News
Mon, 12/16/2024
Flood Mapping and Emergency Management: An Interview with Jude Kastens
In this Kansas NSF EPSCoR interview, Jude Kastens of the Kansas Applied Remote Sensing program discusses the real-world impacts of his projects and the partnerships that have helped bring them to life.
Sat, 12/07/2024
KU researchers document native prairie pastures in Douglas County to uncover how much remains
Before European settlement, Kansas was dominated by vast prairies of tall grasses and wildflowers. However, farming and development have since altered the landscape, prompting researchers at the University of Kansas to help uncover how much of it remains intact in Douglas County.
Prairie pastures, which include native prairie that has never been plowed being grazed by cattle, have played an important ecological role in the Douglas County landscape.
Wed, 12/04/2024
Soil health is big business, but KU researchers say many fungal products don't work as promised
University of Kansas scientists have combed through 250 commercial product trials detailed in peer-reviewed journals. Most of those trials checked to see if the promised fungi materialized on plant roots and helped the plants grow. And 88% of the time, the answer was no.
Fri, 11/29/2024
Rare wildflowers show resilience in Lawrence park where city carelessly applied herbicide
Each fall, Ken Lassman dons a thick pair of protective gloves and walks Lawrence’s Prairie Park remnant with a burlap sack, gathering seeds from the withering grasses and wildflowers. This remnant, he explained, is around 9,500 years old — a rare example of old-growth prairie in a region that has lost more than 96% of its native habitat to development and farmland.
Fri, 11/22/2024
KU researchers complete Native Pasture Survey project in western Douglas County
Jennifer Moody and Jennifer Delisle, of the Kansas Biological Survey and Center for Ecological Research, have completed a Native Pasture Survey project that was funded through the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council’s Natural and Cultural Heritage grant program. They received a $38,731 grant in 2022.
Thu, 11/07/2024
A bountiful season on the prairie
This new edition of Kelly Kindscher's iconic first book, “Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie: An Ethnobotanical Guide,” first published in 1987, includes new native plant species and variants, a deeper understanding of plant ecology and uses to share and, he says, something more important.
Mon, 11/04/2024
KU professor leads cultural burn at Field Station
A prescribed burn led by a KU professor at the KU Field Station Saturday morning will help ensure the area’s biodiversity and soil health in the future. Melinda Adams, KU assistant professor, worked with Brett Ramey and MK Kerron to place the initial fire on Saturday.
Thu, 10/31/2024
Can fungi save this endangered Hawaiian tree?
Working with the native mycorrhizal fungi that naturally occur with a high-conservation-value plant can help re-establish it on its home ground — as with the native prairie grasses in our region, with this Hawaiian gardenia and in conservation efforts far and wide.
Tue, 10/08/2024
$1.5M grant will create global macro-network of plant-fungal research
A new project led by the University of Kansas will bring together scientists throughout the world who study the interactions between plants and microscopic fungi. A $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation will support the creation of a global transdisciplinary network to address the grand challenges within the realm of plant-fungal interactions.
Wed, 10/02/2024
KU Field Station marks 75th anniversary with Visitors’ Day Oct. 5
In celebration of its 75th anniversary, the University of Kansas Field Station will open its core research area from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 5 for its first public Visitors’ Day in more than 20 years. Members of the public will be welcomed behind the scenes to tour restricted-access research areas.
Wed, 09/18/2024
Fall equinox tour of KU medicinal garden planned Sept. 22
The public is invited to the fall semiannual tour of the University of Kansas Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden at 6 p.m. Sept. 22 on the autumnal equinox.
Tue, 09/17/2024
Postdoctoral researcher continues cycle of mentorship for future plant scientists
In this profile, Joel Swift, postdoc in the Wagner Lab, reflects on the importance of a culture of encouragement for students.
Tue, 09/17/2024
University Distinguished Professor to explore how today’s ecosystems can help predict Earth’s future in inaugural lecture
University Distinguished Professor Sharon Billings will deliver “Predicting Ecosystems of the Future with the Forests and Grasslands of Today” on Oct. 1 in the Beren Petroleum Conference Center of Slawson Hall G192.
Fri, 08/09/2024
Remembering Stan Roth
Desiring to share his boundless enthusiasm for the natural world, he embarked on a teaching career at Lawrence High School in 1959 and taught high school students biology in Lawrence for 40 years.
