Mary M. Gardiner is a Distinguished Professor in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University in the Department of Entomology and Co-Director of the OSU transdisciplinary Environmental Science Graduate Program. The Gardiner Lab’s community-engaged research program examines the ecology and management of urban greenspaces for insect conservation including vacant lots, residential greenspaces, parks, and rain gardens. The Gardiner Lab has published over 75 peer-reviewed publications and been awarded $8.1 M in grant support, with current funding from the NSF, USDA, and the MITRE Foundation. Mary is also a State Specialist in Extension and is active in the Ohio Master Gardener Volunteer Program. She has advised 23 graduate students and postdocs and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in insect ecology, presentation skills, and grant writing. Mary serves on the Entomological Society of America Governing Board and is a Past President of the ESA North Central Branch. In 2015, she released a book focused on natural enemies and their role in biological control in home gardens titled: Good Garden Bugs: Everything You Need to Know about Beneficial Predatory Insects.
Awards
2024 Distinguished Professor of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences
2024 Senior Faculty Research Award, Ohio State College of Food, Agriculture, & Environmental Sciences
2023 Nan-Yao Su Award for Innovation and Creativity in Entomology, Entomological Society of America
2023 Distinguished Alumnus Award, Michigan State University Department of Entomology
2019 Junior Faculty Research Award, Ohio State College of Food, Agriculture, & Environmental Sciences
APPOINTMENTS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Co-Director, Environmental Science Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. (2021-present)
Professor, Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. (2019-present)
Associate Professor, Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. (2014-2019)
Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH. (2009-2014)
Visiting Research Scientist, Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. (2008)|
Research Support Scientist, Department of Plant Soil and Entomological Sciences, University of Idaho, Parma Research and Extension Center, Parma, ID. (2002-2004)
Adjunct Appointments: Pontifica Universidad Catholica de Chile, Cleveland State University, Wright State University
ADVISING
Postdoctoral Researchers
Kayla I. Perry 2017-2020 (Current: Assistant Professor, OSU Entomology)
Leo Taylor 2018-2019 (Current: Program Manager, Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, OSU)
Frances S. Sivakoff 2015-2018 (Current: Assistant Professor, OSU Marion Campus)
Graduate Students
Major Advisor, Currently Enrolled
Erika Wright (M.S. ESGP)
Lydia Fyie (Ph.D Entomology) (co-advised with Dr. Megan Meuti)
Caralee Shepard (Ph.D. Entomology)
Lucy Guarnieri (Ph.D. Entomology)
Michelle Pham (Ph.D. ESGP)
Major Advisor, Completed Ph.D Entomology
Scott Prajzner (Ph.D.): Graduated 12/2016
Chris Riley (Ph.D.): Graduated 12/2019
Yvan A. Delgado de la Flor (Ph.D.): Graduated 5/2020
Katherine Turo (Ph.D.): Graduated 5/2021
Denisha Parker (Ph.D.): Graduated 5/2021
Sarah Scott (Ph.D.): Graduated 12/2022
Major Advisor, Completed M.S. Entomology
Chelsea Smith (M.S.): Graduated 8/2012
Caitlin Burkman (M.S.): Graduated 7/2013
Ben Phillips (M.S.): Graduated 7/2013
Andrea Kautz (M.S.): Graduated 7/2015
MaLisa Spring (M.S.): Graduated 6/2017
Molly Dietrich Mabin (M.S.): Graduated 6/2017
Emily Trejo Sypolt (M.S.): Graduated 12/2019
Alex Tyrpak (M.S.): Graduated 5/2020
Ellen Danford (M.S. ESGP): Graduated 12/2023
PUBLICATIONS (last 5 years only)
(first author: *graduate student, ~postdoc, +undergraduate, ^based on undergraduate research) H Index: 25
-
*Scott, S.B., F.S. Sivakoff, M. Meuti, and M.M. Gardiner. 2023. Metal contamination challenges pollinator conservation in legacy cities. Journal of Insect Conservation 27: 361-375. DOI: 10.1007/s10841-023-00474-y
-
~Perry, K.I., C.B. Riley, F. Fan, J. Radl, D.A. Herms and M.M. Gardiner. 2022. The value of hybrid and nonnative ash for the conservation of ash specialists is limited following late stages of emerald ash borer invasion. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 24: 355-370
