Tracy Langkilde

Professor of Biology; Dean of the Eberly College of Science

Tracy Langkilde

Research Summary

The interface of ecology and evolution to understand how an organism's traits are matched to its environment and responds to novel selective pressures imposed by global environmental change, and the consequences of this adaptation.

Huck Affiliations

Links

Publication Tags

Lizards Glucocorticoids Corticosterone Lizard Pregnancy Phenotype Fire Ants Hormones Effect Sceloporus Undulatus Costs And Cost Analysis Vertebrates Predator Predators Wild Animals Ecology Breeding Ant Mothers Population Gastrointestinal Microbiome Chromosomes Birds Glucocorticoid Hormone

Most Recent Publications

Fitness Costs of Maternal Ornaments and Prenatal Corticosterone Manifest as Reduced Offspring Survival and Sexual Ornament Expression

Braulio A. Assis, Julian D. Avery, Ryan L. Earley, Tracy Langkilde, 2022, Frontiers in Endocrinology

Context-dependent effects of glucocorticoids on the lizard gut microbiome

Kirsty J. MacLeod, Kevin D. Kohl, Brian K. Trevelline, Tracy Langkilde, 2022, Molecular Ecology on p. 185-196

Consumption of fire ants, an invasive predator and prey of native lizards, may enhance immune functions needed to combat envenomation

C. Tylan, H. I. Engler, G. Villar, T. Langkilde, 2022, Biological Invasions

Compensating for a stressful pregnancy? Glucocorticoid treatment during gravidity reduces metabolic rate in female fence lizards post-parturition

K. J. MacLeod, T. Langkilde, J. J. Heppner, C. A.F. Howey, K. Sprayberry, C. Tylan, M. J. Sheriff, 2021, Hormones and Behavior

The influence of maternal glucocorticoids on offspring phenotype in high-and low-risk environments

Kirsty J. MacLeod, Tracy Langkilde, Cameron P. Venable, David C. Ensminger, Michael J. Sheriff, 2021, Behavioral Ecology on p. 1330-1338

A chromosome-level genome assembly for the eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus), a reptile model for physiological and evolutionary ecology

Aundrea K. Westfall, Rory S. Telemeco, Mariana B. Grizante, Damien S. Waits, Amanda D. Clark, Dasia Y. Simpson, Randy L. Klabacka, Alexis P. Sullivan, George H. Perry, Michael W. Sears, Christian L. Cox, Robert M. Cox, Matthew E. Gifford, Henry B. John-Alder, Tracy Langkilde, Michael J. Angilletta, Adam D. Leaché, Marc Tollis, Kenro Kusumi, Tonia S. Schwartz, 2021, GigaScience

One and done: A single encounter with an invasive predator determines subsequent antipredator behavior of naive juvenile lizards

Travis R. Robbins, Tracy Langkilde, 2021, Climate Change Ecology

Elevated glucocorticoids during gestation suggest sex-specific effects on offspring telomere lengths in a wild lizard

David C. Ensminger, Sue R. Siegel, Dustin A.S. Owen, Michael J. Sheriff, Tracy Langkilde, 2021, Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular & integrative physiology

Honest signals and sexual conflict: Female lizards carry undesirable indicators of quality

Braulio A. Assis, Julian D. Avery, Catherine Tylan, Heather I. Engler, Ryan L. Earley, Tracy Langkilde, 2021, Ecology and Evolution on p. 7647-7659

Size-assortative mating in explosive breeders: A case study of adaptive Male mate choice in anurans

Lindsey Swierk, Tracy Langkilde, 2021, Behaviour on p. 849-868

Most-Cited Papers

Traffic noise causes physiological stress and impairs breeding migration behaviour in frogs

Jennifer B. Tennessen, Susan E. Parks, Tracy Langkilde, 2014, Conservation Physiology

The role of behaviour in the establishment of novel traits

Marlene Zuk, Elizabeth Bastiaans, Tracy Langkilde, Elizabeth Swanger, 2014, Animal Behaviour on p. 333-344

How do duration, frequency, and intensity of exogenous CORT elevation affect immune outcomes of stress?

