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Ralph Grundel, PhD

My research focuses on reducing extinction risk in animals and restoration of landscapes.

I lead a team that focuses on improving the scientific basis for conservation of pollinators and savanna landscapes, improving landscape connectivity, reducing extinction risk for threatened and endangered species, and documenting the effects of climate change on species and landscapes, especially in the Great Lakes region and in support of national parks. I work out of the USGS Great Lakes Science Center’s Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station within Indiana Dunes National Park.

Professional Experience

  • 2019- present Chief, Restoration and Conservation Sciences Branch, USGS Great Lakes Science Center.

  • 1993- present Research Animal Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey (Including National Biological Survey).

  • 1992-93 Research Animal Ecologist, National Park Service.

Education and Certifications

  • Postdoctoral, 1992 Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley

  • Ph.D. 1984, Zoology, University of Texas at Austin

  • B.A. 1976, Biology, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut

Abstracts and Presentations

  • Grundel, R., and Hess, A.N., 2022, Conservation Lessons from Studies of the Endangered Karner Blue Butterfly: Oral Presentation, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pollinator Community of Practice Webinar Series, November 15, 2022.

Science and Products

Science pages by this scientist

a close-up of a bumble bee face, with proboscis in the yellow center of a purple flower

Science for effective pollinator conservation and improved food security

Pollinators, including bees, flies, butterflies, bats, birds, and other animals, are critically important to U.S. ecosystems and agriculture. Recent reports of declines of pollinator species have led to widespread actions to conserve pollinator habitat and recover imperiled species, but resource managers need accurate data and science to support management actions. USGS pollinator research helps...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center
Science for effective pollinator conservation and improved food security

Science for effective pollinator conservation and improved food security

Pollinators, including bees, flies, butterflies, bats, birds, and other animals, are critically important to U.S. ecosystems and agriculture. Recent reports of declines of pollinator species have led to widespread actions to conserve pollinator habitat and recover imperiled species, but resource managers need accurate data and science to support management actions. USGS pollinator research helps...
Learn More
Blooming flowers in a Pollinator Plot

Relieving the Sting: Spatial Prioritization for Pollinator Conservation Under a Changing Climate

Project Overview The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee, and other native bees and pollinators, are declining due to climate change, habitat loss, and other stressors like pathogens and pesticide-use. Researchers supported by this Midwest CASC project will study how certain stressors interact to affect the geographic distribution of Rusty Patched Bumble Bees, using mapping techniques and future...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Relieving the Sting: Spatial Prioritization for Pollinator Conservation Under a Changing Climate

Relieving the Sting: Spatial Prioritization for Pollinator Conservation Under a Changing Climate

Project Overview The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee, and other native bees and pollinators, are declining due to climate change, habitat loss, and other stressors like pathogens and pesticide-use. Researchers supported by this Midwest CASC project will study how certain stressors interact to affect the geographic distribution of Rusty Patched Bumble Bees, using mapping techniques and future climate data
Learn More
Bumblebee on Phacelia flower

Using Pollinator Environmental DNA to Assess the Ecological Resilience of America’s Grasslands

Scientists from six USGS science centers are collaborating with USDA, university, and Tribal partners, and Department of the Interior land managers, to assess the status of pollinator communities and the distribution of species of conservation concern using environmental DNA. These methods will be used to improve assessments of habitat quality and pollinator responses to restoration, including...
By
Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Pacific Northwest Environmental DNA Laboratory
Using Pollinator Environmental DNA to Assess the Ecological Resilience of America’s Grasslands

Using Pollinator Environmental DNA to Assess the Ecological Resilience of America’s Grasslands

Scientists from six USGS science centers are collaborating with USDA, university, and Tribal partners, and Department of the Interior land managers, to assess the status of pollinator communities and the distribution of species of conservation concern using environmental DNA. These methods will be used to improve assessments of habitat quality and pollinator responses to restoration, including...
Learn More
Female Kirtlands Warbler perched on a tree branch

Terrestrial Native Species and Habitat Restoration: Kirtland’s Warbler Cowbird Control

By 1971, 69% of Kirtland’s warbler (a rare songbird with a limited breeding range in southern Ontario and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) nests were parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds (a parasitic brood bird native to the Great Plains), resulting in less than one young Kirtland’s warbler produced per nest. Cowbird trapping began in 1972, and parasitism rates were quickly reduced to around 6%...
Terrestrial Native Species and Habitat Restoration: Kirtland’s Warbler Cowbird Control

Terrestrial Native Species and Habitat Restoration: Kirtland’s Warbler Cowbird Control

