About

Elsa Youngsteadt is an Associate Professor and Extension Leader in the Department of Applied Ecology at NC State University. She holds a PhD in Entomology from NC State University, earned in 2008. Her research focuses on the effects of urbanization, climate change, and other anthropogenic changes on populations, communities, interactions, and ecosystem services, with particular emphasis on plant-insect interactions. She is actively involved in extension and outreach efforts related to urban biodiversity and pollinator conservation, including initiatives such as Protecting Pollinators in Urban Landscapes. Her work aims to understand and mitigate the impacts of environmental change on pollinators and urban ecosystems.

Research topics

• Biology
• Ecology
• Sociology
• Evolutionary biology
• Zoology
• Geography

Selected publications

• Thermal limits reveal asymmetric climate vulnerability across a solitary bee species' range

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-03-03

  datasetOpen access

  Supplemental materials associated with the paper, "Thermal limits reveal asymmetric climate vulnerability across a solitary bee species’ range". Materials include: supplemental tables and figures; raw individual specimen data, site data, and projected climate data for years 2006-2099; R script; videos and video metadata with example CT limit cues for Xenoglossa pruinosa.

  PublisherDOI

• Colony Structure and Redescription of Males in the Rarely Collected Arboreal Ant, Aphaenogaster mariae Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

  The Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-16

  datasetOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Thermal limits reveal asymmetric climate vulnerability across a solitary bee species' range

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-03-03

  datasetOpen access

  Supplemental materials associated with the paper, "Thermal limits reveal asymmetric climate vulnerability across a solitary bee species’ range". Materials include: supplemental tables and figures; raw individual specimen data, site data, and projected climate data for years 2006-2099; R script; videos and video metadata with example CT limit cues for Xenoglossa pruinosa.

  PublisherDOI

• Wealth does not buy richness: plant and soil bacterial diversity in temperate suburban yards are not influenced by income

  Urban Ecosystems · 2026-04-13

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Patterns of biodiversity in suburban areas have been increasingly linked to the behaviors and affluence of their residents. Residents of affluent neighborhoods tend to plant more flowering plant species and generally live in neighborhoods with cooler temperatures and more tree cover. These factors, among others, lead to increased plant, bird, arthropod, and lizard biodiversity in affluent neighborhoods. Here, we investigate whether this pattern exists in plant and soil bacterial communities in suburban yards in Raleigh, North Carolina. We surveyed the diversity of plants and soil bacteria across 30 homes, located in census block groups with median household incomes from $22,000 to $208,000. Overall, we detected 144 plant genera and 7,908 bacterial OTUs. Although we identified an indirect effect of household income on bacterial OTU richness, mediated by soil pH, household income was nevertheless a poor predictor of plant and soil bacterial diversity. The lack of a strong correlation between income and plant or bacterial diversity in our humid, subtropical study area is consistent with a broader literature suggesting that effects of affluence on biodiversity are most pronounced in arid climates.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• To provide pollinator nesting habitat, cut dead perennial stems in their first winter

  Insect Conservation and Diversity · 2026-04-12

  articleSenior author

  Abstract Stems of perennial plants in residential pollinator gardens may provide nesting and overwintering resources for solitary bees and wasps, but seasonal vegetation management risks destroying these insects. To inform garden management practises in temperate climates, we conducted participatory research: volunteers sampled cohorts of dead stems (in situ where they grew) through winter, spring, summer and fall. We received 2879 stems, representing 20 gardens in four ecoregions across North Carolina, USA. Of these, 45 stems were occupied by living insects or identifiable remains, representing at least 12 species of Hymenoptera. Winter stems—those that had been alive and uncut in the previous growing season—were not occupied. Thus, to create resources for stem‐nesting pollinators, while minimizing disturbance, we recommend trimming (but not entirely removing) stems in their first winter.

  PublisherDOI

• Data from: To provide pollinator nesting habitat, cut dead perennial stems in their first winter

  DRYAD · 2026-03-14

  datasetOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Pollinator habitat management has traditionally focused on floral resources, but the stems of flowering perennial plants could also provide nesting and overwintering resources for solitary bees and wasps. Seasonal vegetation management therefore risks destroying nesting or overwintering insects. In residential pollinator gardens, gardeners receive conflicting advice—with little evidence base—about when dead plant stems can be removed without disrupting nesting or overwintering pollinators. To address this knowledge gap in a mesic temperate climate, we conducted participatory research in which volunteers provided stem samples from their gardens, sampling cohorts of dead stems through winter, spring, summer, and fall. We received a total of 2,879 stems, representing 75 samples from 20 gardens in four ecoregions. This dataset documents the sampled stems and their insect residents, and includes results of a volunteer experience survey conducted at the end of the project. Overall, 37 stems were occupied by living insects, and eight contained evidence of recent occupants, representing at least 12 species of solitary bees and wasps dominated by the genus Ceratina. Winter stems—those that had been alive and uncut in the previous growing season—were not occupied. Although the overall occupancy rate was low, our results verify that stems of perennial plants in residential gardens provide nesting and overwintering resources. Trimming (but not removing) stems in their first winter is the management practice that would maximize this resource for pollinators without disturbing its occupants.

