Erica Sarro Gustilo, PhD
I investigate factors impacting pollinator health at landscape, local, and organismal scales.
My background is primarily in bumble bee biology and behavior, and I am particularly interested in the life-stage-specific mechanisms contributing to bumble bee declines. My PhD work employed innovative techniques (including trap nesting, RFID tracking, and video monitoring) to understand life-stage-specific needs and limitations of bumble bee queens in the early spring. As a Directorate Fellow for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, I contributed to monitoring efforts for Franklin’s and western bumble bees in California and Oregon. At USGS, I am working to identify the habitat needs of western bumble bee and other pollinators via traditional monitoring and eDNA techniques, to inform habitat restoration and management strategies that best support pollinator communities.
Science and Products
Using Pollinator Environmental DNA to Assess the Ecological Resilience of America’s Grasslands
Western Bumble Bee and Native Pollinator Research
Science and Products
- Publications
- Science
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...BySpecies 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 LaboratoryWestern Bumble Bee and Native Pollinator Research
The western bumble bee was historically one of the most common bumble bees across the western U.S. and Canada. However, our research and others found it has declined substantially across its range and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering it for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and other land managers need information to inform...