By 1971, 69% of Kirtland’s warbler (a rare songbird with a limited breeding range in southern Ontario and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) nests were parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds (a parasitic brood bird native to the Great Plains), resulting in less than one young Kirtland’s warbler produced per nest. Cowbird trapping began in 1972, and parasitism rates were quickly reduced to around 6%...
Learn More

Data releases by this scientist

Effects of warming on development rates on Karner Blue Butterfly laboratory data (2011-2012) Effects of warming on development rates on Karner Blue Butterfly laboratory data (2011-2012)

The dataset is associated with a project that examines effects of climate change on the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) by subjecting different life stages of the Karner blue to both historically average temperature regimes and temperature regimes 2, 4, and 6 degrees Celsius above historic means. This dataset is composed of two spreadsheets: one...
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Genotype Data for Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus) from Bois Blanc Island, Michigan at 15 Microsatellite DNA Loci Genotype Data for Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus) from Bois Blanc Island, Michigan at 15 Microsatellite DNA Loci

We investigated fine-scale genetic patterns of the federally threatened Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus) on a relatively undisturbed island in northern Michigan, USA. This species often persists in habitat islands throughout much of its distribution due to extensive habitat loss and distance-limited dispersal. These data are from 102 individual Eastern Massasauga...
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Connectivity and Bottlenecks of Habitat Patches along the United States terrestrial coastline of the Great Lakes 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...
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Connectivity and Bottlenecks of Protected Areas 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

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...
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Bee-Gap: Ecology, Life-History, and Distribution of Bee Species in the United States 2017 Bee-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...
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Butterfly community abundance and distribution along a gradient of woody vegetation density at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve, and Tefft Savanna Nature Preserve, Indiana 1998-1999 Butterfly community abundance and distribution along a gradient of woody vegetation density at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve, and Tefft Savanna Nature Preserve, Indiana 1998-1999

The dataset consists of abundance information of butterfly species (61 species) collected at 25 sites in northwest Indiana in 1998 and 1999. Each site was surveyed 21 times. Auxiliary data on environmental conditions were collected to allow us to relate habitat differences among sites to differences in abundance and composition of the butterfly community.
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Karner blue butterfly densities, resource densities, and resource use at Sandhill Wildlife Area, Wisconsin, 2016 Karner blue butterfly densities, resource densities, and resource use at Sandhill Wildlife Area, Wisconsin, 2016

Insects with morphologically different life stages can face a time tradeoff between foraging and egg-laying behavior when larval and adult resources are spatially segregated. Understanding this tradeoff in the Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) can inform resource management for this federally endangered species under changing resource distribution and availability. We...
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Boat ramp locations within the Columbia River Basin with associated recreational use, water quality measurements, and risk assessment data for zebra and quagga mussels Boat ramp locations within the Columbia River Basin with associated recreational use, water quality measurements, and risk assessment data for zebra and quagga mussels

Aquatic invasive species are often transported between water bodies on boats or boat trailers, thus they are considered one of the primary vectors for new introductions of invasive species to a water body. This data set contains geographic positioning system locational data for boater access points, use data (i.e. recreational, fishing), water quality measurements (e.g. calcium...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)

Multimedia related to this scientist

Congressmen and LMERS employees
Congressmen Mrvan and Neguse Visit LMERS in Chesterton IN
Congressmen Mrvan and Neguse Visit LMERS in Chesterton IN
Congressmen and LMERS employees

Congressmen Mrvan and Neguse Visit LMERS in Chesterton IN

Congressmen Mrvan and Neguse Visit LMERS in Chesterton IN

Local Indiana Congressman Frank Mrvan (IN-01) and Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse (CO-02) visit the USGS Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station in Chesterton, Indiana, located within the Indiana Dunes National Park. Pictured left to right: Kasia Przbyla-Kelly USGS, Ralph Grundel USGS, Murulee Byappanahalli USGS, Rep. Joe Neguse, Rep.

By
Great Lakes Science Center
Congressmen and LMERS employees

Congressmen Mrvan and Neguse Visit LMERS in Chesterton IN

Congressmen Mrvan and Neguse Visit LMERS in Chesterton IN

Local Indiana Congressman Frank Mrvan (IN-01) and Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse (CO-02) visit the USGS Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station in Chesterton, Indiana, located within the Indiana Dunes National Park. Pictured left to right: Kasia Przbyla-Kelly USGS, Ralph Grundel USGS, Murulee Byappanahalli USGS, Rep. Joe Neguse, Rep.

