Gail A. Langellotto: Research
Ph.D. University of Maryland, May 2002 (Entomology)
• Certificate, University Teaching and Learning, University of Maryland, May 2002
M.S. University of Maryland, December 1996 (Entomology)
B.S. University of Maryland Baltimore County, December 1993 (Biology)

Historically, my research has focused on furthering an understanding of the ecological mechanisms that shape the abundance, diversity and distribution of insects and spiders within and across habitats.  Specific projects that I have worked on through the years include an examination of:

1)  how habitat fragmentation impacts potential trade-offs between flight and reproduction in wing-dimorphic insects

2)  the role of habitat complexity in mediating canniablistic interactions in wolf spiders

3)  the use of stable isotopes to infer community structure in a variety of ecosystems

4)  insect foraging within and between habitats

More recently, I have developed a strong interest in the potential role urban and suburban landscapes play in the conservation of native pollinators.  Preservation of native pollinator communities is generally thought to depend on the conservation of native plants.  However, native plants are becoming increasingly rare and threatened due to habitat development and the introduction of competitively-superior invasive plants.  In urban/suburban gardens, parks and yards, flowering, ornamental plants proliferate.  The availability of ornamentals in developed landscapes may provide beneficial nectar and refuge for native pollinators, many of whom are generalists and will thus pollinate a variety of plant species.  As native plants become increasingly marginalized, access to non-traditional habitats such as community and private gardens may be especially important to native pollinators. 

Preliminary sampling during the summer of 2004 revealed that a diversity of bee species can be found in New York City community gardens and the parks of suburban Westchester County.  In 2005, we began to document the local and landscape level elements that best predict pollinator abundance within garden habitats.  In addition, we studied how local, within garden factors influence the presence and magnitude of pollination services in an urban environment.  Future research will focus on trying to understand the net effect of ornamental landscapes (i.e. positive effects of resource availability balanced with the negative effects of landscape development) on native pollinators.