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Ecology Institute

Accelerating Research, Inspiring Solutions 


*** The leadership of the Penn State ecology community has prepared the following statement about the continuing need to address racism and injustice in our society:

Please read here. 

The Penn State Ecology Institute brings together faculty, students, postdoctoral scholars, and stakeholders to drive innovation in ecology-based research and training. Our approach is interdisciplinary, drawing on the diverse skills and perspectives in our research community. We also engage with other disciplines, including geosciences, geography, sociology, ethics, policy, decision analysis, economics, landscape architecture, and anthropology. Together, we are working to address the most defining challenges in contemporary ecology. Come see, come learn, come explore with us.

Resilience and Adaptation

Provisions of Ecosystem Goods and Services

Ecology at the Interface

Rapid Evolutionary Change

Ecological Foundations

News

Warm, wet autumn could mute and delay foliage display in Pennsylvania

Because of the warm, wet summer, trees in Pennsylvania are mostly in great shape. But for the state’s forests to exhibit their most vibrant colors, conditions need to be cooler and drier in the next few weeks, according to a Penn State expert.

Long-distance relationships for endangered corals

Flash-frozen sperm collected from corals in Florida and Puerto Rico was used to fertilize coral eggs from hundreds of miles away in Curaçao. The technique could be used as a conservation tool by introducing genetic variation into endangered corals and potentially accelerating their adaptation to climate change.

Global food security professor named to 'Most Creative People in Business' list

Entomologist David Hughes has been named to Fast Company's 2021 list for his innovative, impactful PlantVillage project.

News

Warm, wet autumn could mute and delay foliage display in Pennsylvania

Because of the warm, wet summer, trees in Pennsylvania are mostly in great shape. But for the state’s forests to exhibit their most vibrant colors, conditions need to be cooler and drier in the next few weeks, according to a Penn State expert.

Long-distance relationships for endangered corals

Flash-frozen sperm collected from corals in Florida and Puerto Rico was used to fertilize coral eggs from hundreds of miles away in Curaçao. The technique could be used as a conservation tool by introducing genetic variation into endangered corals and potentially accelerating their adaptation to climate change.

Global food security professor named to 'Most Creative People in Business' list

Entomologist David Hughes has been named to Fast Company's 2021 list for his innovative, impactful PlantVillage project.

Macalady named Ecology Institute director

Microbe expert Jennifer Macalady replaces outgoing director Erica Smithwick, who oversaw the research unit for the past five years.