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Dr Michelle LaRue

Contact

Department: School of Earth and Environment

Email: michelle.larue@canterbury.ac.nz

Direct Dial: +64 3 3690639

Office: Beatrice Tinsley Rm 414

Language: English

About
Research / Creative works
Networks
Methods & Equipment

Fields of Research

  • Spatial ecology
  • Polar marine ecology
  • Remote sensing and GIS
  • Biogeography

Researcher Summary

I focus on interdisciplinary tools, such as GIS and high-resolution satellite imagery, to study spatial and population dynamics of penguins, seals, & cougars - species facing substantial conservation challenges as both the physical and social environments change across the world.

In 2007 I started out as the GIS lead for the Polar Geospatial Center and eventually pursued my PhD in Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota. My dissertation focused on using high-resolution satellite imagery to learn about the ecology of polar animals: emperor penguins, Adélie penguins, Weddell seals, and even polar bears and muskoxen. This is a new and exciting method to learn about the population dynamics, biogeography, and effects of climate change on polar vertebrates, and I've been part of many "species from space" studies: the first global censuses of both Antarctic penguins, Weddell seal population change, and "polar bears from space". I also continue to work on cougar range expansion in North America as the executive director of the Cougar Network.

My work has been covered internationally by hundreds of media outlets including BBC, NBC Nightly News, Wall Street Journal, and National Geographic (see Speaking, News).

Subject Area: Disciplines

  • Biology: Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour: Biodiversity/Conservation; Biogeography; Ecology; Marine Ecology

