Tracy Langkilde
Professor of Biology; Dean of the Eberly College of Science

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517 Thomas
University Park, PA - She/Her
- tll30@psu.edu
- 814-863-4530
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
- Ecology
- Ecology Institute
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics
- Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition
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 HormoneMost 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.
Full Article
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.
Full Article
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.
Full Article
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.
Full Article
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.
Full Article
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