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

Recent findings will help identify the groups of bees that may be most at-risk and aid in creating conservation strategies, according to researchers. Credit: Neringa Normantaite/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Oct 08, 2024

Adding fall blooming plants may help both managed and wild bees in cities

Recent findings will help identify the groups of bees that may be most at-risk and aid in creating conservation strategies, according to researchers.

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An approach called metagenomics — a type of DNA sequencing — may help scientists learn more about the microbes that affect plants, the researchers said. Credit: Roman Synkevych/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Oct 03, 2024

Q&A: Using a new approach to shine a light on hidden plant microbes

Despite there being more microbes on Earth than stars in our galaxy, only a tiny fraction have been discovered. An approach called metagenomics — a type of DNA sequencing — may help scientists learn more about these elusive organisms, according to Penn State researchers.

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While the findings are preliminary, the work is a promising first step in finding new therapies against tuberculosis, according to the researchers. Credit: Mathias Katz/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Oct 02, 2024

Plant compound used in traditional medicine may help fight tuberculosis

A compound found in African wormwood — a plant used medicinally for thousands of years to treat many types of illness — could be effective against tuberculosis.

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Francisco Dini-Andreote, assistant professor of plant science, was named the Huck Early Career Chair in Microbial Community Ecology. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Sep 26, 2024

Plant scientist named Huck Early Career Chair in Microbial Community Ecology

Francisco Dini-Andreote, assistant professor of plant science in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State, has been awarded the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Microbial Community Ecology.

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Alan Taylor, a recently retired and now professor emeritus of geography, spent decades researching West Coast landscape and fire ecology. He used ecological signals and human history to paint a picture of how forests changed over time. Credit: Photo provided / Penn State. Creative Commons

Sep 13, 2024

Taylor’s research legacy shines light on California wildfires, forest ecology

Alan Taylor, a recently retired and now professor emeritus of geography, spent decades researching West Coast landscape and fire ecology. He used ecological signals and human history to paint a picture of how forests changed over time.

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Nine faculty members were named the 2024 IEE Fellows. In the front row, from left, are Heather Preisendanz, Nilanjan Ray Chaudhuri, Li Li and Miriam Freedman. In the back row, from left, are Adri van Duin, Charles Anderson, Armen Kemanian, Siela Maximova, Enrique Gomez (Not pictured: Karen Fisher-Vanden) Credit: Kevin Sliman. All Rights Reserved.

Sep 13, 2024

Nine researchers named Institute of Energy and the Environment Fellows

Nine Penn State researchers have been named fellows of the Institute of Energy and the Environment (IEE) for 2024. The program recognizes and assists the exceptional achievements and unparalleled research impacts of highly successful researchers in the areas of energy and the environment. Nominees for the fellowship were submitted by the University community.

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Sep 11, 2024

Three projects receive Huck Innovative and Transformational Seed Fund grants

Three potentially high-impact, high-risk research projects have been selected to receive seed funding for the latest round of the Huck Innovative and Transformational Seed (HITS) Fund initiative.

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Aug 29, 2024

Research teams receive $1.1 million to study microbiomes in agriculture

Two Penn State-led research teams have received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture for projects investigating the ways microbiomes — the microorganisms in a particular environment, such as in soil or a living organism — can affect disease dynamics in agriculture.

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A mining bee (Andrena sp.) climbs on a blueberry flower. The bee species was one spotted by volunteers through a program led by Penn State. Credit: Nash Turley / Penn State. Creative Commons

Aug 29, 2024

Volunteers record bee biodiversity and discover new species in Pennsylvania

A new study, recently published in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America, evaluated the efficacy of a monitoring program, finding that 26 trained program volunteers were more than twice as effective at documenting bee diversity than thousands of users of the photo-based app iNaturalist.

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Aug 22, 2024

NSF grant to fund novel study of environmental DNA fate in streams

The U.S. National Science Foundation awarded Assistant Professor of Aquatic Ecology Daniel Allen and his team a grant to support a project focused on analyzing how environmental DNA moves and in streams across the continent.

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