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 Lizard Corticosterone Pregnancy Fire Ants Vertebrates Ant Effect Sceloporus Undulatus Costs And Cost Analysis Ecology Breeding Phenotype Hormones Wild Animals Exposure Temperature Mothers Ants Birds Chromosomes Gastrointestinal Microbiome Hemagglutination Fitness

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

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

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

Ecoimmune reallocation in a native lizard in response to the presence of invasive, venomous fire ants in their shared environment

Catherine Tylan, Maria Horvat-Gordon, Paul A. Bartell, Tracy Langkilde, 2020, Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology on p. 792-804

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

The impacts of invaders

Sean P. Graham, Nicole A. Freidenfelds, Gail L. McCormick, Tracy Langkilde, 2012, General and Comparative Endocrinology on p. 400-408

Hot boys are blue

Tracy Langkilde, Katherine E. Boronow, 2012, Journal of Herpetology on p. 461-465

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

Evading invaders

N. A. Freidenfelds, T. R. Robbins, T. Langkilde, 2012, Behavioral Ecology on p. 659-664

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

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

Female lizards discriminate between potential reproductive partners using multiple male traits when territory cues are absent

Lindsey Swierk, Matthew Ridgway, Tracy Langkilde, 2012, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology on p. 1033-1043

In ovo microbial communities

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

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

News Articles Featuring Tracy Langkilde

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?

Full Article

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.

Full Article

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.

Full Article

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.

Full Article

Jun 23, 2020

Sunnier but riskier

Conservation efforts that open up the canopy of overgrown habitat for threatened timber rattlesnakes — whose venom is used in anticoagulants and other medical treatments — are beneficial to snakes but could come at a cost, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State and the University of Scranton.

Full Article

Jul 25, 2019

Biology professor, department head recognized for study of amphibians, reptiles

Professor of Biology Tracy Langkilde has been named Distinguished Herpetologist for her contributions to the field by the Herpetologists' League, an international organization of people devoted to studying the biology of amphibians and reptiles.

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Jul 23, 2019

Research shows frogs can adapt to traffic noise

Frogs don’t like living near noisy highways any better than people do, but new research suggests that frogs, like hardened city-dwellers, can learn to adapt to the constant din of rumbling trucks, rolling tires and honking horns.

Full Article

Apr 24, 2019

Penn State Researchers Discover Lizards Probably Handle Sex And Stress Better Than People

A new study by Penn State researchers shows that stress doesn’t affect the sexiest features of male eastern fence lizards, definitively proving that lizards have their shit together way more than humans do.

Full Article

Apr 17, 2019

Research: Features that make lizards appealing to potential mates are resilient to stress

Physical traits and behaviors that make a lizard sexy — features used to attract potential mates and fend off competitors — may be important enough that they do not change in the face of stress. A new study by researchers at Penn State reveals that the blue and black badges on the throats and abdomens of male fence lizards — and signaling behaviors used to show them off — are not affected by low levels of stress-associated hormones, unlike many other traits.

Full Article

Mar 13, 2019

Ecology Alum Jennifer Tennessen Brings Acoustics to Killer Whale Conservation

Dr. Jennifer Tennessen applies the lessons of her interdisciplinary research at the Huck to her professional work with killer whales in the Pacific Northwest.

Full Article