Resources

  • My website
  • My Twitter Page

Research/Scholarly/Creative Works

(Displaying research/scholarly/creative work from 2006 to 2021)
  • Ainley DG., Cziko PA., Nur N., Rotella JJ., Eastman JT., Larue M., Stirling I. and Abrams PA. (2021) Further evidence that Antarctic toothfish are important to Weddell seals. Antarctic Science 33(1): 17-29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0954102020000437. (Journal Articles)
  • Greenspan E., Larue MA. and Nielsen CK. (2021) Attitudes of Social Media Users Toward Mountain Lions in North America. Wildlife Society Bulletin 45(1): 121-129. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1162. (Journal Articles)
  • Howell L., LaRue M. and Flanagan SP. (2021) Environmental DNA as a tool for monitoring Antarctic vertebrates. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 48(3-4): 245-262. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03014223.2021.1900299. (Journal Articles)
  • Jenouvrier S., Che-Castaldo J., Wolf S., Holland M., Labrousse S., LaRue M., Wienecke B., Fretwell P., Barbraud C. and Greenwald N. (2021) The call of the emperor penguin: legal responses to species threatened by climate change. Global Change Biology http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15806. (Journal Articles)
  • Jenouvrier S., LaRue M., Trathan P., Labrousse S. and Fretwell P. (2021) Species status assessment of emperor penguins. In Species status assessment of emperor penguins, Commissioned by United States Fish and Wildlife Service. (Reports)
  • Labrousse S., Iles D., Viollat L., Fretwell P., Trathan P., Jenouvrier S., Zitterbart D. and LaRue M. (2021) Quantifying the causes and consequences of variation in satellite-derived population indices: a case study of emperor penguins. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/rse2.233. (Journal Articles)
  • LaRue M. (2021) Yellowstone Cougars: Ecology Before and During Wolf Restoration. By Toni K. Ruth, Polly C. Buotte, and Maurice G. Hornocker. Louisville (Colorado): University Press of Colorado. $75.00. xviii + 317 p.; ill.; index. ISBN: 978-1-60732-828-5 (hc); 978-1-60732-829-2 (eb). 2019.. The Quarterly Review of Biology 96(1): 44-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/713218. (Journal Articles)
  • LaRue M., Jenouvrier S., Trathan P., Labrousse S., Ropert-Coudert Y., Lynnes A., Hindell M. and Wienecke B. (2021) Projections of future population decline indicate the need to designate the emperor penguin as an Antarctic Specially Protected Species. In Projections of future population decline indicate the need to designate the emperor penguin as an Antarctic Specially Protected Species, Commissioned by Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. (Reports)
  • LaRue M., Salas L., Nur N., Ainley D., Stammerjohn S., Pennycook J., Dozier M., Saints J., Stamatiou K. and Barrington L. (2021) Insights from the first global population estimate of Weddell seals in Antarctica. Science Advances 7(39) http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abh3674. (Journal Articles)
  • Wege M., Salas L. and LaRue M. (2021) Ice matters: Life-history strategies of two Antarctic seals dictate climate change eventualities in the Weddell Sea. Global Change Biology 27(23): 6252-6262. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15828. (Journal Articles)
  • Jenouvrier S., Holland M., Iles D., Labrousse S., Landrum L., Garnier J., Caswell H., Weimerskirch H., LaRue M. and Ji R. (2020) The Paris Agreement objectives will likely halt future declines of emperor penguins. Global Change Biology 26(3): 1170-1184. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14864. (Journal Articles)
  • LaRue MA., Ainley DG., Pennycook J., Stamatiou K., Salas L., Nur N., Stammerjohn S. and Barrington L. (2020) Engaging ‘the crowd’ in remote sensing to learn about habitat affinity of the Weddell seal in Antarctica. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation 6(1): 70-78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/rse2.124. (Journal Articles)
  • Santora J., LaRue M. and Ainley D. (2020) Geographic structuring of Antarctic penguins. Global Ecology and Biogeography http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.13144. (Journal Articles)
  • Trathan PN., Wienecke B., Barbraud C., Jenouvrier S., Kooyman G., Le Bohec C., Ainley DG., Ancel A., Zitterbart DP. and Chown SL. (2020) The emperor penguin - Vulnerable to projected rates of warming and sea ice loss. Biological Conservation 241 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108216. (Journal Articles)
  • Wege M., Salas L. and LaRue M. (2020) Citizen science and habitat modelling facilitates conservation planning for crabeater seals in the Weddell Sea. Diversity and Distributions: a journal of conservation biogeography. (Journal Articles)
  • LaRue M. and Lawrenz F. (2019) Evaluation of the MnDRIVE program: connecting the state, the University, and industry to improve the lives of Minnesotans. In Evaluation of the MnDRIVE program: connecting the state, the University, and industry to improve the lives of Minnesotans, Commissioned by Office of the Vice President for Research, University of Minnesota. (Reports)
  • Larue M., Iles D., Labrousse S., Salas L., Ballard G., Ainley D. and Saenz B. (2019) A possible Adélie penguin sub-colony on fast ice by Cape Crozier, Antarctica. Antarctic Science 31(4): 189-194. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S095410201900018X. (Journal Articles)
  • Larue MA., Nielsen CK. and Pease BS. (2019) Increases in Midwestern cougars despite harvest in a source population. Journal of Wildlife Management 83(6): 1306-1313. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21693. (Journal Articles)
  • LaRue MA., Salas L., Nur N., Ainley DG., Stammerjohn S., Barrington L., Stamatiou K., Pennycook J., Dozier M. and Saints J. (2019) Physical and ecological factors explain the distribution of Ross Sea Weddell seals during the breeding season. Marine Ecology Progress Series : 193-208. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps12877. (Journal Articles)