By
Great Lakes Science Center

Publications by this scientist

Filter Total Items: 47

U.S. Geological Survey Pollinator Science Strategy, 2025–35—A Review and Look Forward U.S. Geological Survey Pollinator Science Strategy, 2025–35—A Review and Look Forward

This “U.S. Geological Survey Pollinator Science Strategy, 2025–35—A Review and Look Forward” (“Pollinator Science Strategy”) describes the science vision of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to support management, conservation, and policy decisions on animal pollinators and their habitats. As the science arm of the Department of the Interior, the USGS has a primary role in providing...
Authors
Clint Otto, Tabitha A. Graves, Desi Robertson-Thompson, Ian S. Pearse, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Caroline E. Murphy, Elisabeth B. Webb, Sam Droege, Melanie J. Steinkamp, Ralph Grundel
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, National Geospatial Technical Operations Center

Range-wide population genomic structure of the Karner blue butterfly, Plebejus (Lycaeides) samuelis Range-wide population genomic structure of the Karner blue butterfly, Plebejus (Lycaeides) samuelis

The Karner blue butterfly, Plebejus (Lycaeides) samuelis, is an endangered North American climate change-vulnerable species that has undergone substantial historical habitat loss and population decline. To better understand the species' genetic status and support Karner blue conservation, we sampled 116 individuals from 22 localities across the species' geographical range in Wisconsin...
Authors
Jing Zhang, Aaron Aunins, Timothy L. King, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Gregor W. Schuurman, Randy Knutson, Ralph Grundel, Jessica Hellmann, Nick V. Grishin
By
Eastern Ecological Science Center

Delineating spatial units for coregonine conservation, restoration, and stewardship Delineating spatial units for coregonine conservation, restoration, and stewardship

No abstract available.
Authors
Amanda Susanne Ackiss, Ralph Grundel, Jory L. Jonas, Naomi Jones, Trevor J. Krabbenhoft, Ryan Lauzon, Nicholas E. Mandrak, Brian O’Malley, Devon Pearse, Thomas C. Pratt, Breanna Redford, Mark Ridgway, Jason Smith, Andrew M. Muir
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Extinction risk modeling predicts range-wide differences of climate change impact on Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) Extinction risk modeling predicts range-wide differences of climate change impact on Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis)

The Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis, or Kbb), a federally endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in decline due to habitat loss, can be further threatened by climate change. Evaluating how climate shapes the population trend of the Kbb can help in the development of adaptive management plans. Current demographic models for the Kbb incorporate in either...
Authors
Yudi Li, David Wilson, Ralph Grundel, Steven Campbell, Joe Knight, Jim Perry, Jessica J. Hellmann
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Warming experiments test the temperature sensitivity of an endangered butterfly across life history stages Warming experiments test the temperature sensitivity of an endangered butterfly across life history stages

The Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) (hereafter Karner blue) is a federally listed endangered species occurring in disjunct locations within the Midwest and Eastern United States. As a hostplant specialist and an ectotherm, the Karner blue is likely to be susceptible to effects of climate change. We undertook warming experiments to explore the temperature sensitivity of...
Authors
Lainey Bristow, Ralph Grundel, Jason Dzurisin, Yudi Li, Andrew Hildreth, Jessica Hellmann
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Addressing detection uncertainty in Bombus affinis (Hymenoptera: Apidae) surveys can improve inferences made from monitoring Addressing detection uncertainty in Bombus affinis (Hymenoptera: Apidae) surveys can improve inferences made from monitoring

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed national guidelines to track species recovery of the endangered rusty patched bumble bee [Bombus affinis Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae)] and to investigate changes in species occupancy across space and time. As with other native bee monitoring efforts, managers have specifically acknowledged the need to address species detection uncertainty and...
Authors
Clint Otto, Alma Schrage, Larissa L. Bailey, John Michael Mola, Tamara A. Smith, Ian Pearse, Stacy C. Simanonok, Ralph Grundel
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Evaluating the migration mortality hypothesis using monarch tagging data Evaluating the migration mortality hypothesis using monarch tagging data

The decline in the eastern North American population of the monarch butterfly population since the late 1990s has been attributed to the loss of milkweed during the summer breeding season and the consequent reduction in the size of the summer population that migrates to central Mexico to overwinter (milkweed limitation hypothesis). However, in some studies the size of the summer...
Authors
Orley R. Taylor, John M. Pleasants, Ralph Grundel, Samuel Pecoraro, James P. Lovett, Ann Ryan
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Intact landscape promotes gene flow and low genetic structuring in the threatened Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake Intact landscape promotes gene flow and low genetic structuring in the threatened Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake

