Spatiotemporal patterns in North American butterfly abundance and phenology using citizen science monitoring
Elise Larsen is a quantitative ecologist interested in population and community dynamics in relation to disturbance and environmental change. Her research at SESYNC focuses on developing new tools for studying population dynamics and phenology in Lepidoptera, with an emphasis on climate impacts. This work as well as previous work involves collaboration with citizen science monitoring networks. Engaging with citizen science efforts creates opportunities to improve scientific research as well as connecting with the broader community and providing avenues for education. Dr. Larsen’s graduate research at the University of Maryland examined the patterns and processes of avian community assembly following the 1980 volcanic eruption at Mount St. Helens, WA. Previous research has spanned both avian and insect systems, addressing impacts of land use of avian diversity and community composition, as well as modeling the role of phenology and specifically asynchrony in insect population dynamics in a spatially explicit framework.