  • LaRue MA. and Stapleton S. (2018) Estimating the abundance of polar bears on Wrangel Island during late summer using high-resolution satellite imagery: a pilot study. Polar Biology 41(12): 2621-2626. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00300-018-2384-4. (Journal Articles)
  • LaRue MA., Stapleton S. and Anderson M. (2017) Feasibility of using high-resolution satellite imagery to assess vertebrate wildlife populations. Conservation Biology 31(1): 213-220. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12809. (Journal Articles)
  • LaRue M. (2016) Expert opinion on the eastern cougar (Puma concolor couguar) in North America. In Expert opinion on the eastern cougar (Puma concolor couguar) in North America, Commissioned by United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Endangered Species Act). (Discussion/Working Papers)
  • LaRue MA. and Nielsen CK. (2016) Population viability of recolonizing cougars in midwestern North America. Ecological Modelling 321: 121-129. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2015.09.026. (Journal Articles)
  • Lynch HJ. and LaRue MA. (2016) Erratum: First global census of the Adélie Penguin (The Auk: Ornithological Advances (2014) 131 (457-466)). Auk 133(2): 236. http://dx.doi.org/10.1642/AUK-15-231.1. (Journal Articles)
  • Witharana C., LaRue MA. and Lynch HJ. (2016) Benchmarking of data fusion algorithms in support of earth observation based Antarctic wildlife monitoring. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 113: 124-143. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2015.12.009. (Journal Articles)
  • Ainley DG., Larue MA., Stirling I., Stammerjohn S. and Siniff DB. (2015) An apparent population decrease, or change in distribution, of Weddell seals along the Victoria Land coast. Marine Mammal Science 31(4): 1338-1361. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mms.12220. (Journal Articles)
  • LaRue M. (2015) Important Bird Areas in Antarctica. In Important Bird Areas in Antarctica, Commissioned by Bird Life International. 301. (Reports)
  • Larue MA., Kooyman G., Lynch HJ. and Fretwell P. (2015) Emigration in emperor penguins: Implications for interpretation of long-term studies. Ecography 38(2): 114-120. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ecog.00990. (Journal Articles)
  • Larue MA., Stapleton S., Porter C., Atkinson S., Atwood T., Dyck M. and Lecomte N. (2015) Testing methods for using high-resolution satellite imagery to monitor polar bear abundance and distribution. Wildlife Society Bulletin 39(4): 772-779. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wsb.596. (Journal Articles)
  • Lynch HJ. and LaRue MA. (2015) Erratum: First global census of the Adélie Penguin (Auk (2015) 131 (457-466)). Auk 132(3): 562. http://dx.doi.org/10.1642/AUK-15-20.1. (Journal Articles)
  • Larue MA. and Knight J. (2014) Applications of Very High-Resolution Imagery in the Study and Conservation of Large Predators in the Southern Ocean. Conservation Biology 28(6): 1731-1735. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12367. (Journal Articles)
  • LaRue MA., Lynch HJ., Lyver POB., Barton K., Ainley DG., Pollard A., Fraser WR. and Ballard G. (2014) A method for estimating colony sizes of Adélie penguins using remote sensing imagery. Polar Biology 37(4): 507-517. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00300-014-1451-8. (Journal Articles)
  • Lynch HJ. and Larue MA. (2014) First global census of the Adélie Penguin. Auk 131(4): 457-466. http://dx.doi.org/10.1642/AUK-14-31.1. (Journal Articles)
  • Stapleton S., LaRue M., Lecomte N., Atkinson S., Garshelis D., Porter C. and Atwood T. (2014) Polar bears from space: Assessing satellite imagery as a tool to track arctic wildlife. PLoS ONE 9(7) http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0101513. (Journal Articles)
  • LaRue MA., Ainley DG., Swanson M., Dugger KM., Lyver POB., Barton K. and Ballard G. (2013) Climate Change Winners: Receding Ice Fields Facilitate Colony Expansion and Altered Dynamics in an Adélie Penguin Metapopulation. PLoS ONE 8(4) http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0060568. (Journal Articles)
  • Fretwell PT., LaRue MA., Morin P., Kooyman GL., Wienecke B., Ratcliffe N., Fox AJ., Fleming AH., Porter C. and Trathan PN. (2012) An emperor penguin population estimate: The first global, synoptic survey of a species from space. PLoS ONE 7(4) http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0033751. (Journal Articles)
  • Larue MA., Nielsen CK., Dowling M., Miller K., Wilson B., Shaw H. and Anderson CR. (2012) Cougars are recolonizing the midwest: Analysis of cougar confirmations during 1990-2008. Journal of Wildlife Management 76(7): 1364-1369. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.396. (Journal Articles)
  • Hénaux V., Powell LA., Hobson KA., Nielsen CK. and Larue MA. (2011) Tracking large carnivore dispersal using isotopic clues in claws: An application to cougars across the Great Plains. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 2(5): 489-499. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.2041-210X.2011.00107.x. (Journal Articles)
  • LaRue MA. and Nielsen CK. (2011) Modelling potential habitat for cougars in midwestern North America. Ecological Modelling 222(3): 897-900. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2010.11.017. (Journal Articles)
  • LaRue MA., Rotella JJ., Garrott RA., Siniff DB., Ainley DG., Stauffer GE., Porter CC. and Morin PJ. (2011) Satellite imagery can be used to detect variation in abundance of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in Erebus Bay, Antarctica. Polar Biology 34(11): 1727-1737. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-1023-0. (Journal Articles)
  • LaRue MA. and Nielsen CK. (2008) Modelling potential dispersal corridors for cougars in midwestern North America using least-cost path methods. Ecological Modelling 212(3-4): 372-381. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2007.10.036. (Journal Articles)
  • LaRue M., Grund M. and Nielsen C. (2007) Using distance sampling to estimate densities of deer in south-central Minnesota. The Prairie Naturalist. (Journal Articles)

