Lauren DiCarlo
Associate Professor of Environmental Science

Biography

Joined Westfield State University in 2018. I advise the Restoration Ecology minor.

Education

  • B.A. Environmental Science, Wheaton College MA (2010)

  • M.S. Ecology, Pennsylvania State University (2013)

  • Ph.D. Wildlife Science, Oregon State University (2018)

Courses Taught

  • ENVS 0101 Exploring Environmental Issues

  • ENVS 0105 Natural History and Field Techniques

  • ENVS 0240 Writing for Environmental Science

  • ENVS 0241 Restoration Ecology

  • ENVS 0341 Ecological Restoration

  • ENVS 0342 Restoration Ecology Capstone Experience

  • ENVS 0390 Senior Seminar

  • BIOL 0204 GIS Applications for Natural Sciences

Areas of Research

Restoration Ecology

Invasion Ecology

Pollinator and Invertebrate Community Ecology

My research assesses current restoration practices and analyzes how these techniques impact sensitive vegetation and wildlife species.

Publications

DiCarlo LAS. 2023. Techniques for controlling burning bush. Northern Woodlands 30(1): 24-25.

DiCarlo LAS, and SJ DeBano. 2021. Spider community variability and response to restoration in arid grasslands of the Pacific Northwest, USA. Insects 12: 249. DOI 10.3390/insects12030249.

DiCarlo LAS, SJ DeBano, and S Burrows. 2020. Arid grassland bee communities: associated environmental variables and responses to restoration. Restoration Ecology 28(S1): A54-A64. DOI 10.1111/rec.13074.

DiCarlo LAS, SJ DeBano, and S Burrows. 2019. Short-term response of two beneficial invertebrate groups to wildfire in an arid grassland system, USA. Rangeland Ecology and Management 72(3): 551-560. DOI 10.1016/j.rama.2018.11.011.

Smith LJ, LAS DiCarlo, and SJ DeBano. 2019. Ground crab spiders (Thomisidae: Xysticus) more abundant in grasslands invaded by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae). Biological Invasions 21(5): 1473-1479. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-019-01926-w.

DiCarlo, LAS, and SJ DeBano. 2018. Spider community responses to grassland restoration: balancing tradeoffs between abundance and diversity. Restoration Ecology 27(1): 210-219. DOI 10.1111/rec.12832.

Smith LA, DM Eissenstat, and MW Kaye. 2017. Variability in aboveground carbon driven by slope aspect and curvature in an eastern deciduous forest, USA. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 47(2): 149-158. DOI 10.1139/cjfr-2016-0147.

• Canadian Journal of Forest Research Editor’s Choice, May 2017

DeBano SJ., S Roof, MM Rowland, and LA Smith. 2016. Diet overlap of mammalian herbivores and native bees: implications for managing co-occurring grazers and pollinators. Natural Areas Journal 36(4): 458-477. DOI 10.3375/043.036.0413.

Headshot of Lauren DiCarlo.