Erica Sarro Gustilo, PhD
I investigate factors impacting pollinator health at landscape, local, and organismal scales.
My background is primarily in bumble bee biology and behavior, and I am particularly interested in the life-stage-specific mechanisms contributing to bumble bee declines. My PhD work employed innovative techniques (including trap nesting, RFID tracking, and video monitoring) to understand life-stage-specific needs and limitations of bumble bee queens in the early spring. As a Directorate Fellow for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, I contributed to monitoring efforts for Franklin’s and western bumble bees in California and Oregon. At USGS, I am working to identify the habitat needs of western bumble bee and other pollinators via traditional monitoring and eDNA techniques, to inform habitat restoration and management strategies that best support pollinator communities.
