Langkilde Lab
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The Langkilde Lab is housed in the Department of Biology at the Pennsylvania State University. We work at the interface of ecology and evolution to understand how an organism's behavior and physiology is matched to its environment, and responds to novel selective pressures imposed by global environmental change. Our research takes an integrative approach incorporating field and lab observations and manipulations, with a focus on reptiles and amphibians. 

Dr. Tracy Langkilde
Professor and Head
​Department of Biology

The Pennsylvania State University
tll30@psu.edu
Recent publications

102) Venable C.P., Adams T.S. and Langkilde T. Aversion learning in response to an invasive venomous prey depends on stimulus strength. Accepted

101) Tennessen B.J., Parks S.E., Swierk L., Reinert L.K., Holden W.M., Rollins-Smith L.A., Walsh K.A. and Langkilde T. 2018. Frogs adapt to physiologically costly anthropogenic noise. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 285: 20182194

100) MacLeod K.J., Freidenfelds N.A., Leighton G.M. and Langkilde T. 2018. Tree selection is linked to locomotor performance and associated noise production in a lizard. Journal of Zoology Early view

99) Thawley C.J., Goldy-Brown M., McCormick G.L., Graham S.P. and Langkilde T.  2018. Presence of an invasive species reverses latitudinal clines of multiple traits in a native species. Global Change Biology Early view

98) Venable, C.P. and Langkilde T. 2018. Lizards display an ontogenetic shift in relative consumption of native and invasive prey. Canadian Journal of Zoology In press

97) Blackburn D.G., Lestz L., Barnes M.S., Powers K.G. and Langkilde T. 2018. Morphological features of the yolk processing pattern in the Eastern Fence Lizard, Sceloporus undulatus (Phrynosomatidae). Journal of Morphology 279: 1629-1639

96) Ensminger D., Langkilde T., Owen D. MacLeod K. and Sheriff M. Maternal stress alters the phenotype of the mother, her eggs, and her offspring in a wild caught lizard. Journal of Animal Ecology 87: 1685-1697

95) MacLeod K.J., Sheriff M.J., Ensminger D.C., Owen D.A.S. and Langkilde T. 2018. Survival and reproductive costs of repeated acute glucocorticoid elevations in a captive, wild animal. General and Comparative Endocrinology 268: 1-6

94) Trevelline B.K., MacLeod K.J., Knutie S.A., Langkilde T. and Kohl K.D. 2018. In ovo microbial communities: a potential mechanism for the initial acquisition of gut microbiota among oviparous birds and lizards. Biology Letters 14: 20180225  

93) Assis B.A., Swierk L. and Langkilde T. 2018. 
Performance, behavior and offspring morphology may offset reproductive costs of male‐typical ornamentation for female lizards. Journal of Zoology early view

92) Owen D.A.S., Sheriff M.J., Engler H.I. and Langkilde T. 2018. 
Sex‐dependent effects of maternal stress: Stressed moms invest less in sons than daughters. Journal of Experimental Zoology-A 329: 317-322


91) Anton A.J., Langkilde T., Graham S. and Fawcett J.D. 2018. Effects of chronic corticosterone increases on the maternal behaviour of the Prairie Skink, Plestiodon septentrionalis. Herpetological Journal 28: 123-126.
​

90) Swierk L., Langkilde T. 2018. Does repeated human handling of study animals during the mating season affect their offspring? Journal of Experimental Zoology-A 329: 80-86. 

89) Mina O., Gall H.E., Elliott H.A., Watson J.E., Mashtare M.L., Langkilde T., Harper J.P., and Boyer E.W. 2018. Estrogen occurrence and persistence in vernal pools impacted by wastewater irrigation practices. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 257: 103-112.

88) Owen D.A.S., Robbins T.R. and Langkilde T. 2018. Trans-generational but not early-life exposure to stressors influences offspring morphology and survival. Oecologia 186: 347-355

87) Tylan C. and Langkilde T. 2017. Local and systemic immune responses to different types of phytohemagglutinin in the green anole: Lessons for field ecoimmunologists.  Journal of Experimental Zoology A 327: 322-332.

