Ecology News | Ecology | The Huck Institutes (en-US)

A study conducted by Penn State entomologists evaluated the effectiveness of various insects in potentially controlling spotted lanternfly populations. Credit: Contributed photo. All Rights Reserved.

Mar 17, 2025

Natural insect predators may serve as allies in spotted lanternfly battle

Insect predators found in the United States could help keep spotted lanternfly populations in check while potentially reducing reliance on chemical control methods, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Penn State.

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Mar 17, 2025

Ag Sciences research institute SAFES funds projects addressing critical issues

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, through its Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, known as SAFES, announced funding awards to accelerate the advancement of its Critical Issues Initiatives. These initiatives serve as the college’s impact hubs, addressing urgent and high-impact challenges through targeted efforts and innovative projects.

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Brook trout, an iconic coldwater fish species native to streams and lakes in the eastern United States and Canada, begin to experience declines in growth rate in water above 61 degrees Fahrenheit and acute heat stress above 68 degrees Fahrenheit. In this study, researchers caught, sampled and released fish in four streams in Pennsylvania. Credit: Jason Keagy/Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Mar 17, 2025

Threatened by warming waters, brook trout may be able to adapt to hotter weather

Heatwaves appear to trigger heritable gene expression changes that may help make the fish more tolerant of thermal stress, researchers report in novel study.

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The new method may eventually help give insight into why bee populations are declining overall, according to the researchers. Credit: Adonyi Gábor/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Mar 12, 2025

Analyzing genetic ‘signatures’ may give insight into what stresses wild bees

A new method of examining gene expression patterns called landscape transcriptomics may help pinpoint what causes bumble bees stress and could eventually give insight into why bee populations are declining overall.

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Pennsylvania’s native bumble bee queens are particularly vulnerable to outside pressures, such as harsh winters, according to the researchers. Credit: Sandy Millar/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Feb 26, 2025

The complex effects of pesticide exposure on bumble bee health

The effects of pesticide exposure on pollinator health may be more complicated than originally thought, according to a team of researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences who recently published an article on the topic in Biology Letters.

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The flavonoids that provide insecticide-like protection to some corn lines against corn earworm larvae also provide pigments to the plants that show up in the silks, husks and kernels. Pictured here are the lines used in the research. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Feb 20, 2025

Select corn lines contain compounds that sicken, kill major crop pest

The compounds, called flavonoids, have an insecticidal effect on corn earworm larvae.

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Luke Reynolds, a doctoral degree student in entomology at Penn State, pauses while conducting research in a growing room at a mushroom farm. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Feb 18, 2025

Penn State researchers developing strategies to diminish mushroom phorid flies

The commonwealth, industry and University researchers are partnering to develop integrated pest management solutions.

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Penn State's Office of Faculty Affairs has named 10 distinguished professors for 2025. The distinguished professor or distinguished librarian title recognizes outstanding academic contribution to the University. Credit: Curtis Chan / Penn State. Creative Commons

Feb 18, 2025

Penn State names 10 new distinguished professors for 2025

The distinguished professor or distinguished librarian title recognizes outstanding academic contribution to the University.

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Alex Storm, left, coordinator of the forest technology associate degree program at Penn State Mont Alto, and Laura Leites, research professor of quantitative forest ecology and assistant dean for access and equity in the College of Agricultural Sciences, are working together to provide undergraduate research opportunities. Credit: Michael Houtz / Penn State. Creative Commons

Feb 18, 2025

Growing people and forests: The power of undergraduate research

Mont Alto program coordinator partners with former mentor to support undergraduate research opportunities.

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Feb 13, 2025

Team Dynamics course to be available for Huck graduate students in Fall 2025

A unique team-building and leadership course, taught by faculty from the Smeal College of Business MBA program, is available for a limited number of Huck graduate students next fall.

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