Hi, I’m Elsa Toskey!

I’m an aquatic ecologist interested in how environmental conditions shape ecological communities and the flow of energy through freshwater ecosystems. My work bridges data science, field ecology, spatial analysis, and modeling, aiming to translate ecological patterns into actionable insights for habitat restoration and species recovery.

I currently study freshwater “foodscapes” across western North America, integrating large-scale datasets to understand how environmental conditions and invertebrate prey dynamics shape food availability for salmonids in river systems.

In the past, I’ve studied how abiotic, biotic, and spatial factors structure macroinvertebrate communities, and I’ve worked across systems from desert rivers in Texas to temperate rainforest streams of the Pacific Northwest. Across projects, I aim to make ecological data useful for conservation, restoration, and sustainable resource management, with a strong commitment to Open Science principles that promote transparency, reproducibility, and collaboration.

Outside of research, I share my connection to rivers through Grubby Little Studio, where I create art inspired by the natural world, and as a science communicator and naturalist on multiday river trips, helping others experience the beauty and complexity of freshwater ecosystems firsthand.