Gail L. McCormick, Katriona Shea, Tracy Langkilde, 2015, General and Comparative Endocrinology on p. 81-87

In ovo microbial communities: A potential mechanism for the initial acquisition of gut microbiota among oviparous birds and lizards

Brian K. Trevelline, Kirsty J. MacLeod, Sarah A. Knutie, Tracy Langkilde, Kevin D. Kohl, 2018, Biology Letters

Personality traits are expressed in Bullfrog tadpoles during open-field trials

Bradley E. Carlson, Tracy Langkilde, 2013, Journal of Herpetology on p. 378-383

Maternal stress alters the phenotype of the mother, her eggs and her offspring in a wild-caught lizard

David C. Ensminger, Tracy Langkilde, Dustin A.S. Owen, Kirsty J. MacLeod, Michael J. Sheriff, 2018, Journal of Animal Ecology on p. 1685-1697

Survival and reproductive costs of repeated acute glucocorticoid elevations in a captive, wild animal

K. J. MacLeod, M. J. Sheriff, D. C. Ensminger, D. A.S. Owen, T. Langkilde, 2018, General and Comparative Endocrinology on p. 1-6

Bearded ladies: Females suffer fitness consequences when bearing male traits

Lindsey Swierk, Tracy Langkilde, 2013, Biology Letters

Latitudinal and seasonal variation in reproductive effort of the eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus)

Weiguo Du, Travis R. Robbins, Daniel A. Warner, Tracy Langkilde, Richard Shine, 2014, Integrative Zoology on p. 360-371

Are invasive species stressful? The glucocorticoid profile of native lizards exposed to invasive fire ants depends on the context

Sean P. Graham, Nicole A. Freidenfelds, Christopher J. Thawley, Travis R. Robbins, Tracy Langkilde, 2017, Physiological and Biochemical Zoology on p. 328-337

News Articles Featuring Tracy Langkilde

Feb 23, 2023

Nobel Prize-winning Penn State alumnus Paul Berg dies

Penn State alumnus Paul Berg, who received the 1980 Nobel Prize in chemistry, died Feb. 15 at his home in Stanford, California, surrounded by loved ones. He was 96.

Full Article

Jan 17, 2023

Crowley receives Huck Early Career Chair appointment

Nikki Crowley, assistant professor of biology and biomedical engineering, has been named the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology and Neural Engineering by the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

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Nov 29, 2022

Meet the Penn State deans: Tracy Langkilde talks cats, nature — and Vegemite vs. peanut butter

Langkilde was named dean in 2020, but she’s called Happy Valley home for more than a decade. She joined Penn State as an assistant professor in 2007, before becoming head of the biology department in 2016.

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Nov 15, 2022

WATCH: Tracy Langkilde shares perspective on trail running and pursuing passions

In a video series titled “Perspective: Leaders at Penn State,” Tracy Langkilde, Verne M. Willaman Dean of the Eberly College of Science, reflects on her love for trail running as an opportunity to pursue a passion and reach new heights with others.

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Nov 11, 2022

Penn State community grieves loss of biomathematician Howard Weiss

Howard Weiss, professor of biology and mathematics at Penn State, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Nov. 5 at the age of 64.

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Oct 19, 2022

Eating fire ants could prepare lizards for future fire ant attack

Eating fire ants might prepare a lizard’s immune system to be stung by the ants, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State. The study comprehensively assessed how the immune system responds to lizards eating and being stung by these ants and might help researchers understand how other native species respond and adapt to the invasive insects.

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Jul 12, 2022

How Do Animals Know What Their Predators Are?

It’s a quintessential nature documentary scene: An unsuspecting animal — say, a zebra, a lizard or a seal — is spotted by a hungry lion, hawk or shark. Suddenly, the predator attacks, and off they go into a high-speed chase. But how does the prey recognize its foe and understand that it poses a risk?

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Jun 10, 2021

Snapshot USA: First-ever nationwide mammal survey now published

The results of the first national mammal survey, now publicly available online, provide the framework to answer a variety of questions about wild animal populations and conservation strategies for threatened species. The survey, which involved researchers from across the country including a biologist at Penn State, is made up of data from 1,509 motion-activated camera traps from 110 sites located across all 50 states.

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May 14, 2021

Maternal stress during pregnancy may shorten lifespans of male lizard offspring

Mother fence lizards that experience stress during pregnancy give birth to male offspring with shortened telomeres, or bits of non-coding DNA that cap the ends of chromosomes, according to a Penn State-led study.

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Aug 25, 2020

Tracy Langkilde Named New Penn State Eberly College of Science Dean

Tracy Langkilde will become the dean of Penn State’s Eberly College of Science, effective October 1. She will replace Douglas Cavener, who stepped down in June to continue teaching and researching full-time.

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