Susan Galatowitsch

Professor & Department Head, Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology
135D Skok Hall
2003 Upper Buford Circle,
Ste 135
St. Paul, MN 55108
galat001@umn.edu
+1 612 624 3242
Galatowitsch Group Website

Education

Ph.D, Iowa State University

woman smiling at camera

Areas of Interest

Ecological restoration of wetlands, rivers, lakeshores, prairies; land use impacts to wetland biodiversity; climate change adaptation

Teaching

  • ESPM 5071 Ecological Restoration
  • ESPM 3575/5575 Wetlands 

Research

My group focuses on advancing the practice and outcomes of ecological restoration. Several aspects of restoration practice significantly limit ecological restoration in the Midwestern US, as well as globally. These include: 1) effective, practical approaches for assessing ecological resilience, 2) approaches for assessing an organization’s capacity to undertake an ecosystem restoration, 3)  overcoming severe limitations to native seed availability, 4) decision-making guidance for invasive species control. We are addressing these gaps with current research aimed at: developing scenario planning tools for managing climate-sensitive species in protected areas, developing ecological resilience assessment tools for restoration planning, determining how organizational capacity affects restoration outcomes, developing native seed harvest guidelines, and formulating management response protocols for newly invading species.

Select Publications

  • Meissen, J.*, S. Galatowitsch, and M. Cornett. 2017. Assessing long-term risks of prairie seed harvest: what is the role of life history? Botany 95: 1081-1092. (Editor’s Choice Award)
  • Galatowitsch, S, D Larson, & J Larson. 2016. Factors affecting post-control reinvasion by seed of an invasive species, Phragmites australis, in the central Platte River, Nebraska. Biological Invasions, 18: 1-12.
  • Phillips-Mao‡, L, S Galatowitsch, S Snyder, & R Haight. 2016. Model-based scenario planning to develop climate change adaptation strategies for rare plant populations in grassland reserves. Biological Conservation 193: 103-114.
  • Meissen†, J, S Galatowitsch, & M Cornett. 2015. Risks of overharvesting seed from native tallgrass prairies. Restoration Ecology 23: 882-891.
  • Phillips-Mao‡, L, J Refsland, & S Galatowitsch. 2015. Cost-estimation for landscape-scale restoration planning in the Upper Midwest, US. Ecological Restoration 33: 147-155.
  • Galatowitsch, S.M. 2012. Ecological Restoration, Sinauer Press, Boston MA. 610 p.
  • Kettenring†, KM. & SM. Galatowitsch. 2011. Seed rain of restored and natural prairie wetlands. Wetlands 31: 283-294.
  • Galatowitsch, S., L. Frelich, and L. Phillips-Mao. 2009. Regional climate change adaptation strategies for biodiversity conservation in a midcontinental region of North America. Biological Conservation 142: 2011-2022
  • Aronson‡, M & S Galatowitsch. 2008. Long-term vegetation development of restored prairie pothole wetlands. Wetlands 28: 883-895.
  • Galatowitsch, S.M. and D.M. Richardson. 2005. Riparian scrub recovery after clearing of invasive alien trees in headwater streams of the Western Cape, South Africa. Biological Conservation. 122: 509-521.
  • Perry†, LG, SM. Galatowitsch, & C.J. Rosen. 2004. Competitive control of invasive vegetation: a native wetland sedge suppresses Phalaris arundinacea in carbon-enriched soil. Journal of Applied Ecology 41: 151-162.