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
Using Pollinator Environmental DNA to Assess the Ecological Resilience of America’s Grasslands
Terrestrial Native Species and Habitat Restoration: Kirtland’s Warbler Cowbird Control
Data releases by this scientist
Effects of warming on development rates on Karner Blue Butterfly laboratory data (2011-2012)
Genotype Data for Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus) from Bois Blanc Island, Michigan at 15 Microsatellite DNA Loci
Connectivity and Bottlenecks of Habitat Patches 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
Bee-Gap: Ecology, Life-History, and Distribution of Bee Species in the United States 2017
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
Karner blue butterfly densities, resource densities, and resource use at Sandhill Wildlife Area, Wisconsin, 2016
Boat ramp locations within the Columbia River Basin with associated recreational use, water quality measurements, and risk assessment data for zebra and quagga mussels
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Publications by this scientist
Extinction risk modeling predicts range-wide differences of climate change impact on Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis)
Warming experiments test the temperature sensitivity of an endangered butterfly across life history stages
Addressing detection uncertainty in Bombus affinis (Hymenoptera: Apidae) surveys can improve inferences made from monitoring
Evaluating the migration mortality hypothesis using monarch tagging data
Intact landscape promotes gene flow and low genetic structuring in the threatened Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake
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
Changes in conservation value from grasslands to savannas to forests: How a temperate canopy cover gradient affects butterfly community composition
Resource segregation at fine spatial scales explains Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) distribution
Is the timing, pace and success of the monarch migration associated with sun angle?
Balancing sampling intensity against spatial coverage for a community science monitoring programme
The integrated monarch monitoring program: From design to implementation
Non-USGS Publications**
**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
Science and Products
- Science
Science pages by this scientist
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 LaboratoryTerrestrial 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%... - Data
Data releases by this scientist
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 for data colGenotype 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 Rattlesnakes sConnectivity 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 the end useConnectivity 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 user withBee-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 territory preButterfly 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.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 collected daBoat 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 concentrations, pH) - Multimedia
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- Publications
Publications by this scientist
Filter Total Items: 44Extinction 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 a densityAuthorsYudi Li, David Wilson, Ralph Grundel, Steven Campbell, Joe Knight, Jim Perry, Jessica J. HellmannWarming 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 various KAuthorsLainey Bristow, Ralph Grundel, Jason Dzurisin, Yudi Li, Andrew Hildreth, Jessica HellmannAddressing 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 determineAuthorsClint R.V. Otto, Alma Schrage, Larissa L. Bailey, John Michael Mola, Tamara A. Smith, Ian Pearse, Stacy C. Simanonok, Ralph GrundelEvaluating 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 population was notAuthorsOrley R. Taylor, John M. Pleasants, Ralph Grundel, Samuel Pecoraro, James P. Lovett, Ann RyanIntact 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 RattlesnakAuthorsNathan Kudla, Eric M. McCluskey, Vijay Lulla, Ralph Grundel, Jennifer A. MooreEvidence 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 larvae haAuthorsTamatha Patterson, Ralph Grundel, Jason D. K. Dzurisin, Randy L. Knutson, Jessica HellmannEvidence 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 larvae haAuthorsTamatha Patterson, Ralph Grundel, Jason D. K. Dzurisin, Randy L. Knutson, Jessica HellmannChanges 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. Understanding howAuthorsRalph Grundel, Gary S. Dulin, Noel B. PavlovicResource 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 and dietAuthorsSophia N Chau, Lainey V Bristow, Ralph Grundel, Jessica J HellmannIs the timing, pace and success of the monarch migration associated with sun angle?
A basic question concerning the monarch butterfly’s fall migration is which monarchs succeed in reaching overwintering sites in Mexico, which fail—and why. We document the timing and pace of the fall migration, ask whether the sun’s position in the sky is associated with the pace of the migration, and whether timing affects success in completing the migration. Using data from the Monarch Watch tagAuthorsOrley R. Taylor, James P Lovett, David L Gibo, Emily L. Weiser, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Darius J. Semmens, James E. Diffendorfer, John M. Pleasants, Samuel Pecoraro, Ralph GrundelBalancing sampling intensity against spatial coverage for a community science monitoring programme
Community science is an increasingly integral part of biodiversity research and monitoring, often achieving broad spatial and temporal coverage but lower sampling intensity than studies conducted by professional scientists. When designing a community‐science monitoring programme, careful assessment of sampling designs that could be both feasible and successful at meeting programme goals is essentiAuthorsEmily L. Weiser, Jay E. Diffendorfer, Ralph Grundel, Laura Lopez Hoffman, Samuel Pecoraro, Darius J. Semmens, Wayne E. ThogmartinThe integrated monarch monitoring program: From design to implementation
Steep declines in North American monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) populations have prompted continent-wide conservation efforts. While monarch monitoring efforts have existed for years, we lack a comprehensive approach to monitoring population vital rates integrated with habitat quality to inform adaptive management and effective conservation strategies. Building a geographically and ecologicaAuthorsAlison B Cariveau, Holly L Holt, James P Ward, Laura Lukens, Kyle Kasten, Jennifer Thieme, Wendy Caldwell, Karen Tuerk, Kristen A Baum, Pauline Drobney, Ryan G. Drum, Ralph Grundel, Keith Hamilton, Cindy Hoang, Karen Kinkead, Julie McIntyre, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Tenlea Turner, Emily L. Weiser, Karen OberhauserNon-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.
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