Clint Otto, PhD
Clint Otto is a Research Ecologist for the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Jamestown, North Dakota.
The principal goal of my research program is to investigate the impacts of land-use change on pollinator habitat and ecosystem services in the Prairie Pothole Region. Much of my research focuses on the development of decision-support tools for informing natural resource policy and management. My lab’s current research projects include modeling the effects of agricultural land-use change and grassland management on pollinator habitat and population health. In addition, my lab works with multiple federal partners to improve population monitoring of the endangered Rusty Patched bumble bee and other pollinators of conservation concern. My team also collaborates on several remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and eDNA projects designed to enhance monitoring of pollinators and their habitats on a national scale.
Professional Experience
Research Ecologist, USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Education and Certifications
Michigan State University (Ph.D.), 2012
Towson University (M.S.), 2006
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (B.S.), 2002
Science and Products
Molecular sequencing and morphological identification reveal similar patterns in native bee communities across public and private grasslands of eastern North Dakota
Do the quality and quantity of honey bee-collected pollen vary across an agricultural land use gradient?
Nutritional status of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) workers across an agricultural land-use gradient
Impacts on wildlife of annual crops for biofuel production
Typha (cattail) invasion in North American wetlands: Biology, regional problems, impacts, ecosystem services, and management
Feeling the sting? Addressing land-use changes can mitigate bee declines
Assessing the impact of the Conservation Reserve Program on honey bee health
Distance models as a tool for modelling detection probability and density of native bumblebees
Emerging themes from the ESA symposium entitled “Pollinator nutrition: Lessons from bees at individual to landscape levels”
The influence of spatiotemporally decoupled land use on honey bee colony health and pollination service delivery
Past role and future outlook of the Conservation Reserve Program for supporting honey bees in the Great Plains
Using colony monitoring devices to evaluate the impacts of land use and nutritional value of forage on honey bee health
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Filter Total Items: 43
Molecular sequencing and morphological identification reveal similar patterns in native bee communities across public and private grasslands of eastern North Dakota
Bees play a key role in the functioning of human-modified and natural ecosystems by pollinating agricultural crops and wild plant communities. Global pollinator conservation efforts need large-scale and long-term monitoring to detect changes in species’ demographic patterns and shifts in bee community structure. The objective of this project was to test a molecular sequencing pipeline that would uAuthorsBrian Darby, Russ Bryant, Abby Keller, Madison Jochim, Josephine Moe, Zoe Schreiner, Carrie Pratt, Ned Euliss, Mia Park, Rebecca Simmons, Clint R.V. OttoDo the quality and quantity of honey bee-collected pollen vary across an agricultural land use gradient?
Pollen is the source of protein for most bee species, yet the quality and quantity of pollen is variable across landscapes and growing seasons. Understanding the role of landscapes in providing nutritious forage to bees is important for pollinator health, particularly in areas undergoing significant land-use change such as in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) region of the United States where grasslAuthorsMichael P. Simanonok, Clint R.V. Otto, Matthew D. SmartNutritional status of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) workers across an agricultural land-use gradient
Land use and habitat quality have emerged as critical factors influencing the health, productivity, and survival of honey bee colonies. However, characterization of the mechanistic relationship between differential land-use conditions and ultimate outcomes for honey bee colonies has been elusive. We assessed the physiological health of individual worker honey bees in colonies stationed across a gAuthorsMatthew Smart, Clint R.V. Otto, Jonathan G. LundgrenImpacts on wildlife of annual crops for biofuel production
No abstract available.AuthorsClint R.V. OttoTypha (cattail) invasion in North American wetlands: Biology, regional problems, impacts, ecosystem services, and management