-
*Pham, M.A., S.B. Scott, L.R. Fyie, and M.M. Gardiner. 2022. The potential of sustainable landscaping programs to encourage conservation in United States residential landscapes. Urban Ecosystems 24: 1481-1490. DOI: 10.1007/s11252-022-01241-8
-
*Scott, S.B., F.S. Sivakoff, and M.M. Gardiner. 2022. Environmentally relevant concentrations of heavy metals diminishes bumble bee colony growth. Urban Ecosystems 25: 989-997. DOI: 10.1007/s11252-022-01206-x
-
*Riley, C.B., M. Raupp, K. Fite, and M.M. Gardiner. 2022. Woody plant biodiversity explains pest management interventions in residential landscapes. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 67: 127439. DOI: 10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127439
-
Gardiner, M.M. and H.E. Roy. The role of community science in Entomology. 2022. Annual Review of Entomology 67: 437-456. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-072121-075258
-
*Turo, K.J. and M.M. Gardiner. 2021. Effects of urban greenspace configuration and native vegetation on bee and wasp reproduction. Conservation Biology 35: 1755-1765. DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13753
-
Gardiner, M.M., K.I. Perry, C.B. Riley, K.J. Turo, Y. Delgado de la flor, F.S. Sivakoff. 2021. Community scientist data suggests that urbanization and forest habitat loss threaten aphidophagous native lady beetles. Ecology and Evolution 11: 27610-2774. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7229
-
*Fyie, L.R., M.M. Gardiner, and M. Meuti. 2021. Artificial light at night prolongs seasonal exposure to biting mosquitoes. Journal of Insect Physiology 129: 104194
-
Gardiner, M.M., Delgado de la flor, Y.A., Parker, D.M., and J.D. Harwood. 2021. Rich and abundant spider communities result from enhanced dietary niche breadth and reduced overlap in urban greenspaces. Ecological Applications 31: e02282. DOI: 10.1002/eap.2282
-
~Perry, K.I., N.C. Hoekstra, S.W. Culman and M.M. Gardiner. 2020a. Vacant lot soil degradation and mowing frequency shape communities of belowground invertebrates and urban spontaneous vegetation. Urban Ecosystems. DOI: 10.1007/s11252-020-01069-0
-
*Turo, K.J., M.R. Spring, F.S. Sivakoff, Y.A. Delgado de la flor, and M.M. Gardiner. 2020. Bee community structure and foraging in urban vacant land: Implications for managing pollinator friendly cities. Journal of Applied Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13773
-
*Parker, D.M., K.J. Turo, Y.A. Delgado de la flor, and M.M. Gardiner. 2020. Landscape context influences the community assembly of native lady beetles occupying urban vacant land. Urban Ecosystems. DOI: 10.1007/s11252-020-01000-7
-
*Turo K.J. and M.M. Gardiner. 2020. The balancing act of urban conservation. Nature Communications 11: 3773. DOI: 10.1038/ s41467-020-17539-0
-
~Perry, K., N. Hoekstra, Y.A. Delgado de la flor, and M.M. Gardiner. 2020b. Disentangling landscape and local drivers of ground-dwelling beetle community assembly in an urban ecosystem. Ecological Applications: E02191. DOI: 10.1002/eap.2191
-
~Sivakoff, F.S., *S.P. Prajzner, and M.M. Gardiner. 2020. Urban heavy metal contamination limits bumble bee colony growth. Journal of Applied Ecology 57: 1561-1569. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13651
-
*Delgado de la flor, Y.A., K. Perry, K.J. Turo, D.M. Parker. T. Thompson, and M.M. Gardiner. 2020. Local and landscape-scale environmental filters drive the functional diversity and taxonomic composition of spiders across urban greenspaces. Journal of Applied Ecology 57: 1570-1580
-
*Riley, C.B. and M.M. Gardiner. 2020. Examining the relationship and distributional equity of urban tree canopy cover and ecosystem services across United States cities. PLoS ONE 15: e0230398
-
*Dieterich Mabin M.E., C. Welty and M.M. Gardiner. 2020. Predator richness predicts pest suppression within organic and conventional summer squash (Cucurbita pepo L. Cucurbitales: Cucurbitaceae). Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 287: 106689
-