86) Carlson, B.E. and Langkilde T. 2017. Body size variation in aquatic consumers causes pervasive community effects, independent of mean body size. Ecology and Evolution 7: 9978-9990.

85) Langkilde T., Thawley C.J. and Robbins T.R. 2017. Behavioral Adaptations to Invasive Species: Benefits, Costs, and Mechanisms of Change. In M. Naguib, J. Podos, L. W. Simmons, L. Barrett, S. Healy, & M. Zuk (Eds.), Advances in the Study of Behavior (pp. 199–235).

84) Kelehear C., Graham S.P. and Langkilde T. 2017. Defensive strategies of Puerto Rican Dwarf Geckos (Sphaerodactylus macrolepis) against Invasive Fire Ants. Herpetologica 73: 48-54

83) McCormick G.L., Robbins T.R., Cavigelli S.A. and Langkilde T. 2017. Ancestry trumps experience: Transgenerational but not early life stress affects the adult physiological stress response. Hormones and Behavior 87: 115-121.

82) Herr M.W., Graham S.P. and Langkilde T. 2017. Stressed snakes strike first: Hormone levels and defensive behavior in free ranging Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus). General and Comparative Endocrinology 243: 89-95. 

81) Thawley, C.J. and Langkilde T. 2017 Attracting unwanted attention: generalization of behavioural adaptation to an invasive predator carries costs. Animal Behaviour 123: 285-291.

80) Graham S.P., Freidenfelds N.A., Thawley C.J., Robbins T.R. and Langkilde T. 2017. Are invasive species stressful? The glucocorticoid profile of native lizards exposed to invasive fire ants depends on the context. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology
90: 328–337

79) Tennessen, J.B., Parks, S.E., Langkilde, T. 2016. Anthropogenic noise and physiological stress in wildlife. In: The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life II, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, Popper, A.N., Hawkins, A. eds., Springer, 1145-1148. ​

78) Schrey A.W., Robbins T.R., Lee J., Dukes D. W. Jr., Ragsdale A.K., Thawley C. and Langkilde T. 2016. Epigenetic response to environmental change: DNA methylation varies with invasion status. Environmental Epigenetics 2016 2: dvw008. 

77) Tennessen J.B., Parks S.E., Tennessen T.P. and Langkilde T. 2016. Raising a racket: invasive species compete acoustically with native tree frogs. Animal Behavior 114: 53-61.

76) Herr M., Robbins T.R., Centi A., Thawley C.J. and Langkilde T. 2016. Irresistible ants: Exposure to novel toxic prey increases consumption over multiple temporal scales. Oecologia 181: 749-756
**Cover article

75) Carlson B.E. and Langkilde T. The role of prey in microgeographic variation in Red-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus v. viridescens) head width. Journal of Herpetology published online doi: 10.1670/15-025

74) Thawley C.J. and Langkilde T. 2016 Invasive fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) predation of eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus) eggs. Journal of Herpetology 50: 284-288

A complete list of publications can be found here.


Lab news

August 2018
What a productive summer for the lab. 8 papers accepted since the end of spring semester!

​July 2018
Dustin Owen takes second place SSAR student prize at #JMIH18 for his fantastic talk on effects of maternal stress on heart rate.

​Langkilde lab heads to JMIH 2018!

September 2017
Lab undergrad researchers Kristen Sprayberry and Jennifer Heppner received the best talk and best undergraduate poster awards at the Three Rivers Evolution Event (TREE)

November 2016
Lab alum, Jenny Tennessen, is now a Postdoctoral Researcher with NOAA ​

October 2016
Blog post by Amy Strauss about our work on invasive frogs competing with natives for acoustic space

The Langkilde Lab is getting a new member! Tom Adams will be joining the lab as a Research Assistant in November. 

August 2016
The ENTIRE Langkilde Lab will be presenting at the SICB meetings in Jan. 

Undergrad alum, Mark Goldy Brown, featured in PSU news for his work as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru.

January 2016
It's been an exciting start to the year!

Gail McCormick won the Alumni Association Dissertation Award - among the most prestigious available to Penn State graduate students and recognizes outstanding achievement in scholarship and professional accomplishment.   

