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
Impacts of white-tailed deer on red trillium (Trillium recurvatum): defining a threshold for deer browsing pressure at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Impacts of white-tailed deer on red trillium (Trillium recurvatum): defining a threshold for deer browsing pressure at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Overabundant white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been a concern for land managers in eastern North America because of their impacts on native forest ecosystems. Managers have sought native plant species to serve as phytoindicators of deer impacts to supplement deer surveys. We analyzed experimental data about red trillium (Trillium recurvatum), large flowered trillium (T...
Authors
Noel B. Pavlovic, Stacey A. Leicht-Young, Ralph Grundel
Susceptibility of eastern U.S. habitats to invasion of Celastrus orbiculatus (oriental bittersweet) following fire Susceptibility of eastern U.S. habitats to invasion of Celastrus orbiculatus (oriental bittersweet) following fire
Fire effects on invasive species are an important land management issue in areas subjected to prescribed fires as well as wildfires. These effects on invasive species can be manifested across life stages. The liana Celastrus orbiculatus (oriental bittersweet) is a widespread invader of eastern US habitats including those where fire management is in practice. This study examined if...
Authors
Stacey A. Leicht-Young, Noel B. Pavlovic, Ralph Grundel
First report of fasciation in Pitcher's Thistle, Cirsium pitcheri (Asteraceae) First report of fasciation in Pitcher's Thistle, Cirsium pitcheri (Asteraceae)
We document the first reported occurrence of fasciation in the federally threatened Pitcher’s thistle, Cirsium pitcheri (Asteraceae). In 2013, we discovered two adult plants of Pitcher’s thistle out of a total of 176 plants at West Beach, near Miller, Indiana, USA, that exhibited both normal and fasciated growth. Unlike plants with normal growth, a portion of the upper stems of these...
Authors
Noel B. Pavlovic, Megan K Korte, Kathryn McEachern, Ralph Grundel
To burn or not to burn Oriental bittersweet: A fire manager's conundrum To burn or not to burn Oriental bittersweet: A fire manager's conundrum
Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is an introduced liana (woody vine) that has invaded much of the Eastern United States and is expanding west into the Great Plains. In forests, it can girdle and damage canopy trees. At Indiana Dunes, we have discovered that it is invading non-forested dune habitats as well. Anecdotal evidence suggests that fire might facilitate its spread...
Authors
Stacey A. Leicht-Young, Noel B. Pavlovic, Ralph Grundel, Scott A. Weyenberg, Neal Mulconrey
Short-term effects of burn season on flowering phenology of savanna plants Short-term effects of burn season on flowering phenology of savanna plants
We examined the effect of season of burn on flowering phenology of groundlayer species, in the year following burns, in a mesic-sand Midwestern oak savanna. Burn treatments were fall, early-season, growing-season, late-season, and 1 or 5 years after a prior early-season wildfire. For these treatments, we compared the number of flowering stems and of flowers for species overall, for the...
Authors
N.B. Pavlovic, S. A. Leicht-Young, R. Grundel
A survey of bees (hymenoptera: Apoidea) of the Indiana dunes and Northwest Indiana, USA A survey of bees (hymenoptera: Apoidea) of the Indiana dunes and Northwest Indiana, USA
The Indiana Dunes, and nearby natural areas in northwest Indiana, are floristically rich Midwest U.S. locales with many habitat types. We surveyed bees along a habitat gradient ranging from grasslands to forests in these locales, collecting at least 175 bee species along this gradient plus 29 additional species in other nearby habitats. About 25% of all species were from the genus...
Authors
R. Grundel, R.P. Jean, K.J. Frohnapple, J. Gibbs, G.A. Glowacki, N.B. Pavlovic
Effectiveness of bowl trapping and netting for inventory of a bee community Effectiveness of bowl trapping and netting for inventory of a bee community
Concern over the status of bees has increased the need to inventory bee communities and, consequently, has increased the need to understand effectiveness of different bee sampling methods. We sampled bees using bowl traps and netting at 25 northwest Indiana sites ranging from open grasslands to forests. Assemblages of bees captured in bowl traps and by netting were very similar, but this
Authors
R. Grundel, K.J. Frohnapple, R.P. Jean, N.B. Pavlovic
Liana habitat and host preferences in northern temperate forests Liana habitat and host preferences in northern temperate forests
Lianas and other climbers are important ecological and structural components of forest communities. Like other plants, their abundance in a given habitat depends on a variety of factors, such as light, soil moisture and nutrients. However, since lianas require external support, host tree characteristics also influence their distribution. Lianas are conspicuous life forms in tropical...
