Pollinator declines are a concern worldwide. In the U.S. alone, a third of the human food supply is reliant on pollination by animals, primarily by bees. Bumblebees (Bombus spp.) are a particularly important group of wildflower and crop pollinators in temperate ecosystems that are also of conservation concern. In North America, several bumblebee species have undergone rapid, precipitous declines, and it was recently determined that several more are undergoing range contractions. My research has been focused on understanding how bumblebee population dynamics are influenced by food resource availability and natural enemies, and how risks associated with these factors vary among species. I have used diverse methods in my work, including field surveys and experiments, bumblebee colony rearing and manipulations, parasite analysis, the use of radio frequency (RFID) tracking technology, and mathematical modeling. Click on the links below to learn more about the projects I have worked on.
Research Interests:
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