News

Mar 03, 2021

Wolf social group dynamics matter for infectious disease spread, models suggest

By modeling wolves in Yellowstone National Park, researchers have discovered that how a population is organized into social groups affects the spread of infectious diseases within the population. The findings may be applicable to any social species and could be useful in the protection of endangered species that suffer from disease outbreaks.

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Mar 01, 2021

Unique study of isolated bobcat population confirms accuracy of extinction model

The reintroduction of 32 bobcats to an island off the coast of Georgia more than three decades ago created an ideal experiment to examine the accuracy of a genetic-modeling technique that predicts extinction of isolated wildlife populations.

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Feb 18, 2021

Silencing the alarm

An enzyme in the saliva of certain insects prevents their food plants from warning neighboring plants of an attack.

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Feb 04, 2021

The business of bees

The economic value of insect pollination services is much higher than previously thought in the U.S., new research finds.

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Feb 02, 2021

Summer weather conditions influence winter survival of honey bees

Winter survival of honey bee colonies is strongly influenced by summer temperatures and precipitation in the prior year, according to Penn State researchers, who said their findings suggest that honey bees have a "goldilocks" preferred range of summer conditions outside of which their probability of surviving the winter falls.

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Feb 01, 2021

Ecology Institute to hold pitch slam for funding competition

The Ecology Institute announced a funding competition for its annual Flower Grant for Ecological Research. The events, which will take place as virtual pitch slams, will occur from noon to 1 p.m. on March 9 and 10. The Ecology Institute is inviting researchers who are seeking funding to participate.

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Jan 22, 2021

Grozinger receives National Academy's Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences

Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, will be honored by the National Academy of Sciences for helping the world understand how to address the crisis of global declines in pollinator populations.

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Jan 19, 2021

Arts and Architecture appoints interim head of landscape architecture

Charles Andrew “Andy” Cole, associate professor of landscape architecture and ecology and the director of the E+D: Ecology plus Design research initiative, has been appointed the interim head of the Department of Landscape Architecture by Penn State College of Arts and Architecture Dean B. Stephen Carpenter II.

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Jan 12, 2021

Climate change reduces the abundance and diversity of wild bees, study finds

Wild bees are more affected by climate change than by disturbances to their habitats, according to a team of researchers led by Penn State. The findings suggest that addressing land-use issues alone will not be sufficient to protecting these important pollinators.

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Jan 21, 2021

Levels of stress hormone in saliva of newborn deer fawns may predict mortality

The first-ever study of the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the saliva of newborn white-tailed deer fawns yielded thought-provoking results that have Penn State researchers suggesting predation is not the only thing in the wild killing fawns.

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