Dr. LaRue’s research uses big data and remote sensing to uncover mechanisms underlying spatial patterns in plant species distributions and the structural diversity of ecosystems. She is also interested in developing remote sensing approaches for improving the monitoring and management of nuisance species and those of conservation concern.

• Ph D in Biological Sciences, Purdue University (2017)
• MS in Biology, Grand Valley State University (2012)
• BS in Biology, Grand Valley State University (2010)
• AAS in Transfer, Muskegon Community College (2008)

• Structural Diversity: A Digital Revolution Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 22 1 (in press), Songlin Fei, Elizabeth LaRue, Brady S. Hardiman, Kyla Dahlin.
• Structural diversity as a reliable and novel predictor for ecosystem productivity Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2 1 (in press), Elizabeth LaRue, Jon Knott, Grant Domke, H Y. Chen, Qingfeng Guo, Masumi Hisano, Chris Oswalt, Sonja Oswalt, Nicole Kong, Kevin Potter, Songlin Fei.
• A theoretical framework for the ecological role of three-dimensional structural diversity Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 22 1 (in press), Elizabeth LaRue, Robert Fahey, Brandon Aleveshere, Jeff W. Atkins, Parth Bhatt, Brian Buma, Stella Cousins, Jessica M. Elliott, Andrew Elmore, Christopher Hakkenberg, Brady Hardiman, Jeremey Johnson, Daniel Kashian, Anil Koirala, Mona Papes, Jamille B. St. Hilliare, Thilina Surasinghe, Zambrano, Lu Zhai, Songlin Fei.
• Evaluating the sensitivity of forest structural diversity characterization to LiDAR point density Ecosphere 13 9 (2022), Elizabeth LaRue, Robert Fahey, Tabatha L. Fuson, Jane Foster, Jackie Hatala Matthes, Brady S. Hardiman.
• Coupling of plant and mycorrhizal fungal diversity: its occurrence, relevance, and possible implications under global change New Phytologist 234 6 (2022), Songlin Fei, Stephanie Kivlin, Grant Domke, Insu Jo, Elizabeth LaRue, Rich Phillips.
• Evaluating the Sensitivity of Forest Structural Diversity Characterization to LiDAR Point Density Preprints 2021 (2021), Elizabeth LaRue, R Fahey, Tabatha Fuson, J Foster, J Hatala Matthes, B S. Hardiman.
• Harnessing the NEON Data Revolution to Advance Open Environmental Science with a Diverse and Data-Capable Community Ecosphere 12 12 (2021), Chelsea Nagy, 120 authors, including , Elizabeth LaRue.
• Macrosystems as metacoupled human natural systems Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 19 2 (2021), F Tromboni, J Liu, E Ziaco, D D. Breshears, K Thompson, W K. Dodds, K Dahlin, Elizabeth LaRue, J H. Thorp, A Vina, M Lague, A Maazri, H Yang, S Chandra, S Fei.
• The evolution of macrosystems biology. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 19 2 (2021), Elizabeth LaRue, J Rohr, J Knott, K Dahlin, W Dodds, J H. Thorp, J S. Johnson, B S. Hardiman, M I. Rodriguez-Gonzalez, M Keller, R Fahey, M SanClements, J W. Atkins, F Tromboni, G Parker, J Liu, S Fei.
• Community and structural constraints on the complexity of eastern North American forests. Global Ecology and Biogeography 12 (2020), C Gough, J W. Atkins, R Fahey, B S. Hardiman, Elizabeth LaRue.
• Multidimensional structural characterization is required to detect and differentiate among moderate disturbance agents. Ecosphere 11 (2020), J W. Atkins, B Bond-Lamberty, R Fahey, L Haber, E Stuart-Jaentjens, Elizabeth LaRue, B McNeil, D Orwig, A Stovall, J Walter, C Gough.
• Data Tutorial: Calculating Forest Structural Diversity Metrics from NEON LiDAR Data. National Ecological Observatory Network, Battelle, Boulder, CO, USA. https://www.neonscience.org/structural-diversity-discrete-return (2020), Elizabeth LaRue, D O'Leary, J , A Stovall.
• Compatibility of aerial and terrestrial LiDAR for quantifying structural diversity in forest macrosystems. Remote Sensing 12 (2020), Elizabeth LaRue, F W. Wagner, S Fei, W. Atkins, R T. Fahey, C M. Gough, S S. Hardiman.
• An assessment of the potential impacts of climate change on freshwater habitats and biota of Indiana, U.S.A. Climate Change 163 (2020), T O. Hook, C Foley, P Collingsworth, D Dorworth, B Fisher, J Hooverman, Elizabeth LaRue, M Pyron, J Tank.
• A roadmap for exploring the thematic content of ecology journals Ecosphere 10 (2019), J Knott, Elizabeth LaRue, Ward, E McCallen, Ordonez, Wagner, I Jo, E M. Elliott, Fei.
• Structural diversity as a predictor of ecosystem function. Environmental Research Letters 14 (2019), Elizabeth LaRue, B S. Hardiman, J M. Elliott, S Fei.
• Geographic variation in dispersal distance facilitates range expansion in response to climate change in a lakeshore plant species. Diversity and Distributions 25 (2019), Elizabeth LaRue, N C. Emery, L Briley, M R. Christie.
• Environmental predictors of dispersal traits across a species’ geographic range. Ecology 99 (2018), Elizabeth LaRue, J Holland, N C. Emery.
• Linking Landsat to terrestrial LIDAR: Spectral indices of greenness are correlated with canopy structural complexity. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 73 (2018), Elizabeth LaRue, J Atkins, K Dahlin, R Fahey, S Fei, C Gough, B S. Hardiman.

