Natalie M. West

Research Ecologist

natalie.west@usda.gov

www.ars.usda.gov/pa/nparl/nwest

Phone: 406.433.9440
Fax: 406.433.5038 

 
• Education • Current Research • Research Experience • Publications •
 

Additional Pages:  Research Projects,*Publications *   

*Taken from the Agricultural Research Information System (ARIS) database.

EDUCATION

CURRENT RESEARCH

I use a combination of empirical and theoretical approaches to address questions within applied weed ecology and classical biological control of weeds. My research focuses on interactions in population and community dynamics, with the goal of increasing the efficacy of weed management and improving health and sustainability of wild and rangeland systems. Current projects include:

• evaluating demographic impacts of herbivores and habitat interactions to optimize effective biocontrol of whitetop/hoary cress (Lepidium draba L.) and Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.);
• quantifying the long term outcomes of leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) biological control in the northern Great Plains;
• improving revegetation and weed management after energy development.

 RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Prior to joining the Sidney lab, I was a postdoctoral ecologist with USDA-ARS in Urbana, IL, researching invasion risks and management of perennial crops introduced for biomass production. My graduate work examined plant-insect interactions in native thistles (Cirsium sp.) and the ecology of exotic species in forest-opening communities.

PUBLICATIONS:

• West, N.M., Branson, D.H., Muscha, J.M., and Campbell, J.W. 2023. Early impacts of invasive shrub removal on riparian arthropod communities. Ecological Restoration 41(4): 189-198. https://doi.org/10.3368/er.41.4.189
• Gaskin, J.F., Cortat, G. and West, N.M. 2023. Vegetative versus sexual reproduction varies widely in Convolvulus arvensis across western North America. Biological Invasions 25(7), 2219–2229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-023-03035-1
• Campbell, J.W., Abbate, A., West, N.M., Straub, L., and Williams, G.R. 2023. Comparing three collection methods for pollinating insects within electric transmission rights-of-ways. Journal of Insect Conservation 27: 377–387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-023-00460-4
• Gaskin, J.F., Chapagin, N., Schwarzländer, M., Tancos, M.A., and West, N.M. 2023. Genetic diversity and structure of Crupina vulgaris (common crupina): a noxious rangeland weed of the western United States. Neobiota 82: 57-66. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.82.90229
• Lowry, C.J., Matlaga, D.P., West, N.M., Williams, M.M., and Davis, A.S. 2022. Estimating local eradication costs for invasive Miscanthus populations throughout the eastern and midwestern United States. Invasive Plant Science and Management 15(3): 115-121. https://doi.org/10.1017/inp.2022.20
• Gaskin, J.F., Littlefield, J.L., Rand, T.A., and West, N.M. 2022. Variation in reproductive mode across the latitudinal range of invasive Russian knapweed. AoB PLANTS 14: 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plac032
• West, N.M., Gaskin, J.F., Milan, J., and Rand, T.A. 2022. High genetic diversity in the landscape suggests frequent seedling recruitment by Euphorbia virgata Waldst. & Kit. (leafy spurge) in the northern U.S.A. Biological Invasions. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-022-02954-9
• West, N.M. and J.F. Gaskin. 2022. Biological control of leafy spurge, pp. 266–281. In: Van Driesche, R.G., R.L. Winston, T.M. Perring, and V.M. Lopez (eds.). Contributions of Classical Biological Control to the U.S. Food Security, Forestry, and Biodiversity. FHAAST-2019-05. USDA Forest Service, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. https://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/files/23194.pdf
• Campbell, J.W., and West, N.M.. 2022. Coyote and porcupine spread Russian olive seeds through endozoochory. Journal of Wildlife Management 86(6):e22242. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22242
• Becker, Z.Q., Ode, P.J., West, N.M. and Pearse, I.S. 2022.  Herbivory changes biomass allocation but does not induce resistance among ramets of an invasive plant. Arthropod-Plant Interactions. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-022-09897-x
• West, N. M. and S. M. Louda. 2021. Inconsistent annual compensation for floral herbivory by an iterocarpic thistle. American Journal of Botany 108(10):1–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.1744