Authors
S. A. Leicht-Young, N.B. Pavlovic, K.J. Frohnapple, R. Grundel
Floral and nesting resources, habitat structure, and fire influence bee distribution across an open-forest gradient Floral and nesting resources, habitat structure, and fire influence bee distribution across an open-forest gradient
Given bees' central effect on vegetation communities, it is important to understand how and why bee distributions vary across ecological gradients. We examined how plant community composition, plant diversity, nesting suitability, canopy cover, land use, and fire history affected bee distribution across an open-forest gradient in northwest Indiana, USA, a gradient similar to the historic...
Authors
R. Grundel, R.P. Jean, K.J. Frohnapple, G.A. Glowacki, P.E. Scott, N.B. Pavlovic
Effect of removal of hesperis matronalis (Dame's rocket) on species cover of forest understory vegetation in NW indiana Effect of removal of hesperis matronalis (Dame's rocket) on species cover of forest understory vegetation in NW indiana
Exotic invasive plant species differ in their effects on indigenous vegetation as evidenced by research evaluating community response to their removal. We used a removal approach to quantify the response of a mesic woodland to the removal versus retention of an invasive plant, Hesperis matronalis (dame's rocket) from paired treatment plots over 3 y. Cover of H. matronalis did not differ...
Authors
N.B. Pavlovic, S. A. Leicht-Young, K.J. Frohnapple, R. Grundel
A comparison of seed banks across a sand dune successional gradient at Lake Michigan dunes (Indiana, USA) A comparison of seed banks across a sand dune successional gradient at Lake Michigan dunes (Indiana, USA)
In habitats where disturbance is frequent, seed banks are important for the regeneration of vegetation. Sand dune systems are dynamic habitats in which sand movement provides intermittent disturbance. As succession proceeds from bare sand to forest, the disturbance decreases. At Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, we examined the seed banks of three habitat types across a successional...
Authors
S. A. Leicht-Young, N.B. Pavlovic, R. Grundel, K.J. Frohnapple
Using conservation value to assess land restoration and management alternatives across a degraded oak savanna landscape Using conservation value to assess land restoration and management alternatives across a degraded oak savanna landscape
1. Managers considering restoration of landscapes often face a fundamental challenge - what should be the habitat composition of the restored landscape? We present a method for evaluating an important conservation trade-off inherent in making that decision. 2. Oak savannas and grasslands were historically widespread across central North America but are now rare. Today, in north-west...
Authors
R. Grundel, N.B. 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
Impacts of white-tailed deer on red trillium (Trillium recurvatum): defining a threshold for deer browsing pressure at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Impacts of white-tailed deer on red trillium (Trillium recurvatum): defining a threshold for deer browsing pressure at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Overabundant white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been a concern for land managers in eastern North America because of their impacts on native forest ecosystems. Managers have sought native plant species to serve as phytoindicators of deer impacts to supplement deer surveys. We analyzed experimental data about red trillium (Trillium recurvatum), large flowered trillium (T...
Authors
Noel B. Pavlovic, Stacey A. Leicht-Young, Ralph Grundel
Susceptibility of eastern U.S. habitats to invasion of Celastrus orbiculatus (oriental bittersweet) following fire Susceptibility of eastern U.S. habitats to invasion of Celastrus orbiculatus (oriental bittersweet) following fire
Fire effects on invasive species are an important land management issue in areas subjected to prescribed fires as well as wildfires. These effects on invasive species can be manifested across life stages. The liana Celastrus orbiculatus (oriental bittersweet) is a widespread invader of eastern US habitats including those where fire management is in practice. This study examined if...
Authors
Stacey A. Leicht-Young, Noel B. Pavlovic, Ralph Grundel
First report of fasciation in Pitcher's Thistle, Cirsium pitcheri (Asteraceae) First report of fasciation in Pitcher's Thistle, Cirsium pitcheri (Asteraceae)
We document the first reported occurrence of fasciation in the federally threatened Pitcher’s thistle, Cirsium pitcheri (Asteraceae). In 2013, we discovered two adult plants of Pitcher’s thistle out of a total of 176 plants at West Beach, near Miller, Indiana, USA, that exhibited both normal and fasciated growth. Unlike plants with normal growth, a portion of the upper stems of these...
Authors
Noel B. Pavlovic, Megan K Korte, Kathryn McEachern, Ralph Grundel
To burn or not to burn Oriental bittersweet: A fire manager's conundrum To burn or not to burn Oriental bittersweet: A fire manager's conundrum
Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is an introduced liana (woody vine) that has invaded much of the Eastern United States and is expanding west into the Great Plains. In forests, it can girdle and damage canopy trees. At Indiana Dunes, we have discovered that it is invading non-forested dune habitats as well. Anecdotal evidence suggests that fire might facilitate its spread...
