Lisa Webb, PhD
Regional Supervisor - Southern Region - Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units
In 2024, Lisa accepted the Unit Supervisor (South) Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit position. Unit scientists and unit supervisors work with cooperators to help them identify their needs, and unit supervisors ensure that all research conducted is aligned with the USGS mission.
Originally from upstate New York, Dr. Webb was the Assistant Unit Leader of the Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Cooperative Associate Professor in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. Prior to joining the Missouri Unit in 2011, Dr. Webb received her undergraduate degree from Washington and Lee University and graduate degrees from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale and Texas Tech University.
Previously, Lisa was the applied water bird and wetland ecologist with a research program focused on understanding the interactions among species life history strategies, spatial ecology and distributions of wetland-dependent organisms. Her research expertise includes quantifying the role of spatial habitat configuration and composition in influencing distributions, behaviors, movements and fitness of wetland-dependent taxa. Lisa is particularly interested in investigating the mechanistic relationships and spatial processes of animal distributions, with an emphasis on understanding how these relationships are altered by management practices, anthropogenic activities and land use change. Her research incorporates field and lab experiments with remote-sensing tools, simulation modeling and quantitative methods to answer novel, applied wildlife research questions from local to continental scales.
Professional Experience
Unit Supervisor (South) USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2024-
Assistant Unit Leader, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2011-2024
Education and Certifications
Ph D Texas Tech University 2006
MS Southern Illinois University - Carbondale 2002
BA Washington and Lee University 1999
Science and Products
Secretive marsh bird habitat associations in the Mississippi Flyway: A meta-analysis
Impacts of neonicotinoid seed treatments on the wild bee community in agricultural field margins
Factors affecting staff support of a voluntary nonlead ammunition outreach program
Harvest as a tool to manage populations of undesirable or overabundant fish and wildlife
Extent, configuration and diversity of burned and forested areas predict bat richness in a fire-maintained forest
Until It's a regulation it's not my fight: Complexities of a voluntary nonlead hunting ammunition program
Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) home range, movement and forays revealed by GPS-tracking
Beyond neonicotinoids – Wild pollinators are exposed to a range of pesticides while foraging in agroecosystems
Comparing native bee communities on reconstructed and remnant prairie in Missouri
Clothianidin decomposition in Missouri wetland soils
Perspectives from natural resource professionals: Attitudes on lead ammunition risks and use of nonlead ammunition
Neonicotinoid insecticide concentrations in agricultural wetlands and associations with aquatic invertebrate communities
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 48
Secretive marsh bird habitat associations in the Mississippi Flyway: A meta-analysis
Secretive marsh birds, including rails and bitterns, have experienced widespread population declines due to the loss of wetland habitat on which they depend. Because of their cryptic behavior, secretive marsh birds are challenging to study and information on their habitat requirements is limited, especially across the full annual cycle. Quantifying habitat associations throughout the annual cycleAuthorsK.M. Malone, Elisabeth B. Webb, D. Mengel, L. Kearns, S.W. Matteson, A.E. McKellarImpacts of neonicotinoid seed treatments on the wild bee community in agricultural field margins
Wild bees support global agroecosystems via pollination of agricultural crops and maintaining diverse plant communities. However, with an increased reliance on pesticides to enhance crop production, wild bee communities may inadvertently be affected through exposure to chemical residues. Laboratory and semi-field studies have demonstrated lethal and sublethal effects of neonicotinoids on limited gAuthorsAnson R. Main, Elisabeth B. Webb, Keith W. Goyne, Robert Abney, Doreen C. MengelFactors affecting staff support of a voluntary nonlead ammunition outreach program
Lead poisoning from ingestion of bullet fragments in gut piles and unretrieved deer carcasses continues to cause mortality in bald eagles. To address this issue, the Midwest region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) initiated an outreach program during 2016–2018 encouraging hunters to voluntarily use nonlead ammunition while deer hunting on National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs). We conductedAuthorsJ. H. Schulz, S. A. Wilhelm Stanis, Christine Jie Li, Mark Morgan, Elisabeth B. WebbHarvest as a tool to manage populations of undesirable or overabundant fish and wildlife