Chris Thawley won the Intercollege Graduate Student Outreach Award, a university-level award to recognize outstanding achievements that relate to bringing scholarship to the community in order to benefit society. 

Kirsty MacLeod has accepted a postdoc in the Langkilde and Sheriff labs to study maternal stress.

Tracy Langkilde has accepted the position of Head of Department of Biology at Penn State.

December 2015
Chris Thawley will be starting a postdoc in the Kolbe Lab in May. He will be examining effects of urban lighting on anoles.

Dr. Gail McCormick has successfully defended her PhD thesis!

PSU Science Journal expose of our research Exploring the Nature of Stress is featured in the PSU Science Journal; a lizard adorns the cover; and there's a great Person-to-Person interview with Gail McCormick.


October 2015
Our newest lab member - Cameron Venable has joined the lab to pursue a PhD.

We just hit 75 publications! 

August 2015

A very entertaining feature of our research by PSU News - complete with disco references.
Check out our Media page for more stories.

June 2015
Chris Howey, Chris Thawley and Gail McCormick are going to the Ecological Society of America's meeting in Baltimore in August - celebrating the society's centennial. 

Mark Herr received a Grant-In-Herpetology from SSAR for his undergrad research on rattlesnake gestation sites. 

Mark Herr, Chris Howey,  
Chris Thawley, and Tracy Langkilde will be presenting at the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles meetings in Kansas in August. Can't wait!

May 2015
Dr. Jenny Tennessen graduated!

April 2015
Lindsey Swierk has accepted a Donnelley Postdoc Fellowship at Yale. Congrats Lindsey!

Caty Tylan is joining the lab to pursue her PhD. It's going to be an exciting year.

Chris Howey got married.


March 2015
Dustin Owen and Braulio Assis are joining the lab to pursue their PhD. 

Chris Thawley was selected as a Hamilton Award finalist to attend the Evolution Meetings in Brazil. 

NSF has just recommended funding for Michael Sheriff and Tracy Langkilde's research on adaptive
consequences of maternal stress! 

February 2015
Jenny Tennessen successfully defended her PhD dissertation "The Ecological And Evolutionary Consequences of Noise-Induced Acoustic Habitat Loss". Congratulations Dr. Tennessen!

Gail and Chris both won the "Science is my Valentine" competition for their herpy pics and witty quotes. 

We are currently interviewing graduate students for fall 2015. We hope to be introducing our newest lab members soon. Watch this space!

August 2014
Chris Thawley and Mark Herr took out first place and honorable mention for their talks at the JMIH meetings. 

December, 2014
Gail McCormick and Chris Thawley successfully passed their comprehensive exams!

Spring, 2014
Two lab post-docs have moved on to faculty positions: Sean Graham at Sul Ross State University and Travis Robbins at Northern New Mexico College!

 January, 2014
Brad Carlson accepted a position as an Assistant Professor of Vertebrate Biology at Wabash College. He will be starting in July. Congrats, Brad! 





The Lizard Log lab blog

See the Langkilde Lab in Action. Follow our lab blog to keep track of research and other happenings in the lab.  

Recent posts:
Veterinary School: Is it worth it?
By Caty Tylan

Cam joins the lab!
By Cam Venable

Starting the year with a bang!
By Gail McCormick

Portland: Talks and Trolls
By Gail McCormick

Gearing up for SICB!
By Gail McCormick

Classing Up Scientific Outreach

By Chris Thawley

Rattlesnake Research Round-up

By Michaelia Mead and Tommy Cerri

​Here Be Dragons
By Mark Herr


Science Communication and Art!
By Gail McCormick


Winter is Coming; Herp While You Can
By Chris Thawley

What Makes Stress Stressful?
By Gail McCormick


Bears Are Jerks (and Other Things I Learned Along the Way)
By Chris Howey

New Kid on the Block
By Dustin Owen


Wrapping Up a Great Field Season
By Chris Howey

From Brazil to Happy Valley
By Braulio Assis


Return to Research Land!
By Caty Harlan

Closing the Never-ending Loop
by Jill Newman

#ESA100

By Gail McCormick

We’re Not In Kansas Anymore…
By Chris Thawley

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