of the experiment, except for a core group of species with key life-history traits. These species are naturally rare, are predators (at the top of foodwebs), and are isolated on fragments. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031567637-B8AAWWFV5UAUA0SAIGFR/McAllisterM_Slides2_001.jpg Research - The dynamic matrix predicts species' responses The matrix is the “sea” of different habitat surrounding the forest fragments or “islands”. Over three decades, how a species responded to matrix habitat predicted its dynamics in fragments. We found that if a species did well in the matrix, it also did well in fragments. The matrix influences a species' persistence in forest islands by isolating a species (or not) and changing the abiotic conditions on the island, especially at edges. At Wog Wog, the matrix habitat is a pine tree crop, which is dynamic, so its impact on species changes over time as the pine crop grows from seedlings to mature trees. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781034079724-L9U7A7KQBDU8G6A3UYMN/unsplash-image-zCqAn1jJs_I.jpg Research - Before the fire, in the long term, the beetle community was resilient, changing only somewhat in the relative abundances of species but overall maintaining the same number and types of species, and there was no evidence of food web breakdown How beetle species composition changed over three decades. There was no reduction in the number of species in the whole beetle community and carabid beetles in decade one and decade three. There was no evidence of food web collapse or trophic downgrading from isotope studies of three generalist predators over three decades. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031572208-SGHH2YSCD9F2R0RDYINO/McAllisterM_Slides_1_018.jpg Research - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031572214-PD4U7OI72EHNL6QDJQEK/WogWog-Logo_green_small.png Research - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031572299-28TV6RP66P7HCKMHFCTH/McAllisterM_Slides_1_015.jpg Research https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031572278-8DJEJO41XUQXZANC88BD/McAllisterM_Slides_1_016.jpg Research https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031572241-WO4WL19LXIJWZY43FOYY/McAllisterM_Slides_1_018.jpg Research https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031572311-8N4BEH1RI5H4RVCY6955/McAllisterM_Slides_1_020.jpg Research https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031572289-0WOHSDG25TINCQ4DPYX9/McAllisterM_Slides_1_019.jpg Research https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031572254-VIPUDHZEHUQHUGTTXBLV/McAllisterM_Slides_1_021.jpg Research https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781031572266-I00VP4Q1DDDFCQINUTAM/Wog+Wog_2010.jpg Research https://www.wogwog.org/teaching daily 0.75 2026-06-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a286284d2b7ff2cc02e3fd1/1781034660940-C2WI43BT3792VQG1AKF9/unsplash-image-pRjRODsCLwE.jpg Teaching - EBIO 2040: Principles of Ecology lab coordinator In this class, we learn how to design and conduct ecological research. In the field, we study the role of fire in ponderosa forest ecosystem resilience, and how prairie dogs contribute to ecosystems as keystone species and ecosystem engineers. The first half of the semester focuses on understanding ecological research through field labs in Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, and data analysis. In the second half of the semester, students conduct independent research in groups. Students develop a question, design and conduct research, analyze data, and present findings to peers during a poster presentation session. Our team strongly believes that all students are capable of success and prioritizes supporting students’ growth as scientists. https://www.wogwog.org/publications daily 0.75 2026-06-11 https://www.wogwog.org/past-lab-members daily 0.75 2026-06-09