• West, N.M., Reinhold, A.M., Poole, G.C., and Espeland, E.K. 2020. Flood dynamics dictate distributions of Elaeagnus angustifolia L. (Russian olive) on a riverine floodplain. Biological Invasions 22:3493-3499. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-020-02352-z 
• Rand, T.A., West, N.M., Russell, F.L., and Louda, S.M. 2020. Post‑dispersal factors influence recruitment patterns but do not override the importance of seed limitation in populations of a native thistle. Oecologia 193:143-153. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-020-04656-2
• Sylvain, Z.A., Branson, D.H., Rand, T.A., West, N.M., and Espeland, E.K. 2019. Decoupled recovery of ecological communities after reclamation. PeerJ 7: e7038. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7038
• Sylvain, Z.A., Espeland, E.K., Rand, T.A., West, N.M., and Branson, D.H. 2019. Oilfield Reclamation Recovers Productivity but not Composition of Arthropod Herbivores and Predators. Environmental Entomology 48(2): 299–308. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvz012
• Bagavathiannan, M.V., Graham S., Ma, Z., Barney, J.N., Coutts, S.R., Caicedo, A.L., De Clerk-Floate, R., West, N.M., Blank, L., Metcalf, A.L., Moreno, C.R., Evans, J.A., Burke, I., Beckie, H. 2019. Considering weed management as a social dilemma bridges individual and collective interests. Nature Plants 5(4): 343–351. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-019-0395-y
• West, N.M. and Louda, S.M. 2018. Cumulative herbivory outpaces compensation for early floral damage on a monocarpic perennial thistle. Oecologia. 186(2):495-506.  doi: 10.1007/s00442-017-4027-9
• Endres, A., West, N.M., Evans, J.A., Schlessinger, L. 2017. Data driven weed management: Tracking herbicide resistance at the landscape scale. In: Agricultural Law Symposium, Plowing New Ground: The Intersection of Technology and Agricultural Law. University of Arkansas-Little Rock Law Review (Spring 2017) 39(3):425-436.
• Espeland, E.K., Hendrickson, J.R., Toledo, D.N., West, N.M., Rand, T.A. 2017. Soils Determine Early Revegetation Establishment with and without Cover Crops in Northern Mixed Grass Prairie after Energy Development. Ecological Restoration. 35(4):311-319. doi: 10.3368/er.35.4.311.
• Espeland, E.K., Muscha, J.M., Scianna, J., Kilian, R., West, N.M., and M.K. Petersen. 2017. Secondary Invasion and Reinvasion after Russian-Olive Removal and Revegetation. Invasive Plant Science and Management 10(4): 340-349. doi:10.1017/inp.2017.3
• West, N.M., Matlaga, D.P., Muthukrishnan, R., Spyreas, G., Jordan, N.R., Forester, J.D. and Davis, A.S. 2017. Lack of impacts during early establishment highlights a short-term management window for minimizing invasions from perennial biomass crops. Frontiers in Plant Science 8: 767. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00767
• Espeland, E.K., Mangold, J.M. and West, N.M. 2016. Spatial variation in germination of two annual brome species in the northern Great Plains. Prairie Naturalist 48: 96-101.
• Muthukrishnan, R., West, N.M., Davis, A.S., Jordan, N.R. and Forester, J.D. 2015. Evaluating the role of landscape in the spread of invasive species: The case of the biomass crop Miscanthus × giganteus. Ecological Modelling 317: 6-15. doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2015.08.022
• Pittman, S.E., Muthukrishnan, R., West, N.M., Davis, A.S., Jordan, N.R. and Forester, J.D. 2015. Mitigating the potential for invasive spread of the exotic biofuel crop, Miscanthus x giganteus. Biological Invasions 17: 3247-3261. doi: 10.1007/s10530-015-0950-z
• West, N.M., Matlaga, D.P., and Davis, A.S. 2014. Managing spread from rhizome fragments is key to reducing invasiveness in Miscanthus x giganteus. Invasive Plant Science and Management 7(3): 517-525. doi.org/10.1614/IPSM-D-14-00018.1
• West, N.M., Matlaga, D.P., and Davis, A.S. 2014. Quantifying targets to manage invasion risk: light gradients dominate the early regeneration niche of naturalized and pre-commercial Miscanthus populations. Biological Invasions 16: 1991-2001. doi: 10.1007/s10530-014-0643-z
• Louda, S.M., Rand, T.A., Kula, A.A.R., Arnett, A.E., West, N.M., and Tenhumberg, B. 2011. Priority resource access mediates competitive intensity between an invasive weevil and native floral herbivores. Biological Invasions 13: 2233-2248. doi: 10.1007/s10530-011-0036-5
• West, N.M., Gibson, D.J., and Minchin, P.R. 2010. Microhabitat analysis of the invasive exotic liana Lonicera japonica Thunb. The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 137 (4): 380-390. doi: 10.3159/09-RA-048.1
• West, N.M., Gibson, D.J., and Minchin, P.R. 2009. Characterizing the microhabitats of exotic species in Illinois shale barrens. Plant Ecology 200 (2): 255-265. doi: 10.1007/s11258-008-9450-x

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