Noel Pavlovic is a Research Ecologist based in Chesterton, IN.
Dr. Noel B. Pavlovic is a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, stationed at the Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station in Porter, Indiana, where he has worked for 30 years. He addresses ecological and biological issues in plant and animal restoration and conservation from the populational, community, ecosystem, and landscape levels. He is working on a conservation synthesis of the federally threatened Pitcher’s thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) in the sand dunes of the western Great Lakes. Since his dissertation focusing on the biology and demography of prairie fame flower (Phemeranthus rugospermum), a Midwestern endemic succulent plant, he has been interested in disturbance dependent plants and metapopulation dynamics. He has studied fire effects on the structure, phenology, and floral and faunal composition of Midwest oak savannas. He is currently working on a regional perspective on oak savanna restoration in the lower Great Lakes. Another focus has been controlling of invasive plants, especially Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) and the potential for hybridization with the native American bittersweet (C. scandens). That research also focused on habitat requirements and fire effects on the invasion and spread of Oriental bittersweet. He is currently interested in the roles of soil and endophytic microorganisms on the bittersweet invasion. He has served on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative’s Terrestrial Habitat and Connectivity Working Group leadership team and has been involved in research concerning coastal and regional corridor creation (habitat connectivity) in the Great Lakes region.
Professional Experience
USGS – Great Lakes Science Center, 1993 to present
National Park Service – Plant Ecologist, 1991 to 1993
National Park Service – Statistician, 1984 to 1991
Education and Certifications
PhD, Biological Sciences, University of Ilinois at Chicago, 1995
Graduate Diploma in Science, Department of Botany, Australian National University, 1982
M.Sc., Ecology, University of Tennessee, 1981
B.S., Biology, Earlham College, 1978
Science and Products
Science pages by this scientist
Terrestrial Native Species and Habitat Restoration: Pitcher’s Thistle (Cirsium pitcheri)
Terrestrial Native Species Habitat Restoration: Restore Native Dunes and Oak Savanna
Data releases by this scientist
Connectivity and Bottlenecks of Habitat Patches along the United States terrestrial coastline of the Great Lakes
Connectivity and Bottlenecks of Protected Areas along the United States terrestrial coastline of the Great Lakes
Bee-Gap: Ecology, Life-History, and Distribution of Bee Species in the United States 2017
Publications by this scientist
Identifying predictors of translocation success in rare plant species
Bacteria common to rhizosphere communities of Asiatic bittersweet across a post-glacial landscape
Book review: WIldflowers of the Indiana Dunes National Park by Nathanael Pilla and Scott Namestnik
Changes in conservation value from grasslands to savannas to forests: How a temperate canopy cover gradient affects butterfly community composition
Effects of life history and reproduction on recruitment time lags in reintroductions of rare plants
Mislabeling of an invasive vine (Celastrus orbiculatus) as a native congener (C. scandens) in horticulture
Population-specific life histories contribute to metapopulation viability
Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus): Spreading by fire
Comparison of reintroduction and enhancement effects on metapopulation viability
Genetic characterization of hybridization between native and invasive bittersweet vines (Celastrus spp.)