*Yang, L., K.J. Turo, E. Alfaro Inocente, J. Tian, N. Hoekstra, P.M. Piermarini and M.M. Gardiner. 2019. Can urban greening increase vector abundance in cities? The impact of mowing, local vegetation and landscape composition on adult mosquito populations. Urban Ecosystems 22: 827-839
-
Grez, A.A., Zaviezo T. Gardiner, M.M. and Alaniz A. 2019. Urbanization filters coccinellids composition and functional trait distribution in greenspaces across greater Santiago, Chile. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 38: 337-345
-
*Kautz A.R., and M.M. Gardiner. 2019. Agricultural intensification may create an attractive sink for Dolichopodidae, a ubiquitous but understudied predatory fly family. Journal of Insect Conservation 23: 453-465
-
*Turo K.J. and M.M. Gardiner. 2019. From potential to practical: Needs to achieve pollinator conservation in urban public greenspace. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 17: 167-175
-
*Riley, C.B., K.I. Perry, K. Ard, and M.M. Gardiner. 2018. Asset or liability? Ecological and sociological tradeoffs of urban spontaneous vegetation in shrinking cities. Sustainability 10: 2039
-
*Richardson, R.T., M.M. Gardiner and R.M. Johnson. 2018. A reference cytochrome c oxidase subunit I database curated for hierarchical classification of arthropod metabarcoding data. PeerJ 6: e5126
-
~Sivakoff, F.S., S.P. Prajzner, and M.M. Gardiner. 2018 Unique bee community assembly within vacant lots and urban farms results from variation in surrounding urbanization intensity. Sustainability 10: 1926
-
Gardiner, M.M., C.B. Riley, R. Bommarco, E. Öckinger 2018. Rights-of-way: a potential conservation resource. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 18: 149-158
-
*Kleinke, B., S.P. Prajzner, C.A. Gordon, N.C. Hoekstra, A.R. Kautz, A.M. Vossbrinck, and M.M. Gardiner. 2018. Identifying barriers to citizen scientist retention when measuring pollination services. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice 3: 1-10
-
*Riley, C.B., D.A. Herms and M.M. Gardiner. 2018. Exotic trees contribute to urban forest diversity and ecosystem services in inner-city Cleveland, OH. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 29: 367-376
-
*Delgado, Y.A., Burkman, C.E. Eldridge T.K. and M.M. Gardiner. 2017. Patch and landscape-scale variables influence the taxonomic and functional composition of beetles in urban greenspaces. Ecosphere 8: e02007
-
~Sivakoff, F.S. and M.M. Gardiner. 2017. Soil lead contamination decreases bee flower visit duration at sunflowers. Urban Ecosystems 20: 1221-1228
-
Gardiner, M.M. and J.D. Harwood. 2017. Editorial overview: Current investigations of environmental drivers and community interactions that influence biological control. Current Opinions in Insect Science 20: vii-xi
-
Gardiner, M.M. and J.D. Harwood. 2017. Influence of heavy metal contamination on urban natural enemies and biological control. Current Opinions in Insect Science 20: 45-53
Book Chapters
-
Landis, D.A., M.M. Gardiner, and Jean Tompkins. 2012. “Using native plant species to diversify agriculture” in Biodiversity and Pest Management. (G. Gurr ed.) Wiley Blackwell Publishing.
-
Gardiner, M.M., A.K. Fiedler, A.C. Costamagna, and D.A. Landis. 2009. “Integrating conservation biological control into IPM systems” in Textbook of Integrated Pest Management (E.B. Radcliffe and W.D. Hutchison eds). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Pages 151-162
Books
Gardiner, M.M. 2015. Good Garden Bugs: Everything you need to know about beneficial predatory insects. Quarry Books. Beverly, Massachusetts. 176 pages. Copies sold: 6,500 (Updated December 2022)

TEACHING
Graduate Courses Taught
ENTMLGY 6410: Insect Ecology and Evolutionary (3 credit hours). (F 2012, F2014, F2016, F2020)
ENTMLGY 7920: Presentation Skills for Scientists (2 credit hours). (S2013, S2015, S2017, S2021)
ENTMLGY 7890: Special Topics. Developing New Methods to Study Pollinator Ecology (2 credit hours). (S2015)
ENTMLGY 7930: Scientific Writing and Grant Proposal Development. (2 credit hours) (F2019, F2021)
ENTMLGY 8800: Graduate Student Orientation. (1 credit hour) (F2019, F2020)
ENVSCI 7899: Issues in Environmental Science (1 credit hour) (F2020, S2021, F2021, S2022, F2022)