Investigate patterns in the interactions among organisms and their environments—from the molecule to the biosphere
Students in Penn State’s Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology:
May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, and Pennsylvania consistently ranks as one of the top states in the nation for reported cases of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. However, there are ways to protect people, pets and livestock against ticks and the pathogens they carry, according to Erika Machtinger, associate professor of entomology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
Penn State graduate students Natalie Ford and Mackenna Yount will spend this summer engaging in hands-on research with industry experts at the Hilden, Germany, headquarters of QIAGEN, a global leader in biotechnology for life sciences diagnostics, equipment and research.
Trichoderma species — a common fungus found in soils — have varying abilities to promote tomato plant growth and differentially affect the abundance of certain soil bacteria, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State. The work was the latest in a line of research evaluating the use of this common group of fungi as an alternative to pesticides for controlling soilborne pathogens, said Seogchan Kang, professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences and co-corresponding author of the study.
May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, and Pennsylvania consistently ranks as one of the top states in the nation for reported cases of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. However, there are ways to protect people, pets and livestock against ticks and the pathogens they carry, according to Erika Machtinger, associate professor of entomology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
Penn State graduate students Natalie Ford and Mackenna Yount will spend this summer engaging in hands-on research with industry experts at the Hilden, Germany, headquarters of QIAGEN, a global leader in biotechnology for life sciences diagnostics, equipment and research.
Trichoderma species — a common fungus found in soils — have varying abilities to promote tomato plant growth and differentially affect the abundance of certain soil bacteria, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State. The work was the latest in a line of research evaluating the use of this common group of fungi as an alternative to pesticides for controlling soilborne pathogens, said Seogchan Kang, professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences and co-corresponding author of the study.
A team led by Penn State biologists found that amphibians in connected natural forests and aquatic habitats were more likely to host beneficial skin microbes that inhibit a deadly fungal pathogen. But when these habitats become spatially separated due to planted crops, infrastructure development or other human land use, those microbial defenses weaken and pathogen infection levels can increase with potentially deadly results.
