Daniel Rhodes

Bio

Advisor and Program

Adam G. Dale
Entomology & Nematology, University of Florida

About

I am a first-year M.S. student in Entomology at the University of Florida seeking to join the SE CASC Global Change Research Fellows Program to advance my expertise in urban ecology and global change science. My career goal is to become a leading researcher in biodiversity conservation amid anthropogenic disturbance, focusing on tropical and subtropical systems. Drawing on my background in arthropod taxonomy and urban forest research, I intend to enhance my interdisciplinary skills in stakeholder engagement and GIS analysis. Through this fellowship, I aim to refine practical strategies for equitable urban greening, collaborate with scientists and practitioners, and contribute actionable guidance for climate adaptation. Ultimately, I hope to leverage this experience to inform policy and management practices that foster resilient, biodiverse communities under changing environmental conditions.

Research Interests

My research examines how socioeconomic factors and urban landscape characteristics influence the health of native urban trees and associated insect communities. Collaborating with Trees Atlanta, I assess how economic well-being and local landscape context affect tree survival, quantify impacts of insect pests and invasive species on tree performance, and evaluate how pest-driven changes in predator–prey dynamics modulate the conservation value of urban plantings. Using multi-scale field surveys and GIS analysis across diverse Atlanta neighborhoods, my work aims to develop equitable strategies for sustainable urban greening under global change.