Genetic structuring of wild populations is dependent on environmental, ecological, and life-history factors. The specific role environmental context plays in genetic structuring is important to conservation practitioners working with rare species across areas with varying degrees of fragmentation. We investigated fine-scale genetic patterns of the federally threatened Eastern Massasauga
Authors
Nathan Kudla, Eric M. McCluskey, Vijay Lulla, Ralph Grundel, Jennifer A. Moore
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Evidence of an extreme weather‐induced phenological mismatch and a local extirpation of the endangered Karner blue butterfly Evidence of an extreme weather‐induced phenological mismatch and a local extirpation of the endangered Karner blue butterfly

In 2011, an experiment was undertaken to examine spring synchrony between the endangered Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) (Kbb) and its obligate host plant, wild blue lupine (Lupinus perennis) at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (INDU), where the southernmost population of Kbb occurred at the time of this study. From 2012 to 2014, field‐placed Kbb eggs were observed for...
Authors
Tamatha Patterson, Ralph Grundel, Jason D. K. Dzurisin, Randy L. Knutson, Jessica Hellmann
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Evidence of an extreme weather‐induced phenological mismatch and a local extirpation of the endangered Karner blue butterfly Evidence of an extreme weather‐induced phenological mismatch and a local extirpation of the endangered Karner blue butterfly

In 2011, an experiment was undertaken to examine spring synchrony between the endangered Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) (Kbb) and its obligate host plant, wild blue lupine (Lupinus perennis) at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (INDU), where the southernmost population of Kbb occurred at the time of this study. From 2012 to 2014, field‐placed Kbb eggs were observed for...
Authors
Tamatha Patterson, Ralph Grundel, Jason D. K. Dzurisin, Randy L. Knutson, Jessica Hellmann
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Changes in conservation value from grasslands to savannas to forests: How a temperate canopy cover gradient affects butterfly community composition Changes 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...
Authors
Ralph Grundel, Gary S. Dulin, Noel B. Pavlovic
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Resource segregation at fine spatial scales explains Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) distribution Resource segregation at fine spatial scales explains Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) distribution

The resource concentration hypothesis predicts that herbivorous insect density scales positively with plant density because insects are better able to identify, and remain longer in, patches with denser plant resources. While some studies support this hypothesis, others do not. Different explanations have been proposed for this discrepancy, including variation in insect dispersal ability...
Authors
Sophia N Chau, Lainey V Bristow, Ralph Grundel, Jessica J Hellmann
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Non-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.
Grundel, R.  1992.  How the mountain chickadee procures more food in less time for its nestlings. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 31:291-300.
Grundel, R., and H. Rubin. 1992.  Adaptation and selection as factors in the spontaneous transformation of NIH-3T3 cells. Carcinogenesis 13:1873-1877.
Grundel, R., and D. L. Dahlsten.  1991.  The feeding ecology of mountain chickadees (Parus gambeli): patterns of arthropod prey delivery to nestling birds. Canadian Journal of Zoology 69:1793-1804.
Grundel, R.  1990.  The role of dietary diversity, prey capture sequence and individuality in prey selection by parent mountain chickadees (Parus gambeli). Journal of Animal Ecology 59:959-976.
Grundel, R., and H. Rubin.  1988.  Maintenance of multiplication rate stability by cell populations in the face of heterogeneity among individual cells. Journal of Cell Science 91:571-576.
Grundel, R.  1987.  Determinants of nestling feeding rates and parental investment in the mountain chickadee. Condor 89:319-328.
Lynch, G. R., S. E. White, R. Grundel, and M. S. Berger. 1978. Effects of photoperiod, melatonin administration and thyroid block on spontaneous daily torpor and temperature regulation in the white-footed mouse,Peromyscus leucopus. Journal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology 125:157-163.
Grundel, R., and H. Rubin. 1991.  The effect of interclonal heterogeneity on the progressive, confluence-mediated acquisition of the focus forming phenotype in NIH 3T3 populations. Cancer Research 51:1003-1013.
Grundel, R., and H. Rubin. 1992.  Correspondence re: R. Grundel and H. Rubin, Effect of interclonal heterogeneity on the progressive, confluence-mediated acquisition of the focus-forming phenotype in NIH-3T3 populations. Cancer Research 52:1047-1050.

**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.

News about this scientist

U.S. Geological Survey Pollinator Science Strategy, 2025–35—A Review and Look Forward

U.S. Geological Survey Pollinator Science Strategy, 2025–35—A Review and Look Forward

This report describes the science vision of the USGS from 2025 to 2035 to support management, conservation, and decisions on animal pollinators and...

