Rob Massatti, Ph.D.
Dr. Rob Massatti is a research ecologist and plant geneticist with the Southwest Biological Science Center.
Dr. Massatti is interested in how species and their genetic variation are distributed across western North America, and investigates the historical and contemporary factors influencing these patterns using genetic, environmental, and distributional data. This research framework allows him to place findings in the context of restoration and native plant materials development.
Professional Experience
2018 - Present: Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ
2016 - 2018: Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ
2015 - 2016: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
2008 - 2010: Assistant Director, Conservation Research Program, Institute for Applied Ecology, Corvallis, OR
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., 2015: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Dissertation: Spatial And Temporal Factors Influencing the Distribution and Diversification of the Montane Flora
M.S., 2007: Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY
Thesis: A Floristic Inventory of the East Slope of the Wind River Mountain Range and Vicinity, Wyoming
B.S., 2002: Zoology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Science and Products
Informing the use of native plant materials in restoration and rehabilitation with the Native Plant Seed Mapping Toolkit
Informing seed transfer guidelines and native plant materials development: Research supporting restoration across the Colorado Plateau and beyond
Genetics for Western Restoration and Conservation (GWRC)
Genomic Research Supporting Western Conservation
Disturbance, energy, climate partitions, cultivars and species habitat data for the Colorado Plateau and environs
Genetically informed seed transfer zones for Astragalus lonchocarpus, Cleome serrulata, and Heliomeris multiflora across the Colorado Plateau and adjacent regions
Carex specuicola genomic data for the southern Colorado Plateau Desert
Penstemon grahamii genetic data from a dryland region of the western United States
Astragalus species complex genetic data from southeast Utah (Grand County and San Juan County), USA
Cleome lutea and Machaeranthera canescens seed transfer zones and distribution on the Colorado Plateau, US
'Viva' native plant material data in support of restoration and conservation
Population genetic and climatic variability data across western North America, 1915-2015
Hilaria jamesii data for the Colorado Plateau of the southwestern United States
Genetic analyses of Astragalus sect. Humillimi data in the southwest USA
Matching existing and future native plant materials to disturbance-driven restoration needs
Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2022 Report)
Evolutionary dynamics inform management interventions of a hanging garden obligate, Carex specuicola
Assessing population genomic structure and polyploidy: A crucial step for native plant restoration
Spatially explicit management of genetic diversity using ancestry probability surfaces
Hybrid enrichment of adaptive variation revealed by genotype-environment associations in montane sedges
Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2021 Report)
How to increase the supply of native seed to improve restoration success: The US native seed development process
Demographic modeling informs functional connectivity and management interventions in Graham’s beardtongue
The demographic and ecological factors shaping diversification among rare Astragalus species
Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2020 Report)
Testing which axes of species differentiation underlie covariance of phylogeographic similarity among montane sedge species
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.
POPMAPS: An R package to estimate ancestry probability surfaces
Science and Products
Informing the use of native plant materials in restoration and rehabilitation with the Native Plant Seed Mapping Toolkit
Informing seed transfer guidelines and native plant materials development: Research supporting restoration across the Colorado Plateau and beyond
Genetics for Western Restoration and Conservation (GWRC)
Genomic Research Supporting Western Conservation
Disturbance, energy, climate partitions, cultivars and species habitat data for the Colorado Plateau and environs
Genetically informed seed transfer zones for Astragalus lonchocarpus, Cleome serrulata, and Heliomeris multiflora across the Colorado Plateau and adjacent regions
Carex specuicola genomic data for the southern Colorado Plateau Desert
Penstemon grahamii genetic data from a dryland region of the western United States
Astragalus species complex genetic data from southeast Utah (Grand County and San Juan County), USA
Cleome lutea and Machaeranthera canescens seed transfer zones and distribution on the Colorado Plateau, US
'Viva' native plant material data in support of restoration and conservation
Population genetic and climatic variability data across western North America, 1915-2015
Hilaria jamesii data for the Colorado Plateau of the southwestern United States
Genetic analyses of Astragalus sect. Humillimi data in the southwest USA
Matching existing and future native plant materials to disturbance-driven restoration needs
Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2022 Report)
Evolutionary dynamics inform management interventions of a hanging garden obligate, Carex specuicola
Assessing population genomic structure and polyploidy: A crucial step for native plant restoration
Spatially explicit management of genetic diversity using ancestry probability surfaces
Hybrid enrichment of adaptive variation revealed by genotype-environment associations in montane sedges
Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2021 Report)
How to increase the supply of native seed to improve restoration success: The US native seed development process
Demographic modeling informs functional connectivity and management interventions in Graham’s beardtongue
The demographic and ecological factors shaping diversification among rare Astragalus species
Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2020 Report)
Testing which axes of species differentiation underlie covariance of phylogeographic similarity among montane sedge species
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.