Authors
Stacey A. Leicht-Young, Noel B. Pavlovic, Ralph Grundel, Scott A. Weyenberg, Neal Mulconrey
Short-term effects of burn season on flowering phenology of savanna plants Short-term effects of burn season on flowering phenology of savanna plants
We examined the effect of season of burn on flowering phenology of groundlayer species, in the year following burns, in a mesic-sand Midwestern oak savanna. Burn treatments were fall, early-season, growing-season, late-season, and 1 or 5 years after a prior early-season wildfire. For these treatments, we compared the number of flowering stems and of flowers for species overall, for the...
Authors
N.B. Pavlovic, S. A. Leicht-Young, R. Grundel
A survey of bees (hymenoptera: Apoidea) of the Indiana dunes and Northwest Indiana, USA A survey of bees (hymenoptera: Apoidea) of the Indiana dunes and Northwest Indiana, USA
The Indiana Dunes, and nearby natural areas in northwest Indiana, are floristically rich Midwest U.S. locales with many habitat types. We surveyed bees along a habitat gradient ranging from grasslands to forests in these locales, collecting at least 175 bee species along this gradient plus 29 additional species in other nearby habitats. About 25% of all species were from the genus...
Authors
R. Grundel, R.P. Jean, K.J. Frohnapple, J. Gibbs, G.A. Glowacki, N.B. Pavlovic
Effectiveness of bowl trapping and netting for inventory of a bee community Effectiveness of bowl trapping and netting for inventory of a bee community
Concern over the status of bees has increased the need to inventory bee communities and, consequently, has increased the need to understand effectiveness of different bee sampling methods. We sampled bees using bowl traps and netting at 25 northwest Indiana sites ranging from open grasslands to forests. Assemblages of bees captured in bowl traps and by netting were very similar, but this
Authors
R. Grundel, K.J. Frohnapple, R.P. Jean, N.B. Pavlovic
Liana habitat and host preferences in northern temperate forests Liana habitat and host preferences in northern temperate forests
Lianas and other climbers are important ecological and structural components of forest communities. Like other plants, their abundance in a given habitat depends on a variety of factors, such as light, soil moisture and nutrients. However, since lianas require external support, host tree characteristics also influence their distribution. Lianas are conspicuous life forms in tropical...
Authors
S. A. Leicht-Young, N.B. Pavlovic, K.J. Frohnapple, R. Grundel
Floral and nesting resources, habitat structure, and fire influence bee distribution across an open-forest gradient Floral and nesting resources, habitat structure, and fire influence bee distribution across an open-forest gradient
Given bees' central effect on vegetation communities, it is important to understand how and why bee distributions vary across ecological gradients. We examined how plant community composition, plant diversity, nesting suitability, canopy cover, land use, and fire history affected bee distribution across an open-forest gradient in northwest Indiana, USA, a gradient similar to the historic...
Authors
R. Grundel, R.P. Jean, K.J. Frohnapple, G.A. Glowacki, P.E. Scott, N.B. Pavlovic
Effect of removal of hesperis matronalis (Dame's rocket) on species cover of forest understory vegetation in NW indiana Effect of removal of hesperis matronalis (Dame's rocket) on species cover of forest understory vegetation in NW indiana
Exotic invasive plant species differ in their effects on indigenous vegetation as evidenced by research evaluating community response to their removal. We used a removal approach to quantify the response of a mesic woodland to the removal versus retention of an invasive plant, Hesperis matronalis (dame's rocket) from paired treatment plots over 3 y. Cover of H. matronalis did not differ...
Authors
N.B. Pavlovic, S. A. Leicht-Young, K.J. Frohnapple, R. Grundel
A comparison of seed banks across a sand dune successional gradient at Lake Michigan dunes (Indiana, USA) A comparison of seed banks across a sand dune successional gradient at Lake Michigan dunes (Indiana, USA)
In habitats where disturbance is frequent, seed banks are important for the regeneration of vegetation. Sand dune systems are dynamic habitats in which sand movement provides intermittent disturbance. As succession proceeds from bare sand to forest, the disturbance decreases. At Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, we examined the seed banks of three habitat types across a successional...
Authors
S. A. Leicht-Young, N.B. Pavlovic, R. Grundel, K.J. Frohnapple
Using conservation value to assess land restoration and management alternatives across a degraded oak savanna landscape Using conservation value to assess land restoration and management alternatives across a degraded oak savanna landscape
1. Managers considering restoration of landscapes often face a fundamental challenge - what should be the habitat composition of the restored landscape? We present a method for evaluating an important conservation trade-off inherent in making that decision. 2. Oak savannas and grasslands were historically widespread across central North America but are now rare. Today, in north-west...
Authors
R. Grundel, N.B. 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