Read Article
GLSC's Alma Schrage Contributes to National Park Service National Mall Video Using American Sign Language

GLSC's Alma Schrage Contributes to National Park Service National Mall Video Using American Sign Language

Making Science More Accessible

Read Article
2020 Moffett Award for Best Scientific Publication Awarded

2020 Moffett Award for Best Scientific Publication Awarded

GLSC Best Publication Award for 2020

Read Article
GLSC Hosts Congressmen Mrvan (IN) And Neguse (CO) During NPS Tour

GLSC Hosts Congressmen Mrvan (IN) And Neguse (CO) During NPS Tour

Congressional Staff Learn About Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station Work In Support of National Park Service

Read Article
Ralph Grundel and team receive a Wings Across the Americas 2019 Conservation Award

Ralph Grundel and team receive a Wings Across the Americas 2019 Conservation Award

Wings Across the Americas 2019 Conservation Award

Read Article

Science and Products

Science pages by this scientist

a close-up of a bumble bee face, with proboscis in the yellow center of a purple flower

Science for effective pollinator conservation and improved food security

Pollinators, including bees, flies, butterflies, bats, birds, and other animals, are critically important to U.S. ecosystems and agriculture. Recent reports of declines of pollinator species have led to widespread actions to conserve pollinator habitat and recover imperiled species, but resource managers need accurate data and science to support management actions. USGS pollinator research helps...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center
Science for effective pollinator conservation and improved food security

Science for effective pollinator conservation and improved food security

Pollinators, including bees, flies, butterflies, bats, birds, and other animals, are critically important to U.S. ecosystems and agriculture. Recent reports of declines of pollinator species have led to widespread actions to conserve pollinator habitat and recover imperiled species, but resource managers need accurate data and science to support management actions. USGS pollinator research helps...
Learn More
Blooming flowers in a Pollinator Plot

Relieving the Sting: Spatial Prioritization for Pollinator Conservation Under a Changing Climate

Project Overview The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee, and other native bees and pollinators, are declining due to climate change, habitat loss, and other stressors like pathogens and pesticide-use. Researchers supported by this Midwest CASC project will study how certain stressors interact to affect the geographic distribution of Rusty Patched Bumble Bees, using mapping techniques and future...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Relieving the Sting: Spatial Prioritization for Pollinator Conservation Under a Changing Climate

Relieving the Sting: Spatial Prioritization for Pollinator Conservation Under a Changing Climate

Project Overview The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee, and other native bees and pollinators, are declining due to climate change, habitat loss, and other stressors like pathogens and pesticide-use. Researchers supported by this Midwest CASC project will study how certain stressors interact to affect the geographic distribution of Rusty Patched Bumble Bees, using mapping techniques and future climate data
Learn More
Bumblebee on Phacelia flower

Using Pollinator Environmental DNA to Assess the Ecological Resilience of America’s Grasslands

Scientists from six USGS science centers are collaborating with USDA, university, and Tribal partners, and Department of the Interior land managers, to assess the status of pollinator communities and the distribution of species of conservation concern using environmental DNA. These methods will be used to improve assessments of habitat quality and pollinator responses to restoration, including...
By
Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Pacific Northwest Environmental DNA Laboratory
Using Pollinator Environmental DNA to Assess the Ecological Resilience of America’s Grasslands

Using Pollinator Environmental DNA to Assess the Ecological Resilience of America’s Grasslands

Scientists from six USGS science centers are collaborating with USDA, university, and Tribal partners, and Department of the Interior land managers, to assess the status of pollinator communities and the distribution of species of conservation concern using environmental DNA. These methods will be used to improve assessments of habitat quality and pollinator responses to restoration, including...
Learn More
Female Kirtlands Warbler perched on a tree branch

Terrestrial Native Species and Habitat Restoration: Kirtland’s Warbler Cowbird Control

By 1971, 69% of Kirtland’s warbler (a rare songbird with a limited breeding range in southern Ontario and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) nests were parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds (a parasitic brood bird native to the Great Plains), resulting in less than one young Kirtland’s warbler produced per nest. Cowbird trapping began in 1972, and parasitism rates were quickly reduced to around 6%...
Terrestrial Native Species and Habitat Restoration: Kirtland’s Warbler Cowbird Control

Terrestrial Native Species and Habitat Restoration: Kirtland’s Warbler Cowbird Control

By 1971, 69% of Kirtland’s warbler (a rare songbird with a limited breeding range in southern Ontario and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) nests were parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds (a parasitic brood bird native to the Great Plains), resulting in less than one young Kirtland’s warbler produced per nest. Cowbird trapping began in 1972, and parasitism rates were quickly reduced to around 6%...
Learn More

Data releases by this scientist

Effects of warming on development rates on Karner Blue Butterfly laboratory data (2011-2012) Effects of warming on development rates on Karner Blue Butterfly laboratory data (2011-2012)

