Ralph Grundel, PhD
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
Data releases by this scientist
Multimedia related to this scientist
Publications by this scientist
Filter Total Items: 47
Is the timing, pace and success of the monarch migration associated with sun angle? Is 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...
Authors
Orley Taylor, James P Lovett, David Gibo, Emily Weiser, Wayne Thogmartin, Darius Semmens, James E. Diffendorfer, John Pleasants, Samuel Pecoraro, Ralph Grundel
Balancing sampling intensity against spatial coverage for a community science monitoring programme Balancing 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...
Authors
Emily Weiser, Jay Diffendorfer, Ralph Grundel, Laura Lopez Hoffman, Samuel Pecoraro, Darius Semmens, Wayne Thogmartin
The integrated monarch monitoring program: From design to implementation The 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...
Authors
Alison Cariveau, Holly Holt, James Ward, Laura Lukens, Kyle Kasten, Jennifer Thieme, Wendy Caldwell, Karen Tuerk, Kristen Baum, Pauline Drobney, Ryan Drum, Ralph Grundel, Keith Hamilton, Cindy Hoang, Karen Kinkead, Julie McIntyre, Wayne Thogmartin, Tenlea Turner, Emily Weiser, Karen Oberhauser
So, you want to be a Lepidopterist? So, you want to be a Lepidopterist?
No abstract available.
Authors
Ralph Grundel
A call to insect scientists: Challenges and opportunities of managing insect communities under climate change A call to insect scientists: Challenges and opportunities of managing insect communities under climate change
As climate change moves insect systems into uncharted territory, more knowledge about insect dynamics and the factors that drive them could enable us to better manage and conserve insect communities. Climate change may also require us revisit insect management goals and strategies and lead to a new kind of scientific engagement in management decision-making. Here we make five key points...
Authors
Jessica Hellmann, Ralph Grundel, Chris Hoving, Gregor Schuurman
Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus): Spreading by fire Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus): Spreading by fire
In many forest ecosystems, fire is critical in maintaining indigenous plant communities, but can either promote or arrest the spread of invasive species depending on their regeneration niche and resprouting ability. We examined the effects of cutting and burning treatments on the vegetative response (cover, stem density) and root resources of Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)...
Authors
Noel Pavlovic, Stacey Leicht-Young, Ralph Grundel
Addressing potential local adaptation in species distribution models: implications for conservation under climate change Addressing potential local adaptation in species distribution models: implications for conservation under climate change
Species distribution models (SDMs) have been criticized for involving assumptions that ignore or categorize many ecologically relevant factors such as dispersal ability and biotic interactions. Another potential source of model error is the assumption that species are ecologically uniform in their climatic tolerances across their range. Typically, SDMs to treat a species as a single...
Authors
Maria Hallfors, Jishan Liao, Jason D. K. Dzurisin, Ralph Grundel, Marko Hyvarinen, Kevin Towle, Grace Wu, Jessica Hellmann
A guide to the use of distance sampling to estimate abundance of Karner blue butterflies A guide to the use of distance sampling to estimate abundance of Karner blue butterflies
This guide is intended to describe the use of distance sampling as a method for evaluating the abundance of Karner blue butterflies at a location. Other methods for evaluating abundance exist, including mark-release-recapture and index counts derived from Pollard-Yates surveys, for example. Although this guide is not intended to be a detailed comparison of the pros and cons of each type...
Authors
Ralph Grundel
Opposing resonses to ecological gradients structure amphibian and reptile communities across a temperate grassland-savanna-forest landscape Opposing resonses to ecological gradients structure amphibian and reptile communities across a temperate grassland-savanna-forest landscape
Temperate savannas are threatened across the globe. If we prioritize savanna restoration, we should ask how savanna animal communities differ from communities in related open habitats and forests. We documented distribution of amphibian and reptile species across an open-savanna–forest gradient in the Midwest U.S. to determine how fire history and habitat structure affected herpetofaunal...
