Bianca Lopez

I am interested in how natural communities (especially of plants) are affected by human activities, including introductions of new species and altered environmental conditions. Much of my work has focused on how urbanization affects plant communities, and I am currently working at the intersection of invasion ecology and climate change to inform land management. I am also interested in using art as a way to communicate science and inspire conservation behavior.

Outside of work, I enjoy hiking, birdwatching, and reading fiction.

Landscape ecology, urban ecology, conservation, plants, translational research

Interactions between species invasion and climate change with the RISCC network

Effects of Covid-19 on people’s perception and use of urban green spaces

PhD, Ecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

B.S., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut

Lopez, B.E., E. Minor, and A. Crooks. 2020, Insights into human-wildlife interactions in cities from bird sightings recorded online. Landscape and Urban Planning. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.103742

Lopez, B.E., N. Magliocca, and A. Crooks. 2019. Challenges and opportunities of social media data for socio-environmental systems research. Land. https://doi.org/10.3390/land8070107

Lopez, B.E., D. Urban, and P.S. White. 2018. Testing the effects of four urbanization “filters” on forest plant taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity. Ecological Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.1812

Lopez, B.E., D. Urban, and P.S. White. 2018. Nativity and seed dispersal mode influence species’ responses to habitat connectivity and urban environments. Global Ecology and Biogeography. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12760

Lopez, B.E., K.R. Burgio, M.C. Carlucci, K.A. Palmquist, A. Parada, V.P. Weinberger, and A.H. Hurlbert. 2016. A new framework for inferring community assembly processes using phylogenetic information, relevant traits and environmental gradients. One Ecosystem. https://doi.org/10.3897/oneeco.1.e9501

Coyle, J.R., F.W. Halliday, B.E. Lopez, K.A. Palmquist, P.A. Wilfahrt, and A.H. Hurlbert. 2014. Using trait and phylogenetic diversity to evaluate the generality of the stress dominance hypothesis in eastern North American tree communities. Ecography. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.00473