Typha is an iconic wetland plant found worldwide. Hybridization and anthropogenic disturbances have resulted in large increases in Typha abundance in wetland ecosystems throughout North America at a cost to native floral and faunal biodiversity. As demonstrated by three regional case studies, Typha is capable of rapidly colonizing habitats and forming monodominant vegetation stands due to traits sAuthorsSheel Bansal, Shane Lishawa, Sue Newman, Brian Tangen, Douglas Wilcox, Dennis Albert, Michael J. Anteau, Michael J Chimney, Ryann L. Cressey, Edward S. DeKeyser, Kenneth J Elgersam, Sarah A Finkelstein, Joanna Freeland, Richard Grosshans, Page E. Klug, Daniel J Larkin, Beth A. Lawrence, George Linz, Joy Marburger, Gregory B. Noe, Clint R.V. Otto, Nicholas Reo, Jennifer Richards, Curtis J. Richardson, LeRoy Rodgers, Amy J Shrank, Dan Svedarsky, Steven E. Travis, Nancy Tuchman, Arnold van der Valk, Lisamarie Windham-MyersFeeling the sting? Addressing land-use changes can mitigate bee declines
Pollinators are an essential component of functioning and sustainable agroecosystems. Despite their critical economic and ecological role, wild and managed bees are declining throughout the United States and across the globe. Commercial beekeepers lost nearly 40.5% of their colonies in 2015–2016 and estimated wild bee abundance declined 23% between 2008 and 2013. These losses are due to a number oAuthorsJennie Durant, Clint R.V. OttoAssessing the impact of the Conservation Reserve Program on honey bee health
Insect pollinators are critically important for maintaining U.S. food production and ecosystem health. The upper Midwest is home to more than 40 percent of all U.S. honey bee colonies and is considered by many beekeepers to be America’s last beekeeping refuge. Beekeepers come to this region because their honey bees require high-quality grassland and bee-friendly agricultural crops to make honey anAuthorsClint R.V. OttoDistance models as a tool for modelling detection probability and density of native bumblebees
Effective monitoring of native bee populations requires accurate estimates of population size and relative abundance among habitats. Current bee survey methods, such as netting or pan trapping, may be adequate for a variety of study objectives but are limited by a failure to account for imperfect detection. Biases due to imperfect detection could result in inaccurate abundance estimates or erroneoAuthorsDarin J. McNeil, Clint R.V. Otto, Erin L. Moser, Katherine R. Urban-Mead, David E. King, Amanda D. Rodewald, Jeffrey L. LarkinEmerging themes from the ESA symposium entitled “Pollinator nutrition: Lessons from bees at individual to landscape levels”
No abstract available.AuthorsVanessa Corby-Harris, Julia H. Bowsher, Morgan Carr-Markell, Mark J. Carroll, Mary Centrella, Steven C. Cook, Margaret Couvillon, Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman, Adam Dolezal, Julia C. Jones, Christina Mogren, Clint R.V. Otto, Pierre Lau, Juliana Rangel, Roger Schurch, Ashley St. ClairThe influence of spatiotemporally decoupled land use on honey bee colony health and pollination service delivery
Societal dependence on insects for pollination of agricultural crops has risen amidst concerns over pollinator declines. Habitat loss and lack of forage have been implicated in the decline of both managed and native pollinators. Land use changes in the Northern Great Plains of the US, a region supporting over 1 million honey bee colonies annually, have shifted away from historical grassland ecosAuthorsMatthew Smart, Clint R.V. Otto, Benjamin Carlson, Cali L. RothPast role and future outlook of the Conservation Reserve Program for supporting honey bees in the Great Plains
Human dependence on insect pollinators continues to grow even as pollinators face global declines. The Northern Great Plains (NGP), a region often referred to as America’s last honey bee (Apis mellifera) refuge, has undergone rapid land-cover change due to cropland expansion and weakened land conservation programs. We conducted a trend analysis and estimated conversion rates of Conservation ReservAuthorsClint R.V. Otto, Haochi Zheng, Alisa L. Gallant, Rich Iovanna, Benjamin L. Carlson, Matthew Smart, Skip HybergUsing colony monitoring devices to evaluate the impacts of land use and nutritional value of forage on honey bee health
Colony monitoring devices used to track and assess the health status of honey bees are becoming more widely available and used by both beekeepers and researchers. These devices monitor parameters relevant to colony health at frequent intervals, often approximating real time. The fine-scale record of hive condition can be further related to static or dynamic features of the landscape, such as weathAuthorsMatthew Smart, Clint R.V. Otto, Robert S. Cornman, Deborah D. Iwanowicz - News