Elizabeth Sellers is currently serving the USGS as a Data Manager, Software Development Coordinator, and Taxonomic Data Development Specialist, with the Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program in the Core Science Systems Mission Area.
She joined the USGS in December 2003 after completing a year as a USGS Volunteer for Science for the Invasive Species science program of the Biological Resources Discipline (now Ecosystems Mission Area). She completed her B.Sc. in Tropical Botany and Geomorphology at James Cook University, Townsville campus, Australia in 1995; and completed post-graduate research in 1996 on the compensatory growth habits and ecophysiology of the non-native invasive 'woody weed' Chinee[sic] apple (Zizyphus mauritiana) for a BSc. Honors degree.
From 2020 to present she is responsible for Data Manager oversight of SAS-authored and co-authored data and software releases, and related publications; and coordinates SAS software development sprints for the Science Data Management branch.
From 2016 to present she is responsible for updating and maintaining the taxonomic nomenclature data for the bees of the world in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS - https://www.itis.gov).
From 2009-2019 she coordinated the development and data loads for the USGS Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation (BISON https://bison.usgs.gov) online species mapping application and the BISON Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT - https://bison.usgs.gov/ipt) instance for hosting species occurrence data and metadata shared with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF - https://www.gbif.org).
She currently represents the USGS on the Steering Committee of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC - https://www.pollinator.org/nappc; 2007 to present); and on the USDA Pollinator Working Group (2016 to present). She also represented the USGS on the Federal Committee of the Plant Conservation Alliance (PCA) (2015-2018). In 2004 she was a founding member of the Global Invasive Species Information Network (GISIN).
Science and Products
Towards a U.S. national program for monitoring native bees
USGS enterprise tools for efficient and effective management of science data
National protocol framework for the inventory and monitoring of bees
Distribution and floral hosts of Anthophorula micheneri ( Timberlake, 1947) and Hylaeus sparsus (Cresson, 1869), (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila), with new staterecords in Giles and Loudoun counties, Virginia, eastern USA
I3N risk assessment and pathway analysis: Tools for the prevention of biological invasions
Invasive species information networks: Collaboration at multiple scales for prevention, early detection, and rapid response to invasive alien species
Essential elements of online information networks on invasive alien species
United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (US-RIIS)
Introduced (non-native) species that becomes established may eventually become invasive, so tracking introduced species provides a baseline for effective modeling of species trends and interactions, geospatially and temporally. The United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (US-RIIS) is comprised of three lists, one each for Alaska (AK, with 532 records), Hawaii (HI, with 6,075 reco
A comprehensive list of non-native species established in three major regions of the United States: Version 3.0
GBIF-US
Species observations for the United States and Territories
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
ITIS is the authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world. We are a partnership of U.S., Canadian, and Mexican agencies (ITIS-North America); other organizations; and taxonomic specialists. ITIS data is used in thousands of databases in industry, academia and government.