Editorial Work

  • Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Associate Editor ( 2021 - 2023)

Review and Refereeing

  • Antarctic Science ( 2016 - 2023)
  • Biodiversity and Conservation ( 2018 - 2023)
  • Biological Conservation ( 2016 - 2023)
  • Canadian Journal of Zoology ( 2016 - 2023)
  • Diversity and Distributions: a journal of conservation biogeography ( 2019 - 2023)
  • Ecological Applications ( 2020 - 2023)
  • Ecological Modelling ( 2008 - 2023)
  • Ecology and Evolution ( 2016 - 2023)
  • Ecosphere ( 2016 - 2023)
  • Environmental Management (New York): an international journal for decision-makers, scientists and environmental auditors ( 2017 - 2023)
  • Geology ( 2020 - 2023)
  • Human Dimensions of Wildlife ( 2019 - 2023)
  • International Journal of Remote Sensing ( 2016 - 2023)
  • Journal of Animal Ecology ( 2017 - 2023)
  • Journal of Applied Ecology ( 2016 - 2023)
  • Journal of Avian Biology ( 2021 - 2023)
  • Journal of Mammalogy ( 2015 - 2023)
  • Journal of Wildlife Management ( 2013 - 2023)
  • Journal of Wildlife Management ( 2022 )
  • Marine Ecology Progress Series ( 2020 - 2023)
  • Marine Mammal Science ( 2017 - 2023)
  • Marine Ornithology ( 2021 - 2023)
  • Methods in Ecology and Evolution ( 2017 - 2023)
  • Molecular Ecology ( 2017 - 2023)
  • Nature Climate Change ( 2021 - 2023)
  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences ( 2021 - 2023)
  • PLoS One ( 2013 - 2023)
  • Polar Biology ( 2012 - 2023)
  • Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences ( 2015 - 2023)
  • Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation ( 2019 - 2023)
  • Remote Sensing Letters ( 2016 - 2023)
  • Remote Sensing of Environment: an interdisciplinary journal ( 2016 - 2023)
  • Science Advances ( 2017 - 2023)
  • Science of the Total Environment ( 2019 - 2023)
  • The Quarterly Review of Biology ( 2020 )
  • Wildlife Biology ( 2019 - 2023)
  • Wildlife Society Bulletin ( 2015 - 2023)

Affiliations

  • University of Minnesota | Earth & Environment (Teaching/Research Organisation): Research Associate

Key Methodologies

  • GIS
  • Remote sensing
  • Statistical modeling
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