Opposing resonses to ecological gradients structure amphibian and reptile communities across a temperate grassland-savanna-forest landscape
Lianas as invasive species in North America
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
- Science
Science pages by this scientist
Terrestrial Native Species and Habitat Restoration: Pitcher’s Thistle (Cirsium pitcheri)
Pitcher’s thistle (Cirsium pitcher) is a native thistle that grows on beaches and grassland dunes along the shorelines of Lakes Michigan, Superior, and Huron. It has been listed as a threatened species likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future due to loss of critical dune habitat. Shoreline development and destructive recreational activities have fragmented remaining populations of...Terrestrial Native Species Habitat Restoration: Restore Native Dunes and Oak Savanna
USGS scientists are collaborating with the National Park Service (NPS) to evaluate oak savanna restoration efforts in the Great Lakes by evaluating the success of different treatments in the southern basin and testing the efficacy of interseeding as a restoration tool. - Data
Data releases by this scientist
Connectivity and Bottlenecks of Habitat Patches along the United States terrestrial coastline of the Great Lakes
This dataset maps the connectivity and bottlenecks among habitat patches within a six-kilometer ribbon along the United States terrestrial coastline of the Great Lakes. Each pixel represents the relative value that cell contributes to connectivity between and among habitat patches. When aggregated the pixel values produce a map of all possible pathways between habitat patches providing the end useConnectivity and Bottlenecks of Protected Areas along the United States terrestrial coastline of the Great Lakes
This dataset maps the connectivity and bottlenecks among protected areas within a six km ribbon along the terrestrial coastline of the U.S. Great Lakes. Each pixel represents the relative contribution that cell provides to connectivity between and among the protected areas. When aggregated the pixel values produce a map of all possible pathways between protected areas, providing the end user withBee-Gap: Ecology, Life-History, and Distribution of Bee Species in the United States 2017
Bee-Gap describes the ecology, life-history, and distribution of 3,925 bee species in the United States that have geographical data and verified taxonomy. The database was constructed by compiling information from a broad range of internet sources and peer-reviewed journal articles. The 10 traits included in the database are: native status (native versus exotic/introduced), state and territory pre - Multimedia
- Publications
Publications by this scientist
Filter Total Items: 49Identifying predictors of translocation success in rare plant species
The fundamental goal of a rare plant translocation is to create self-sustaining populations with the evolutionary resilience to persist in the long-term. Yet most plant translocation syntheses focus on a few factors influencing short-term benchmarks of success (e.g., survival and reproduction). Short-term benchmarks can be misleading when trying to infer future growth and viability because the facAuthorsJoe Bellis, Oyomoare L. Osazuwa-Peters, Joyce Maschinski, Matthew J. Keir, Elliott W. Parsons, Thomas N. Kaye, Michael Kunz, Jennifer Possley, Eric Menges, Stacy A. Smith, Daniela Roth, Debbie Brewer, William E. Brumback, James J. Lange, Christal Niederer, Jessica B. Turner-Skoff, Megan Bontrager, Richard Braham, Michelle Coppoletta, Karen D. Holl, Paula Williamson, Timothy J. Bell, Jayne L. Jonas, Kathryn McEachern, Kathy L. Robertson, Sandra J. Birnbaum, Adam Dattilo, John J. Dollard, Jeremie Fant, Wendy Kishida, Peter Lesica, Steven O. Link, Noel B. Pavlovic, Jackie Poole, Charlotte M. Reemts, Peter Stiling, David D. Taylor, Jonathan H. Titus, Priscilla J. Titus, Edith D. Adkins, Timothy Chambers, Mark W. Paschke, Katherine D. Heinman, Matthew A. AlbrechtBacteria common to rhizosphere communities of Asiatic bittersweet across a post-glacial landscape
Invasive plants such as Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb.) are a significant problem for land managers as they impact plant species composition, disrupt nutrient dynamics and structure of native ecosystems, and are difficult to eradicate. As a result of the increasing abundance of Asiatic bittersweet across the eastern U.S., we have been investigating underlying factors potentiallyAuthorsCindy H. Nakatsu, Noel B. Pavlovic, Muruleedhara ByappanahalliBook review: WIldflowers of the Indiana Dunes National Park by Nathanael Pilla and Scott Namestnik
No abstract available.AuthorsNoel B. PavlovicChanges in conservation value from grasslands to savannas to forests: How a temperate canopy cover gradient affects butterfly community composition
Temperate savannas and grasslands are globally threatened. In the Midwest United States of America (USA), for example, oak savannas persist today at a small percentage of recent historic coverage. Therefore, restoration of habitats of low and intermediate canopy cover is a landscape conservation priority that often emphasizes returning tree density to a savanna-like target value. Understanding howAuthorsRalph Grundel, Gary S. Dulin, Noel B. PavlovicEffects of life history and reproduction on recruitment time lags in reintroductions of rare plants
