Cons Sci Seminar

April 17, 2026

12:00-1:00pm

In person (preferred): 335 Borlaug Hall, UMN - St. Paul Campus

Virtual: https://umn.zoom.us/j/91587399054

Restoring prairie and savannah in human landscapes: stories of butterfly conservation in Minnesota

Dr. Emilie Snell-Rood

Professor, UMN Dept of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior

Abstract

Emilie Snell-Rood is a Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior in the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota. Her lab studies how organisms cope with anthropogenic stressors and what that means for conservation. She is Co-Director of the NSF-funded Minneapolis–St. Paul Urban Long-Term Ecological Research Program and works with a number of community and agency partners in research on urban contaminants and ecological restoration.

Biosketch

Recent declines in insect populations, sometimes hailed as the "insect apocalypse," have led to efforts to restore and create habitats in human-impacted areas. This seminar will detail two projects on habitat restoration for pollinators. First, I will review some of our work on restoration in roadsides and pockets of habitat in urban spaces. These spaces often come with a risk of pollutant exposure, such as heavy metals or microplastics, calling into question whether such restoration is creating an ecological trap. Second, I will discuss recent work on savannah restoration for a potential assisted migration of the Karner Blue Butterfly, and the role of shade and plant biodiversity in buffering host plant nutritional decline under climate change.