Gwen Kirschke

2024 – 2025 Global Change Research Fellow

Statement of purpose:

Growing up in the southern Appalachians, I developed strong relationships with the ecosystems there, as well as a keen awareness of the threats they face from climate change and the extractive industries that fuel it. Through my interdisciplinary undergraduate education, I began to think more actively about how human communities are affected by these same processes and institutions, and how human dimensions are critical to any project seeking to address those threats. At the same time, I completed two research projects investigating ecological impacts of environmental change–one on rates of disease for monarch butterflies in gardens, and one about the effects of drought on floral nectar. As a Global Change Research Fellow, I am building on these experiences to conduct research that supports the needs of human communities and the ecosystems of which they are part.

Description of research:

Urban environments can be challenging places for insect pollinators to live. There are limited locations where they can access resources, such as flowers and nesting habitat, and many barriers to movement, including buildings and busy roads. My dissertation research focuses on the spatial distribution of resources for urban insect pollinators, and how pollinators navigate among those resource sites. I am using a variety of insect monitoring methods to track pollinator movement, and developing interactive models to allow land managers and city planners to predict how insects might respond to the addition of new resources or barriers.

Contact Information:

Email: gkirsch@ncsu.edu

Faculty Advisor:

Dr. Elsa Youngsteadt (Department of Applied Ecology)