National goals revolutionize ecology on farms

The Obama administration set ambitious national goals for honey bees, pollinator habitat, and monarch butterflies. These policies altered the direction of pollinator research in the United States, and increased funding for farmers to conserve pollinators.

Check out my policy synthesis with Michigan State University researchers

• Responding to the US national pollinator plan: a case study in Michigan. Link to paper

Setting goals for organic agriculture in the US

My prior research showed goal setting creates targets for researchers and farmers. My future research seeks to determine the ecological, economic, and societal benefits of national goals for organic agriculture.

Interests

• National analysis of organic agriculture goals
• Farmer policy preferences
• Context dependent benefits of organic agriculture

Biodiversity ecosystem function relationships

Theory predicts insect biodiversity increases ecosystem services, making insect conservation key for ecologically functional farms. Specifically, biodiversity theory has mechanistic underpinnings giving farmers new targets to promote ecosystem services.

Check out my research with Washington State University researchers on biodiversity theory

• A novel application of the Price equation reveals that landscape diversity promotes the response of bees to regionally rare plant species. Link to paper
• Long-term organic farming and floral diversity promotes stability of bee communities in agroecosystems. Link to paper

Connecting beta diversity with community assembly

Niche-based and stochastic processes assess community asssembly, while beta diversity examines changes in species composition. I am working on contecting these processes to create a mechanistic form of beta diversity linked with biodiversity ecosystem function theory.

Interests

• Simulations linking community assembly with beta diversity
• Publication of mechanistic beta diversity method
• Integration of mechanistic beta diversity into decision support

Decision aid systems for farmers

Variation in the practices farmers use and the landscapes surrounding farms shape biodiversity ecosystem function relationships. Simultaneously, decision support systems give farmers tools to promote the economic and ecological sustainability of their farms.

Check out my collaborative papers on decision support and farmland ecology

• A novel plant pathogen management tool for vector management. Link to paper
• A newly invasive species may promote dissimilarity of pest populations between organic and conventional farming systems. Link to paper

Ecosystem service decision support tools

My research indicates that farmers need local, rapid decision support that integrates with their farming system. At present, no system exists that allows farmers to select management options that promote or improve their ecosystem services over time.

Interests

• Heuristical decision support systems for ecosystem services
• High throughput ecosystem service monitoring
• Enhancing decision support through on-farm research

Farmer perceptions of ecology

Farmers hold perceptions that shape the ecology of their farming systems through the management practices they adopt. Social science can link farmer perceptions with management and ecological outcomes.

Check out my latest socio-ecological research at Cornell University

• Motivating organic farmers to adopt practices that support the pest-suppressive microbiome relies on understanding their beliefs. Link to paper
• Sustainable soil management practices are associated with increases in crop defense through soil microbiome changes. Link to paper

Centering farmers as agents of change

Integrating farmers as agents of ecological change within their farming system will enhance adoption of sustainable management practices. I am working to intergrate the social sciences to address the mechanisms promoting farmer adoption of sustainable management practices.

Interests

• Saturating socio-ecological models of co-creation
• Changes in societal and ecological norms through nudging
• Expanding beyond perceptions to farmer wellbeing