Authors
Ralph Grundel, David Beamer, Gary Glowacki, Krystal Frohnapple, Noel Pavlovic
Conservation Action Planning: Lessons learned from the St. Marys River watershed biodiversity conservation planning process Conservation Action Planning: Lessons learned from the St. Marys River watershed biodiversity conservation planning process
Conservation Action Planning (CAP) is an adaptive management planning process refined by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and embraced worldwide as the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation. The CAP process facilitates open, multi-institutional collaboration on a common conservation agenda through organized actions and quantified results. While specifically designed for...
Authors
Tamatha A. Patterson, Ralph Grundel
Pollinators in peril? A multipark approach to evaluating bee communities in habitats vulnerable to effects from climate change Pollinators in peril? A multipark approach to evaluating bee communities in habitats vulnerable to effects from climate change
In 2010, collaborators from the National Park Service (Ann Rodman, Yellowstone National Park), USGS (Sam Droege and Ralph Grundel), and Harvard University (Jessica Rykken) were awarded funding from the NPS Climate Change Response Program to launch just such an investigation in almost 50 units of the National Park System (fig. 1). The main objectives of this multiyear project were to...
Authors
Jessica Rykken, Ann Rodman, Sam Droege, Ralph Grundel
Geographic coincidence of richness, mass, conservation value, and response to climate of U.S. land birds Geographic coincidence of richness, mass, conservation value, and response to climate of U.S. land birds
Distributional patterns across the United States of five avian community breeding-season characteristics—community biomass, richness, constituent species' vulnerability to extirpation, percentage of constituent species' global abundance present in the community (conservation index, CI), and the community's position along the ecological gradient underlying species composition (principal...
Authors
Ralph Grundel, Krystal Frohnapple, David Zaya, Gary A. Glowacki, Chelsea Weiskerger, Tamatha A. Patterson, Noel Pavlovic
Non-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.
News about this scientist
Science and Products
Science pages by this scientist
Data releases by this scientist
Multimedia related to this scientist
Publications by this scientist
Filter Total Items: 47
Is the timing, pace and success of the monarch migration associated with sun angle? Is 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...
Authors
Orley Taylor, James P Lovett, David Gibo, Emily Weiser, Wayne Thogmartin, Darius Semmens, James E. Diffendorfer, John Pleasants, Samuel Pecoraro, Ralph Grundel
Balancing sampling intensity against spatial coverage for a community science monitoring programme Balancing 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...
Authors
Emily Weiser, Jay Diffendorfer, Ralph Grundel, Laura Lopez Hoffman, Samuel Pecoraro, Darius Semmens, Wayne Thogmartin
The integrated monarch monitoring program: From design to implementation The 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...
Authors
Alison Cariveau, Holly Holt, James Ward, Laura Lukens, Kyle Kasten, Jennifer Thieme, Wendy Caldwell, Karen Tuerk, Kristen Baum, Pauline Drobney, Ryan Drum, Ralph Grundel, Keith Hamilton, Cindy Hoang, Karen Kinkead, Julie McIntyre, Wayne Thogmartin, Tenlea Turner, Emily Weiser, Karen Oberhauser
So, you want to be a Lepidopterist? So, you want to be a Lepidopterist?
No abstract available.
Authors
Ralph Grundel
A call to insect scientists: Challenges and opportunities of managing insect communities under climate change A call to insect scientists: Challenges and opportunities of managing insect communities under climate change
As climate change moves insect systems into uncharted territory, more knowledge about insect dynamics and the factors that drive them could enable us to better manage and conserve insect communities. Climate change may also require us revisit insect management goals and strategies and lead to a new kind of scientific engagement in management decision-making. Here we make five key points...