The dataset is associated with a project that examines effects of climate change on the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) by subjecting different life stages of the Karner blue to both historically average temperature regimes and temperature regimes 2, 4, and 6 degrees Celsius above historic means. This dataset is composed of two spreadsheets: one...
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Genotype Data for Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus) from Bois Blanc Island, Michigan at 15 Microsatellite DNA Loci Genotype Data for Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus) from Bois Blanc Island, Michigan at 15 Microsatellite DNA Loci

We investigated fine-scale genetic patterns of the federally threatened Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus) on a relatively undisturbed island in northern Michigan, USA. This species often persists in habitat islands throughout much of its distribution due to extensive habitat loss and distance-limited dispersal. These data are from 102 individual Eastern Massasauga...
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Connectivity and Bottlenecks of Habitat Patches along the United States terrestrial coastline of the Great Lakes 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...
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Connectivity and Bottlenecks of Protected Areas 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

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...
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Bee-Gap: Ecology, Life-History, and Distribution of Bee Species in the United States 2017 Bee-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...
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Butterfly community abundance and distribution along a gradient of woody vegetation density at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve, and Tefft Savanna Nature Preserve, Indiana 1998-1999 Butterfly community abundance and distribution along a gradient of woody vegetation density at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve, and Tefft Savanna Nature Preserve, Indiana 1998-1999

The dataset consists of abundance information of butterfly species (61 species) collected at 25 sites in northwest Indiana in 1998 and 1999. Each site was surveyed 21 times. Auxiliary data on environmental conditions were collected to allow us to relate habitat differences among sites to differences in abundance and composition of the butterfly community.
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Karner blue butterfly densities, resource densities, and resource use at Sandhill Wildlife Area, Wisconsin, 2016 Karner blue butterfly densities, resource densities, and resource use at Sandhill Wildlife Area, Wisconsin, 2016

Insects with morphologically different life stages can face a time tradeoff between foraging and egg-laying behavior when larval and adult resources are spatially segregated. Understanding this tradeoff in the Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) can inform resource management for this federally endangered species under changing resource distribution and availability. We...
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Boat ramp locations within the Columbia River Basin with associated recreational use, water quality measurements, and risk assessment data for zebra and quagga mussels Boat ramp locations within the Columbia River Basin with associated recreational use, water quality measurements, and risk assessment data for zebra and quagga mussels

Aquatic invasive species are often transported between water bodies on boats or boat trailers, thus they are considered one of the primary vectors for new introductions of invasive species to a water body. This data set contains geographic positioning system locational data for boater access points, use data (i.e. recreational, fishing), water quality measurements (e.g. calcium...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)

Multimedia related to this scientist

Congressmen and LMERS employees
Congressmen Mrvan and Neguse Visit LMERS in Chesterton IN
Congressmen Mrvan and Neguse Visit LMERS in Chesterton IN
Congressmen and LMERS employees

Congressmen Mrvan and Neguse Visit LMERS in Chesterton IN

Congressmen Mrvan and Neguse Visit LMERS in Chesterton IN

Local Indiana Congressman Frank Mrvan (IN-01) and Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse (CO-02) visit the USGS Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station in Chesterton, Indiana, located within the Indiana Dunes National Park. Pictured left to right: Kasia Przbyla-Kelly USGS, Ralph Grundel USGS, Murulee Byappanahalli USGS, Rep. Joe Neguse, Rep.

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Great Lakes Science Center
Congressmen and LMERS employees

Congressmen Mrvan and Neguse Visit LMERS in Chesterton IN

Congressmen Mrvan and Neguse Visit LMERS in Chesterton IN

Local Indiana Congressman Frank Mrvan (IN-01) and Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse (CO-02) visit the USGS Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station in Chesterton, Indiana, located within the Indiana Dunes National Park. Pictured left to right: Kasia Przbyla-Kelly USGS, Ralph Grundel USGS, Murulee Byappanahalli USGS, Rep. Joe Neguse, Rep.

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Great Lakes Science Center

Publications by this scientist

Filter Total Items: 47

U.S. Geological Survey Pollinator Science Strategy, 2025–35—A Review and Look Forward U.S. Geological Survey Pollinator Science Strategy, 2025–35—A Review and Look Forward

This “U.S. Geological Survey Pollinator Science Strategy, 2025–35—A Review and Look Forward” (“Pollinator Science Strategy”) describes the science vision of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to support management, conservation, and policy decisions on animal pollinators and their habitats. As the science arm of the Department of the Interior, the USGS has a primary role in providing...
Authors
Clint Otto, Tabitha A. Graves, Desi Robertson-Thompson, Ian S. Pearse, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Caroline E. Murphy, Elisabeth B. Webb, Sam Droege, Melanie J. Steinkamp, Ralph Grundel
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, National Geospatial Technical Operations Center