Reintroductions are important components of conservation and recovery programs for rare plant species, but their long‐term success rates are poorly understood. Previous reviews of plant reintroductions focused on short‐term (e.g., ≤3 years) survival and flowering of founder individuals rather than on benchmarks of intergenerational persistence, such as seedling recruitment. However, short‐term metAuthorsMatthew A. Albrecht, Oyomoare L. Osazuwa-Peters, Joyce Maschinski, Timothy J. Bell, Marlin L. Bowles, William E. Brumback, Janice Duquesnel, Michael Kunz, Jimmy Lange, Kimberlie A. McCue, Kathryn McEachern, Sheila Murray, Peggy Olwell, Noel B. Pavlovic, Cheryl L. Peterson, Jennifer Possley, John L. Randall, Samuel J. WrightMislabeling of an invasive vine (Celastrus orbiculatus) as a native congener (C. scandens) in horticulture
The horticultural industry is an important source of invasive ornamental plant species, which is part of the motivation for an increased emphasis on using native alternatives. We were interested in the possibility that plants marketed in the midwestern United States as the native Celastrus scandens, or American bittersweet, were actually the difficult-to-distinguish invasive Celastrus orbiculatusAuthorsDavid N. Zaya, Stacey A. Leicht-Young, Noel B. Pavlovic, Christopher S. Hetrea, Mary V. AshleyPopulation-specific life histories contribute to metapopulation viability
Restoration efforts can be improved by understanding how variations in life-history traits occur within populations of the same species living in different environments. This can be done by first understanding the demographic responses of natural occurring populations. Population viability analysis continues to be useful to species management and conservation with sensitivity analysis aiding in thAuthorsSamniqueka J. Halsey, Timothy J. Bell, Kathryn McEachern, Noel B. PavlovicOriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus): Spreading by fire
In many forest ecosystems, fire is critical in maintaining indigenous plant communities, but can either promote or arrest the spread of invasive species depending on their regeneration niche and resprouting ability. We examined the effects of cutting and burning treatments on the vegetative response (cover, stem density) and root resources of Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), a liana iAuthorsNoel B. Pavlovic, Stacey A. Leicht-Young, Ralph GrundelComparison of reintroduction and enhancement effects on metapopulation viability
Metapopulation viability depends upon a balance of extinction and colonization of local habitats by a species. Mechanisms that can affect this balance include physical characteristics related to natural processes (e.g. succession) as well as anthropogenic actions. Plant restorations can help to produce favorable metapopulation dynamics and consequently increase viability; however, to date no studiAuthorsSamniqueka J Halsey, Timothy J. Bell, Kathryn McEachern, Noel B. PavlovicGenetic characterization of hybridization between native and invasive bittersweet vines (Celastrus spp.)
Hybridization associated with species introductions can accelerate the decline of native species. The main objective of this study was to determine if the decline of a North American liana (American bittersweet, Celastrus scandens) in the eastern portion of its range is related to hybridization with an introduced congener (oriental bittersweet, C. orbiculatus). We used newly characterized microsatAuthorsDavid N. Zaya, Stacey A. Leicht-Young, Noel B. Pavlovic, Kevin A. Feldheim, Mary V. AshleyOpposing resonses to ecological gradients structure amphibian and reptile communities across a temperate grassland-savanna-forest landscape
Temperate savannas are threatened across the globe. If we prioritize savanna restoration, we should ask how savanna animal communities differ from communities in related open habitats and forests. We documented distribution of amphibian and reptile species across an open-savanna–forest gradient in the Midwest U.S. to determine how fire history and habitat structure affected herpetofaunal communityAuthorsRalph Grundel, David Beamer, Gary A. Glowacki, Krystal Frohnapple, Noel B. PavlovicLianas as invasive species in North America
Liana diversity is typically low in the temperate zones; however, the influx of non-native invasive liana species in North America has increased local diversity at the expense of native habitats and species. Some of the most illustrative studies of invasive lianas in temperate North America compared the biological traits of invasive lianas with native congeners or ecological analogs. The majorityAuthorsStacey A. Leicht-Young, Noel B. PavlovicNon-USGS Publications**
Pavlovic, N.B., Grundel, R., 2009. Reintroduction of wild lupine (Lupinus perennis L.) depends on variation in canopy, vegetation, and litter cover. Restoration Ecology 17, 807-817.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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