Authors
Jessica Hellmann, Ralph Grundel, Chris Hoving, Gregor Schuurman
Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus): Spreading by fire Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus): Spreading by fire
In many forest ecosystems, fire is critical in maintaining indigenous plant communities, but can either promote or arrest the spread of invasive species depending on their regeneration niche and resprouting ability. We examined the effects of cutting and burning treatments on the vegetative response (cover, stem density) and root resources of Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)...
Authors
Noel Pavlovic, Stacey Leicht-Young, Ralph Grundel
Addressing potential local adaptation in species distribution models: implications for conservation under climate change Addressing potential local adaptation in species distribution models: implications for conservation under climate change
Species distribution models (SDMs) have been criticized for involving assumptions that ignore or categorize many ecologically relevant factors such as dispersal ability and biotic interactions. Another potential source of model error is the assumption that species are ecologically uniform in their climatic tolerances across their range. Typically, SDMs to treat a species as a single...
Authors
Maria Hallfors, Jishan Liao, Jason D. K. Dzurisin, Ralph Grundel, Marko Hyvarinen, Kevin Towle, Grace Wu, Jessica Hellmann
A guide to the use of distance sampling to estimate abundance of Karner blue butterflies A guide to the use of distance sampling to estimate abundance of Karner blue butterflies
This guide is intended to describe the use of distance sampling as a method for evaluating the abundance of Karner blue butterflies at a location. Other methods for evaluating abundance exist, including mark-release-recapture and index counts derived from Pollard-Yates surveys, for example. Although this guide is not intended to be a detailed comparison of the pros and cons of each type...
Authors
Ralph Grundel
Opposing resonses to ecological gradients structure amphibian and reptile communities across a temperate grassland-savanna-forest landscape Opposing resonses to ecological gradients structure amphibian and reptile communities across a temperate grassland-savanna-forest landscape
Temperate savannas are threatened across the globe. If we prioritize savanna restoration, we should ask how savanna animal communities differ from communities in related open habitats and forests. We documented distribution of amphibian and reptile species across an open-savanna–forest gradient in the Midwest U.S. to determine how fire history and habitat structure affected herpetofaunal...
Authors
Ralph Grundel, David Beamer, Gary Glowacki, Krystal Frohnapple, Noel Pavlovic
Conservation Action Planning: Lessons learned from the St. Marys River watershed biodiversity conservation planning process Conservation Action Planning: Lessons learned from the St. Marys River watershed biodiversity conservation planning process
Conservation Action Planning (CAP) is an adaptive management planning process refined by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and embraced worldwide as the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation. The CAP process facilitates open, multi-institutional collaboration on a common conservation agenda through organized actions and quantified results. While specifically designed for...
Authors
Tamatha A. Patterson, Ralph Grundel
Pollinators in peril? A multipark approach to evaluating bee communities in habitats vulnerable to effects from climate change Pollinators in peril? A multipark approach to evaluating bee communities in habitats vulnerable to effects from climate change
In 2010, collaborators from the National Park Service (Ann Rodman, Yellowstone National Park), USGS (Sam Droege and Ralph Grundel), and Harvard University (Jessica Rykken) were awarded funding from the NPS Climate Change Response Program to launch just such an investigation in almost 50 units of the National Park System (fig. 1). The main objectives of this multiyear project were to...
Authors
Jessica Rykken, Ann Rodman, Sam Droege, Ralph Grundel
Geographic coincidence of richness, mass, conservation value, and response to climate of U.S. land birds Geographic coincidence of richness, mass, conservation value, and response to climate of U.S. land birds
Distributional patterns across the United States of five avian community breeding-season characteristics—community biomass, richness, constituent species' vulnerability to extirpation, percentage of constituent species' global abundance present in the community (conservation index, CI), and the community's position along the ecological gradient underlying species composition (principal...
Authors
Ralph Grundel, Krystal Frohnapple, David Zaya, Gary A. Glowacki, Chelsea Weiskerger, Tamatha A. Patterson, Noel Pavlovic
Non-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.
News about this scientist