Tracy Langkilde

Executive Committee Member
Affiliate Researcher
Titles and Affiliations
Verne M. Willaman Dean, Eberly College of Science
Professor, Biology

Research Summary

My research is broadly focused on understanding the processes that structure communities and permit the coexistence of the component species. I am particularly interested in how the nature of interactions between species can shift over time in response to changes in the environment and corresponding selection pressures. The introduction of invasive species is one such perturbation that is becoming increasingly common. My current research examines how invasive fire ants impact the behavior, morphology, and physiology of native lizards across multiple time scales, and the consequences of evolutionary response of native species to these novel selective pressures. This research has both basic and applied relevance, allowing me to address important ecological questions about the evolutionary processes affecting the composition and dynamics of natural communities, while also providing valuable information on the long-term impact of invasive species. My work is mostly field based, and incorporates aspects of population, community, behavioral, and evolutionary ecology. I employ experimental and comparative approaches and molecular techniques to test key hypotheses with two main foci: 1) the evolution of survival strategies and 2) the ecological and evolutionary consequences of stress.

In the News

Research Keywords

 These keywords and phrases come from the publications and other research output of this person. See other researchers related to these topics by clicking on any keyword.

Recent Publications

The effects of early-life and intergenerational stress on the brain

Ladage, L. D., McCormick, G. L., Robbins, T. R., Longwell, A. S. & Langkilde, T., Nov 29 2023, In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 290, 2011, 20231356.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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

Tylan, C., Engler, H. I., Villar, G. & Langkilde, T., Mar 2023, In: Biological Invasions. 25, 3, p. 725-740 16 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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

Assis, B. A., Avery, J. D., Earley, R. L. & Langkilde, T., Mar 3 2022, In: Frontiers in Endocrinology. 13, 801834.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Masculinized Sexual Ornaments in Female Lizards Correlate with Ornament-Enhancing Thermoregulatory Behavior

Assis, B. A., Avery, J. D., Earley, R. L. & Langkilde, T., 2022, In: Integrative Organismal Biology. 4, 1, obac029.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Context-dependent effects of glucocorticoids on the lizard gut microbiome

MacLeod, K. J., Kohl, K. D., Trevelline, B. K. & Langkilde, T., Jan 2022, In: Molecular ecology. 31, 1, p. 185-196 12 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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

Assis, B. A., Avery, J. D., Tylan, C., Engler, H. I., Earley, R. L. & Langkilde, T., Jun 2021, In: Ecology and Evolution. 11, 12, p. 7647-7659 13 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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

Ensminger, D. C., Siegel, S. R., Owen, D. A. S., Sheriff, M. J. & Langkilde, T., Jul 2021, In: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology -Part A : Molecular and Integrative Physiology. 257, 110971.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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

MacLeod, K. J., Langkilde, T., Heppner, J. J., Howey, C. A. F., Sprayberry, K., Tylan, C. & Sheriff, M. J., Nov 2021, In: Hormones and Behavior. 136, 105072.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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

MacLeod, K. J., Langkilde, T., Venable, C. P., Ensminger, D. C. & Sheriff, M. J., Nov 1 2021, In: Behavioral Ecology. 32, 6, p. 1330-1338 9 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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

Robbins, T. R. & Langkilde, T., Jul 2021, In: Climate Change Ecology. 1, 100002.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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

Swierk, L. & Langkilde, T., 2021, In: Behaviour. 158, 10, p. 849-868 20 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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

Westfall, A. K., Telemeco, R. S., Grizante, M. B., Waits, D. S., Clark, A. D., Simpson, D. Y., Klabacka, R. L., Sullivan, A. P., Perry, G. H., Sears, M. W., Cox, C. L., Cox, R. M., Gifford, M. E., John-Alder, H. B., Langkilde, T., Angilletta, M. J., Leaché, A. D., Tollis, M., Kusumi, K. & Schwartz, T. S., Oct 1 2021, In: GigaScience. 10, 10

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Plastic sexual ornaments: Assessing temperature effects on color metrics in a color-changing reptile

Assis, B. A., Jarrett, B., Koscky, G., Langkilde, T. L. & Avery, J., 2020, In: PLoS One. 15, 5

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

The influence of hunting pressure and ecological factors on fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in wild elk

Ensminger, D. C., Pritchard, C., Langkilde, T., Gingery, T., Banfield, J. E. & Walter, W. D., Dec 1 2020, In: Wildlife Biology. 2020, 2, 00683.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Trade-off between Thermal Quality and Predation Risk at Timber Rattlesnake Gestation Sites

Herr, M. W., Avery, J. D., Langkilde, T. & Howey, C. A. F., Jun 1 2020, In: Journal of Herpetology. 54, 2, p. 196-205 10 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review