Range-wide population genomic structure of the Karner blue butterfly, Plebejus (Lycaeides) samuelis Range-wide population genomic structure of the Karner blue butterfly, Plebejus (Lycaeides) samuelis

The Karner blue butterfly, Plebejus (Lycaeides) samuelis, is an endangered North American climate change-vulnerable species that has undergone substantial historical habitat loss and population decline. To better understand the species' genetic status and support Karner blue conservation, we sampled 116 individuals from 22 localities across the species' geographical range in Wisconsin...
Authors
Jing Zhang, Aaron Aunins, Timothy L. King, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Gregor W. Schuurman, Randy Knutson, Ralph Grundel, Jessica Hellmann, Nick V. Grishin
By
Eastern Ecological Science Center

Delineating spatial units for coregonine conservation, restoration, and stewardship Delineating spatial units for coregonine conservation, restoration, and stewardship

No abstract available.
Authors
Amanda Susanne Ackiss, Ralph Grundel, Jory L. Jonas, Naomi Jones, Trevor J. Krabbenhoft, Ryan Lauzon, Nicholas E. Mandrak, Brian O’Malley, Devon Pearse, Thomas C. Pratt, Breanna Redford, Mark Ridgway, Jason Smith, Andrew M. Muir
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Extinction risk modeling predicts range-wide differences of climate change impact on Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) Extinction risk modeling predicts range-wide differences of climate change impact on Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis)

The Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis, or Kbb), a federally endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in decline due to habitat loss, can be further threatened by climate change. Evaluating how climate shapes the population trend of the Kbb can help in the development of adaptive management plans. Current demographic models for the Kbb incorporate in either...
Authors
Yudi Li, David Wilson, Ralph Grundel, Steven Campbell, Joe Knight, Jim Perry, Jessica J. Hellmann
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Warming experiments test the temperature sensitivity of an endangered butterfly across life history stages Warming experiments test the temperature sensitivity of an endangered butterfly across life history stages

The Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) (hereafter Karner blue) is a federally listed endangered species occurring in disjunct locations within the Midwest and Eastern United States. As a hostplant specialist and an ectotherm, the Karner blue is likely to be susceptible to effects of climate change. We undertook warming experiments to explore the temperature sensitivity of...
Authors
Lainey Bristow, Ralph Grundel, Jason Dzurisin, Yudi Li, Andrew Hildreth, Jessica Hellmann
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Addressing detection uncertainty in Bombus affinis (Hymenoptera: Apidae) surveys can improve inferences made from monitoring Addressing detection uncertainty in Bombus affinis (Hymenoptera: Apidae) surveys can improve inferences made from monitoring

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed national guidelines to track species recovery of the endangered rusty patched bumble bee [Bombus affinis Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae)] and to investigate changes in species occupancy across space and time. As with other native bee monitoring efforts, managers have specifically acknowledged the need to address species detection uncertainty and...
Authors
Clint Otto, Alma Schrage, Larissa L. Bailey, John Michael Mola, Tamara A. Smith, Ian Pearse, Stacy C. Simanonok, Ralph Grundel
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Evaluating the migration mortality hypothesis using monarch tagging data Evaluating the migration mortality hypothesis using monarch tagging data

The decline in the eastern North American population of the monarch butterfly population since the late 1990s has been attributed to the loss of milkweed during the summer breeding season and the consequent reduction in the size of the summer population that migrates to central Mexico to overwinter (milkweed limitation hypothesis). However, in some studies the size of the summer...
Authors
Orley R. Taylor, John M. Pleasants, Ralph Grundel, Samuel Pecoraro, James P. Lovett, Ann Ryan
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Intact landscape promotes gene flow and low genetic structuring in the threatened Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake Intact landscape promotes gene flow and low genetic structuring in the threatened Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake

Genetic structuring of wild populations is dependent on environmental, ecological, and life-history factors. The specific role environmental context plays in genetic structuring is important to conservation practitioners working with rare species across areas with varying degrees of fragmentation. We investigated fine-scale genetic patterns of the federally threatened Eastern Massasauga
Authors
Nathan Kudla, Eric M. McCluskey, Vijay Lulla, Ralph Grundel, Jennifer A. Moore
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Evidence of an extreme weather‐induced phenological mismatch and a local extirpation of the endangered Karner blue butterfly Evidence of an extreme weather‐induced phenological mismatch and a local extirpation of the endangered Karner blue butterfly

