News
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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Oct 06, 2020
Harvesting vegetation on riparian buffers barely reduces water-quality benefits
Allowing farmers to harvest vegetation from their riparian buffers will not significantly impede the ability of those streamside tracts to protect water quality by capturing nutrients and sediment — and it will boost farmers’ willingness to establish buffers.
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Sep 30, 2020
Coral’s resilience to warming may depend on iron
How well corals respond to climate change could depend in part on the already scarce amount of iron available in their environment, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers.
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Sep 25, 2020
Team wins grant to develop nitrogen fertilizer decision tool for organic farmers
Penn State researchers have received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to perfect a tool they developed to help organic corn producers decide how much nitrogen — as fertilizer or manure — to apply to their crop fields.
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Aug 27, 2020
Penn State black walnut trial turns 40, now ideal climate-change experiment
Visitors to Penn State’s University Park campus often arrive with a short list of attractions they want to see. Among the most popular are the Nittany Lion Shrine, the Berkey Creamery and The Arboretum at Penn State. However, few are aware of the Black Walnut Provenance Study, let alone care to visit it.
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Sep 01, 2020
New tool for identifying endangered corals could aid conservation efforts
Coral conservation efforts could get a boost from a newly developed genotyping “chip” — the first of its kind for corals. The chip allows researchers to genetically identify corals and the symbiotic algae that live within the coral’s cells, a vital step for establishing and maintaining genetic diversity in reef restoration efforts.
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Aug 21, 2020
Invasive shrubs in Northeast forests grow leaves earlier and keep them longer
The rapid pace that invasive shrubs infiltrate forests in the northeastern United States makes scientists suspect they have a consistent advantage over native shrubs, and the first region-wide study of leaf timing, conducted by Penn State researchers, supports those suspicions.
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Aug 21, 2020
Cover crop roots are key to understanding ecosystem services
To judge the overall effectiveness of cover crops and choose those offering the most ecosystem services, agricultural scientists must consider the plants’ roots as well as above-ground biomass, according to Penn State researchers who tested the characteristics of cover crop roots in three monocultures and one mixture.
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