Harvest is a common management tool for fish and game species and can also be used for overabundant populations when stakeholders want to reduce populations reduced and still provide recreational opportunities. The authors propose a framework to determine if harvest can be used to control populations when overabundance is an issue, stakeholders support harvest, information is available to set harvAuthorsCraig Paukert, Elisabeth B. Webb, Drew N. Fowler, Corbin D. HillingExtent, configuration and diversity of burned and forested areas predict bat richness in a fire-maintained forest
ContextFire transforms, fragments and sometimes maintains forests, creating mosaics of burned and unburned patches. Highly mobile animals respond to resources in the landscape at a variety of spatial scales, yet we know little about their landscape-scale relationships with fire.ObjectivesWe aimed to identify drivers of bat richness in a landscape mosaic of forested and burned areas while identifyiAuthorsR. V. Blakey, Elisabeth B. Webb, D. C. Kesler, R. B. Siegel, D. Corcoran, J. S. Cole, Matthew JohnsonUntil It's a regulation it's not my fight: Complexities of a voluntary nonlead hunting ammunition program
Wildlife and human health are at risk of lead exposure from spent hunting ammunition. Lead exposure persists for bald eagles due to bullet fragments in game animal gut piles and unretrieved carcasses, and is also a human health risk when wild game is procured using lead ammunition. Programs encouraging the voluntary use of nonlead ammunition have become a popular approach mitigating these effects.AuthorsJ. H. Schulz, S. A. Wilhelm Stanis, D.M. Hall, Elisabeth B. WebbNorthern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) home range, movement and forays revealed by GPS-tracking
The Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) is an apex predator occurring across North America and Eurasia. The species has received considerable conservation focus in late-seral conifer forests of western North America, where its habitat has been substantially reduced and altered by timber harvest and is increasingly at risk from high severity fire, drought, and forest pathogens. In the Sierra NevaAuthorsR.V. Blakley, R.B. Siegel, Elisabeth B. Webb, C.P. Dillingham, M. Tracy Johnson, D.C. KeslerBeyond neonicotinoids – Wild pollinators are exposed to a range of pesticides while foraging in agroecosystems
Pesticide exposure is a growing global concern for pollinator conservation. While most current pesticide studies have specifically focused on the impacts of neonicotinoid insecticides toward honeybees and some native bee species, wild pollinators may be exposed to a broader range of agrochemicals. In 2016 and 2017 we collected a total of 637 wild bees and butterflies from the margins of cultivatedAuthorsA.R. Main, Michelle Hladik, Elisabeth B. Webb, K. W. Goyne, D. MengelComparing native bee communities on reconstructed and remnant prairie in Missouri
The tallgrass prairie of North America is an imperiled ecosystem that has been the subject of considerable restoration effort and research in the past two decades. While native prairie plant species are purposely introduced during restoration, prairie invertebrates, including native bees (Anthophila), are not, and must colonize from surrounding remnants. Prairie restorations may not support the saAuthorsJ. P. LaRose, Elisabeth B. Webb, D. L. FinkeClothianidin decomposition in Missouri wetland soils
Neonicotinoid pesticides can persist in soils for extended time periods; however, they also have a high potential to contaminate ground and surface waters. Studies have reported negative effects associated with neonicotinoids and nontarget taxa, including aquatic invertebrates, pollinating insect species, and insectivorous birds. This study evaluated factors associated with clothianidin (CTN) degrAuthorsC. J. Beringer, K. W. Goyne, R. N. Lerch, Elisabeth B. Webb, D. MengelPerspectives from natural resource professionals: Attitudes on lead ammunition risks and use of nonlead ammunition
Hunting is a popular activity but continued use of lead ammunition poses risks to wildlife and human health. To inform adoption of the voluntary use of nonlead ammunition, natural resource professionals were surveyed to understand their attitudes about threats to bald eagles, lead poisoning in bald eagles, human health risks from lead bullet fragments in venison, use of nonlead hunting ammunition,AuthorsJohn H. Schulz, Sonja A. Wilhelm Stanis, M. Granger Morgan, Christine Jie Li, Damon M. Hall, Elisabeth B. WebbNeonicotinoid insecticide concentrations in agricultural wetlands and associations with aquatic invertebrate communities
Neonicotinoids are considered a superior insecticide for agricultural pest management, although their impacts on non-target insects is a rising concern. Aside from laboratory and mesocosm studies, limited research has been directed towards the role neonicotinoids may have in structuring aquatic invertebrate communities in field settings. Therefore, we simultaneously collected aquatic invertebrateAuthorsT.J. Schepker, Elisabeth B. Webb, Donald E. Tillitt, T. LaGrange