In 2011, an experiment was undertaken to examine spring synchrony between the endangered Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) (Kbb) and its obligate host plant, wild blue lupine (Lupinus perennis) at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (INDU), where the southernmost population of Kbb occurred at the time of this study. From 2012 to 2014, field‐placed Kbb eggs were observed for...
Authors
Tamatha Patterson, Ralph Grundel, Jason D. K. Dzurisin, Randy L. Knutson, Jessica Hellmann
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Evidence of an extreme weather‐induced phenological mismatch and a local extirpation of the endangered Karner blue butterfly Evidence of an extreme weather‐induced phenological mismatch and a local extirpation of the endangered Karner blue butterfly

In 2011, an experiment was undertaken to examine spring synchrony between the endangered Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) (Kbb) and its obligate host plant, wild blue lupine (Lupinus perennis) at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (INDU), where the southernmost population of Kbb occurred at the time of this study. From 2012 to 2014, field‐placed Kbb eggs were observed for...
Authors
Tamatha Patterson, Ralph Grundel, Jason D. K. Dzurisin, Randy L. Knutson, Jessica Hellmann
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Changes in conservation value from grasslands to savannas to forests: How a temperate canopy cover gradient affects butterfly community composition Changes 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...
Authors
Ralph Grundel, Gary S. Dulin, Noel B. Pavlovic
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Resource segregation at fine spatial scales explains Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) distribution Resource segregation at fine spatial scales explains Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) distribution

The resource concentration hypothesis predicts that herbivorous insect density scales positively with plant density because insects are better able to identify, and remain longer in, patches with denser plant resources. While some studies support this hypothesis, others do not. Different explanations have been proposed for this discrepancy, including variation in insect dispersal ability...
Authors
Sophia N Chau, Lainey V Bristow, Ralph Grundel, Jessica J Hellmann
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Non-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.
Grundel, R.  1992.  How the mountain chickadee procures more food in less time for its nestlings. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 31:291-300.
Grundel, R., and H. Rubin. 1992.  Adaptation and selection as factors in the spontaneous transformation of NIH-3T3 cells. Carcinogenesis 13:1873-1877.
Grundel, R., and D. L. Dahlsten.  1991.  The feeding ecology of mountain chickadees (Parus gambeli): patterns of arthropod prey delivery to nestling birds. Canadian Journal of Zoology 69:1793-1804.
Grundel, R.  1990.  The role of dietary diversity, prey capture sequence and individuality in prey selection by parent mountain chickadees (Parus gambeli). Journal of Animal Ecology 59:959-976.
Grundel, R., and H. Rubin.  1988.  Maintenance of multiplication rate stability by cell populations in the face of heterogeneity among individual cells. Journal of Cell Science 91:571-576.
Grundel, R.  1987.  Determinants of nestling feeding rates and parental investment in the mountain chickadee. Condor 89:319-328.
Lynch, G. R., S. E. White, R. Grundel, and M. S. Berger. 1978. Effects of photoperiod, melatonin administration and thyroid block on spontaneous daily torpor and temperature regulation in the white-footed mouse,Peromyscus leucopus. Journal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology 125:157-163.
Grundel, R., and H. Rubin. 1991.  The effect of interclonal heterogeneity on the progressive, confluence-mediated acquisition of the focus forming phenotype in NIH 3T3 populations. Cancer Research 51:1003-1013.
Grundel, R., and H. Rubin. 1992.  Correspondence re: R. Grundel and H. Rubin, Effect of interclonal heterogeneity on the progressive, confluence-mediated acquisition of the focus-forming phenotype in NIH-3T3 populations. Cancer Research 52:1047-1050.

**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.

News about this scientist

U.S. Geological Survey Pollinator Science Strategy, 2025–35—A Review and Look Forward

U.S. Geological Survey Pollinator Science Strategy, 2025–35—A Review and Look Forward

This report describes the science vision of the USGS from 2025 to 2035 to support management, conservation, and decisions on animal pollinators and...

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GLSC's Alma Schrage Contributes to National Park Service National Mall Video Using American Sign Language

GLSC's Alma Schrage Contributes to National Park Service National Mall Video Using American Sign Language

Making Science More Accessible

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2020 Moffett Award for Best Scientific Publication Awarded

2020 Moffett Award for Best Scientific Publication Awarded

GLSC Best Publication Award for 2020

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GLSC Hosts Congressmen Mrvan (IN) And Neguse (CO) During NPS Tour

GLSC Hosts Congressmen Mrvan (IN) And Neguse (CO) During NPS Tour

Congressional Staff Learn About Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station Work In Support of National Park Service

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Ralph Grundel and team receive a Wings Across the Americas 2019 Conservation Award

Ralph Grundel and team receive a Wings Across the Americas 2019 Conservation Award

Wings Across the Americas 2019 Conservation Award

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