Science and Products
- Publications
Towards a U.S. national program for monitoring native bees
North America has more than 4000 bee species, yet we have little information on the health, distribution, and population trends of most of these species. In the United States, what information is available is distributed across multiple institutions, and efforts to track bee populations are largely uncoordinated on a national scale. An overarching framework for monitoring U.S. native bees could prAuthorsHollis Woodward, Sarah Federman, Rosalind R. James, Bryan Danforth, Terry Griswold, David W. Inouye, Quinn McFrederick, Lora Morandin, Deborah Paul, Elizabeth Sellers, James P. Strange, Mace Vaughan, Neal M. Williams, Michael Branstetter, Casey T. Burns, James Cane, Alison B Cariveau, Daniel Cariveau, Anna Childers, Christopher Childers, Diana L. Cox-Foster, Elaine Evan, Kelsey K. Graham, Kevin Hackett, Kimberly Huntzinger, Rebecca Irwin, Shalene Jha, Sarah Lawson, Christina Liang, Margarita M. Lopez-Uribe, Andony Melathopoulos, Heather M.C. Moylett, Clint R.V. Otto, Lauren Ponisio, Leif L Richardson, Robyn Rose, Rajwinder Singh, Wayne WehlingUSGS enterprise tools for efficient and effective management of science data
The Science Data Management Branch (SDM) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides data management expertise and leadership and develops guidance and tools to support the USGS in providing the nation with reliable scientific information on the basis of which to describe the Earth. The SDM suite of tools supports the USGS Data Management Lifecycle by facilitating quality assurance, description,AuthorsVivian B. Hutchison, Amanda Liford, Ricardo McClees-Funinan, Lisa Zolly, Drew Ignizio, Madison Langseth, Brandon Serna, Elizabeth Sellers, Leslie Hsu, Tamar Norkin, Marcia McNiff, Grace C. DonovanNational protocol framework for the inventory and monitoring of bees
This national protocol framework is a standardized tool for the inventory and monitoring of the approximately 4,200 species of native and non-native bee species that may be found within the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). However, this protocol framework may also be used by other organizations and individuals to monitor bees in anyAuthorsSam Droege, Joseph D. Engler, Elizabeth A. Sellers, Lee O'BrienDistribution and floral hosts of Anthophorula micheneri ( Timberlake, 1947) and Hylaeus sparsus (Cresson, 1869), (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila), with new staterecords in Giles and Loudoun counties, Virginia, eastern USA
New collection records for Anthophorula micheneri (Timberlake, 1947) from Loudoun County and other locations in Virginia, USA document an approximately 1,350 km extension of its previously recorded geographic range. New state records for the rarely seen Hylaeus sparsus (Cresson, 1869) collected in Giles County and from a blue vane trap in Loudoun County, Virginia add to our knowledge of this speciAuthorsElizabeth A. Sellers, David McCarthyI3N risk assessment and pathway analysis: Tools for the prevention of biological invasions
Information on invasive alien species from published and unpublished accounts and databases is usually scattered in locations and formats that are not easily accessible. Customized informatics tools for collecting and organizing invasive species information can help resource managers better control biological invasions. The Invasives Information Network (I3N) of the Inter-American Biodiversity InfAuthorsAnnie Simpson, Elizabeth A. SellersInvasive species information networks: Collaboration at multiple scales for prevention, early detection, and rapid response to invasive alien species
Accurate analysis of present distributions and effective modeling of future distributions of invasive alien species (IAS) are both highly dependent on the availability and accessibility of occurrence data and natural history information about the species. Invasive alien species monitoring and detection networks (such as the Invasive Plant Atlas of New England and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the MiAuthorsAnnie Simpson, Catherine S. Jarnevich, John Madsen, Randy G. Westbrooks, Christine Fournier, Les Mehrhoff, Michael Browne, Jim Graham, Elizabeth A. SellersEssential elements of online information networks on invasive alien species
In order to be effective, information must be placed in the proper context and organized in a manner that is logical and (preferably) standardized. Recently, invasive alien species (IAS) scientists have begun to create online networks to share their information concerning IAS prevention and control. At a special networking session at the Beijing International Symposium on Biological Invasions, anAuthorsAnnie Simpson, Elizabeth A. Sellers, Andrea Grosse, Y. Xie - Data
United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (US-RIIS)
Introduced (non-native) species that becomes established may eventually become invasive, so tracking introduced species provides a baseline for effective modeling of species trends and interactions, geospatially and temporally. The United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (US-RIIS) is comprised of three lists, one each for Alaska (AK, with 532 records), Hawaii (HI, with 6,075 reco
A comprehensive list of non-native species established in three major regions of the United States: Version 3.0
Invasive species are a subset of non-native (or nonindigenous) species, and knowing what species are non-native to a region is a first step to managing invasive species. This is an update to the dataset "First comprehensive list of non-native species established in three major regions of the United States" supporting a USGS Open File Report by the same name published on 2018-10-17. Version 2.0 of - Web Tools
GBIF-US
Species observations for the United States and Territories
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
ITIS is the authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world. We are a partnership of U.S., Canadian, and Mexican agencies (ITIS-North America); other organizations; and taxonomic specialists. ITIS data is used in thousands of databases in industry, academia and government.