  PublisherDOI

• Spring ephemeral <i>Erythronium umbilicatum</i> may not be vulnerable to phenological mismatch with overstory trees

  American Journal of Botany · 2026-03-01

  articleOpen access

  PREMISE: The defining life history strategy of spring ephemeral wildflowers is their avoidance of shading by trees during the brief, high-light period before canopy leaf out. Studies suggest that spring ephemerals will experience increased light competition because canopy leaf out is more sensitive to warming than is the phenology of spring ephemerals. However, it remains unclear how longer durations of shade will alter the population dynamics of spring ephemerals and whether all populations are at risk. METHODS: We experimentally shaded Erythronium umbilicatum for one to six additional weeks before canopy leaf out to test for immediate and lagged effects of early shading on the timing of senescence and the probability of survival and flowering. To predict the potential for earlier shading, we combined long-term time series of spring air temperature, remotely sensed tree leaf out, and E. umbilicatum flowering phenology in North Carolina, United States. RESULTS: Early shading did not alter E. umbilicatum until the following year, when more-shaded plants senesced later. Year-to-year survival did not change, and the probability of flowering was reduced only when plants experienced extremely early shading. Moreover, E. umbilicatum phenology was more sensitive than tree leaf out to warming temperatures. We project that, under climate warming, E. umbilicatum is unlikely to experience shortened periods of high light. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that a plant species' defining life history strategy does not necessarily predict their sensitivity to phenological mismatches. This incongruity complicates, but also underscores the importance of identifying the most vulnerable species and directing our research efforts accordingly.

  PublisherDOI

• Data from: Wealth does not buy richness: Plant and soil bacterial diversity in temperate suburban lawns are not influenced by income

  DRYAD · 2026-04-07

  datasetOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Patterns of biodiversity in urban and suburban areas have been increasingly linked to the behaviors and affluence of their residents. Residents of affluent neighborhoods tend to plant more flowering plant species and generally benefit from cooler temperatures and more tree cover. These factors, among others, lead to increased plant, bird, arthropod, and lizard biodiversity in affluent neighborhoods. This dataset pertains to an investigation of this pattern in plant and soil bacterial communities in suburban lawns in Raleigh, North Carolina. We surveyed the diversity of plants and soil bacteria across 30 homes, located in census block groups with median household incomes from $22,000 to $208,000. Overall, we detected 144 plant genera and 7,908 bacterial OTUs. Although bacterial richness increased with soil pH, and soil pH increased weakly with household income, household income was nevertheless a poor predictor of plant and soil bacterial diversity. The lack of correlation between income and plant or bacterial diversity in our humid, subtropical study area is consistent with a broader literature suggesting that effects of affluence on biodiversity are most pronounced in arid climates. This dataset protects the location of individual sampling locations for the privacy of residents, but includes income information at the level of each census block group. For each of the 30 sites, the dataset provides median income of the census block group from 2014 census data; the number of OTUs observed in the rarefied sample; calculated diversity metrics, including Shannon's H and evenness, soil pH, and the number of plant genera detected in 12 one-meter quadrats. OTU abundance per site is provided in a separate file, and taxonomic information about each OTU is in a third file.

  PublisherDOI

• Urban heat and latitude: Contrasting effects on ant diversity across cities

  Research Square · 2025-04-18

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Urban heat and latitude: contrasting effects on ant diversity across cities

  Urban Ecosystems · 2025-06-13 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Increasing urban temperatures due to the urban heat island effect are associated with widespread biodiversity declines. Because cities are distributed across diverse climatic zones, the effects of urban heat on biodiversity may vary geographically. Here, we examined how urban warming influences ant communities across four U.S. cities that span 6.6° of latitude and differ by 4.1 °C in average summer temperature. We sampled urban ants using baits placed at the base of a single common tree species along an urban temperature gradient within each city. When pooling results across all cities, ant species richness increased towards the equator, consistent with broader macroecological trends. Within cities, however, ant richness consistently declined with increasing urban temperatures, regardless of latitude. In addition to temperature, we observed that ant richness was positively correlated with humidity and negatively correlated with impervious surface cover. Our findings contrast with studies of other urban arthropods, where responses to urban heat vary by latitude. The consistent negative effect of urban warming on ant diversity suggests that urban heat stress may be a conserved factor affecting biodiversity across temperate latitudes, particularly within eastern North America. While we did not detect an increasing sensitivity to urban warming at lower latitudes, the greater overall biodiversity in low-latitude cities implies that urbanization could pose a significant threat to these species-rich communities. Given the rapid expansion of urban areas, especially in warm regions, understanding the combined impacts of urbanization and climate change on biodiversity remains critical for conservation efforts.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Adam Terando

  United States Geological Survey

  15 shared

• Steven D. Frank

  14 shared

• Robert R. Dunn

  11 shared

• Clyde E. Sorenson

  North Carolina State University

  7 shared

• Sara Guiti Prado

  North Carolina State University

  7 shared

• Emily K. Meineke

  6 shared

• Coby Schal

  North Carolina State University

  6 shared

• Margarita M. López‐Uribe

  Pennsylvania State University

  6 shared

Labs

• Elsa Youngsteadt LabPI

Education

• PhD, Entomology

  North Carolina State University

  2008

• MS, Biological Sciences

  University of Wisconsin Milwaukee

  2003

• BA, Biology

  Truman State University

  1999