• Analyzing the Relationship of Forest Structural Diversity to Biotic Resistance to Invasion using NEON Data (2022), Volume Chicago, IL, USA, Chelsea Nagy, J Balch, N T. Illangakoon, M Kalantri, Elizabeth LaRue, A Mahood, J McGlinch, V Scholl, E N. Stavros.
• Quantifying the 3D structure of ecosystems across spatial scales (2022), Volume UTEP, Elizabeth LaRue.
• Developing a digital tool kit to quantify belowground structural diversity (2022), Volume Virtual, Elizabeth LaRue.
• Structural diversity as a predictor of ecosystem function across scales and ecoclimatic domains (2022), Volume Virtual, Elizabeth LaRue.
• Structural diversity as a novel predictor of forest productivity (2022), Volume Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Elizabeth LaRue, S Fei.
• A remote sensing approach for measuring the spatial arrangement of root biomass in Chihuahuan Desert landscapes (2022), Volume El Paso, Daniel Morales, John Butnor, Elizabeth LaRue.
• GPR to measure root systems in drylands (2022), Volume El Paso, TX, Elizabeth LaRue.
• Measuring root structure with GPR (2022), Volume El Paso, TX, Elizabeth LaRue.
• Ground penetrating radar for sensing of root biomass and arrangement in drylands (2022), Volume UTEP Campus, V. Bracamontes, Elizabeth LaRue.
• Structural diveristy as a predictor of ecosystem function across macrosystems (2022), Volume Virtual, Elizabeth LaRue.
• Linkages between above- and below-ground forest diversity: Spatially matching structural diversity from aerial LiDAR to soil mycorrhizal fungal diversity (2022), Volume Virtual, Elizabeth LaRue, A Lang, S Fei, S Kivlin, R Phillip, Gallion.
• The ecological role of structural diversity (2022), Volume Las Cruces, NM, USA, Elizabeth LaRue.
• Landsat time series and disturbed forest structure at NEON tower sites. (2021), Volume Virtual/New Orleans, LA, J Foster, Elizabeth LaRue, J Hatala Matthes, R Fahey, B S. Hardiman.
• The ecological role of structural diversity (2021), Volume Las Cruces, NM, USA, Elizabeth LaRue.
• The ecological role of structural diversity (2021), Volume El Paso, TX, Elizabeth LaRue.
• The ecological role of structural diversity (2021), Volume El Paso, TX, Elizabeth LaRue.
• Exploring new dimensions of forest ecosystems with structural diversity (2021), Volume Virtual, Elizabeth LaRue, Brady S. Hardiman, Songlin Fei.
• A conceptual framework for structural diversity (2020), Volume Montreal, Quebec, Canada, S Fei, Elizabeth LaRue, B S. Hardiman, B Fahey.
• Structural diversity as a novel and robust predictor of ecosystem productivity (2020), Volume Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Elizabeth LaRue, J Knott, G Domke, S Fei.
• A consensus definition of structural diversity and its utility as a predictor of ecosystem function. (2020), Volume Virtual, B S. Hardiman, Elizabeth LaRue, J W. Atkins, R Fahey, C Gough.
• Compatibility of aerial and terrestrial LiDAR for quantifying structural diversity in forest macrosystems. (2020), Volume Virtual, Elizabeth LaRue, F W. Wagner.
• Future directions for forest structural diversity research: A synthesis of discussions from the May 2020 Forest Structural Diversity – NEON Workshop. (2020), Volume Virtual, Elizabeth LaRue, B S. Hardiman, S Fei.
• Structural diversity as a predictor of ecosystem function. (2020), Volume Virtual, S Fei, Elizabeth LaRue.
• Setting a framework for using 3D structural diversity to model biodiversity and ecosystem function (2020), Volume Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Elizabeth LaRue, C Hakkenberg.
• Exploring new dimensions of forest ecosystems with structural diversity. May 18 and 19, 2020. (2020), Volume Virtual, Elizabeth LaRue, S Fei, B S. Hardiman.
• The role of diversity in ecosystem functioning and restoration across macroscales. (2020), Volume Virtual, Elizabeth LaRue.
• Invasion across scales. (2020), Volume Muskegon, MI (Cancelled due to COVID-19), Elizabeth LaRue.
• Forest structural diversity and plant invasion dynamics across North America. (2019), Volume Knoxville, TN, Elizabeth LaRue, B S. Hardiman, J M. Elliott, S Fei.
• Impacts of Emerald Ash Borer on forest structure and invasion in Indiana (2019), Volume Knoxville, TN, J M. Elliott, Elizabeth LaRue.
• The ongoing evolution of macrosystems biology. (2019), Volume Louisville, KY, Elizabeth LaRue, J Rohr, J Knott, K Dahlin, W K. Dodds, J H. Thorp, S. Johnson, M I. Rodriguez-Gonzalez, M Keller, R Fahey, M SanClements, J W. Atkins, F Tromboni, G Parker, J Liu, S Fei.
• Canopy structural diversity as a predictor of forest function in North America. (2019), Volume Fort Collings, CO, Elizabeth LaRue, B S. Hardiman, J M. Elliott, S Fei.

• MSA: RESOLVING STRUCTURAL DIVERSITY CONTROLS ON ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION ALONG A VOLUME GRADIENT ACROSS NEON DOMAINS
• REMOTE SENSING OF STRUCTURAL DIVERSITY AS AN OPEN-SOURCE TOOL FOR MONITORING FOREST ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION
• Structural diversity: An unexplored dimension of biodiversity in Chihuahuan Desert ecosystems
• Collaborative Research: MRA: Elucidating Plant and Mycorrhizal Fungal Relationships and Consequences across Space and Time
• Workshop: Exploring New Dimensions of Forest Ecosystems with Structural Diversity