We focus on understanding the mechanisms by which species interactions maintain species diversity, and how we can harness these processes to manage and restore diversity in human-modified systems. We focus on pollinators because they are critical for pollination in managed and natural plant communities, but our research is broadly applicable across ecological interactions. Our aim to discover new insights into how communities form, evolve, and persist through time and space, aiding in the prediction and prevention of community collapse. We combine modeling, synthesis and field-based work, and adhere to the principles of reproducible, open science.

In addition, another focus of the lab is promoting diversity and inclusivity in the sciences. We advocate for women and other underrepresented groups in sciences.

Cannot see the forest for the bees! Bee communities and changing wildfire patterns 

NPR interview with Lauren Ponisio
Oregon forests appear devastated by Labor Day wildfires, but scientists have reassuring news. Fire, even at last summer’s historic scale, can be rejuvenating. What’s more, experts say they can help land managers find a better balance between environmental and human needs....

​Also see our guest blog for the National Geographic: Deep in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park, the flora and fauna in the understory form a mosaic of vibrant colors in constant motion. read more...  

Bee biologist cannot stop buzzing about her work
CBS interview with Lauren Ponisio (click the image/text to watch)

Does urbanization homogenize the biodiversity of bees? 

Postdoc Hamutahl Cohen and lab helper Sammy prepare to sample pollintors on BLM land south of Anza Borrego State Park.
When you think of California in the 1970s, maybe you think of hippies, Fleetwood Mac, or skateboards. But if you’re an entomologist, you might think of all the natural spaces that have since been devoured by urbanization and wonder what happened to the native bees that lived in them. The question isn’t one of mere nostalgia or curiosity. Insect populations around the world are plunging precipitously, and scientists are scrambling to understand why. The threat to pollinating insects is particularly dire because much of the food people eat depends on them. 

Lauren Ponisio, an assistant professor of entomology at UC Riverside, has embarked on a project to figure out how habitat destruction has affected native bees in California by resampling sites first studied in the 1970s. It is the first systematic attempt to evaluate the extinction risk of pollinator species across California. read more...
​By Holly Ober
Postdoc Gordon Smith searches for bees on a Joba plant west of Anza. 

Study finds natural fires help native bees

Press release by Jules Bernstein
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​ Ponisio led a study to be published this month in the journal Ecology and Evolution that examined environmental factors affecting the health of native bees. There are thousands of bee species that live in the wild, many of which are found in California.  Ponisio found that these native bees are better able to survive harsh climate events, like drought, in areas where naturally occurring fires are allowed to burn. read more
As biotic communities form, pollinators swap one plant for another
Press release by Mackenzie Smith
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A new study from UC Berkeley researchers helps create a clearer understanding of how networks of plants and pollinators form over time to create biotic communities. The results of their research, which could help scientists and conservationists rebuild communities when a species goes locally extinct, are published today in Ecology Letters. 
​ read more...
How fire diversity promotes biodiversity
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Press release by Julie Van Scoy

A team of CNR researchers has found that a diversity of fires can promote the existence of more varied flowering plants and pollinators in an ecosystem, while also buffering against the negative effects of drought.

​ read more...