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

The study focused on the horned-face bee, which helps pollinate crops like apples and blueberries, and the alfalfa leafcutting bee, which pollinates alfalfa. Credit: Alain C./Flickr. All Rights Reserved.

Jan 07, 2025

Quantity over quality? Different bees are attracted to different floral traits

When it comes to deciding where they’re going to get their next meal, different species of bees may be attracted to different flower traits, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State and published in PNAS Nexus.

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Flies play a crucial role as pollinators, second only to bees in terms of the volume of crops and habitat they pollinate. Pictured here is a blue fly pollinating common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). Credit: Martha B. Moss/Penn State Extension Master Gardener / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jan 02, 2025

Pollinators most vulnerable to rising global temperatures are flies, study shows

New research led by Penn State scientists suggests flies are increasingly at risk due to rising global temperatures.

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The researchers said they hope their recent findings will give homeowners the confidence to participate in tick management around their homes and yards. Credit: Dillon Fancher/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Nov 26, 2024

Tick tubes help reduce the parasites on mice, but time and frequency matters

A new study led by researchers at Penn State analyzed the effectiveness of a simple, inexpensive strategy for controlling ticks that homeowners can use in their backyards.

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Rangelands offer potential for natural climate solutions — storing vast quantities of carbon in rangeland soils while also supporting the livelihoods of communities. Credit: Conservation South Africa. All Rights Reserved.

Nov 01, 2024

$1.3M NSF grant to fund research into restoration of degraded ecosystems

An international team of researchers led by Ida Djenontin, assistant professor of geography at Penn State, was recently awarded a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Dynamics of Integrated Socio-Environmental Systems program to investigate the socioecological outcomes of restoration in degraded woodlands ecosystems.

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Study lead author Danielle Begley-Miller and a colleague collecting information about the number and height of tree seedlings at a research plot. Credit: Michael Antonishak. All Rights Reserved.

Oct 23, 2024

Deer, seedlings and soil pH influence local forest regeneration

New findings from long-term research underscore the challenges managers face when trying to conserve Penn’s Woods.

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Oct 14, 2024

Penn State researchers earn funding for sustainable weed and insect management

Three Penn State research teams have received awards totaling $1.78 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to investigate climate-smart approaches to pest control in agriculture.

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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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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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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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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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