Thu, 08/08/2024
Emergence of late southern-state monarchs still shrouded in mystery
Monarchs are recognized internationally as threatened, so observers are keen to see the population rebound somewhat this season. During the 2023 migration, drought zapped nectar-providing wildflowers and added heavily to factors that take their toll annually. The latest overwintering population was the second-lowest on record, the lowest in over a decade.
Sun, 07/28/2024
Kansas lakes contain hidden pollution with unknown health impacts, study finds
Seemingly pristine water could be hiding a tiny form of man-made pollution which is drawing the attention of scientists in a global study. Two researchers from the University of Kansas (KU) are shedding light on the presence of microplastics in Kansas lakes and reservoirs alongside more than 70 other researchers in a global study, according to KU. See the full story from KSNT, Topeka, Kan.
Fri, 07/12/2024
Butterfly effect: Scientists argue over monarch’s ESA status (Opens in new window)
Monarch butterfly expert Orley “Chip” Taylor says the colorful insect is doing pretty well, all things considered. Challenges, yes; the monarch has them, in spades. Population numbers are down, the climate is changing, and precious milkweed-rich habitat is getting harder to find.
Wed, 07/10/2024
KU community mourns death of longtime employee Lee Ann Bennett
The University of Kansas community is mourning the death of Lee Ann Bennett, a senior research assistant at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research. Bennett, a Lawrence resident, died June 30.
Mon, 07/01/2024
Healing the ground we broke (Opens in new window)
Amble through Kansas prairies and cornfields as we learn how treasuring the ground beneath our feet can lead to farms that better withstand climate change, use less fertilizer and suck carbon out of the atmosphere.
Thu, 06/20/2024
Community invited to tour KU Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden (Opens in new window)
Community members are invited to a semiannual tour of KU’s Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden, set for the day after the summer solstice. The garden includes research plantings, a large native plant demonstration garden and the KU Community Garden, which is managed by a group of students who grow food...
Mon, 06/17/2024
Annual summer solstice tour of KU medicinal garden set for June 21
The public is invited to the summer semiannual tour of the KU Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden at 7 p.m. June 21, one day after the summer solstice. The garden, situated just east of the Lawrence Municipal Airport, includes research plantings, a large native plant demonstration garden and the KU Community Garden.
Thu, 06/06/2024
Area science teachers visit KU Field Station this week
Nine middle school science teachers from Kansas converged at the KU Field Station, just north of Lawrence, this week. They took part in the Ecosystems of Kansas Summer Institute, an immersive program that gives secondary educators the chance to work with KU scientists to explore resources and gain new ideas for their classrooms.
Mon, 06/03/2024
KPR podcast: A New Guide to Kansas Mushrooms (Opens in new window)
A New Guide to Kansas Mushrooms is out now from University Press of Kansas. Ben Sikes, associate scientist and associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and Caleb Morse, collection manager at KU's McGregor Herbarium, worked with Sherry Kay on this new edition.
Tue, 04/30/2024
Seven students receive Kansas Biological Survey Student Research Awards for 2024
The Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research has awarded $7,500 in funding this spring for student research to be conducted this year. Seven students will receive assistance through the research center’s 2024 Student Research Awards.
Tue, 04/30/2024
#KUFieldWorks: Surveying the Kansas ferret population to improve conservation
Each year, a team of people from various organizations gather to perform intensive nighttime surveys of a reintroduction site in western Kansas. Wendy Holman and Nathaniel Weickert took part in a recent survey.
Wed, 04/24/2024
Canceled: KU Field Station marks 75th anniversary with Visitors’ Day April 27
Editor's note, April 26: This event has been canceled due to expected inclement weather. The event will be moved to fall 2024, with a new date announced after Sept. 1.
Wed, 02/14/2024
Monarch butterfly count is 2nd lowest on record: researchers (Opens in new window)
According to researchers, just nine colonies of monarchs were located this season in their winter home, covering less than one hectare of land. To help put these numbers into perspective, CBC Windsor reached out to Kristen Baum, the director of Monarch Watch, an education, conservation and research program based at the University of Kansas.
Sun, 02/11/2024
Monarch butterfly sightings may be fewer in the US this summer (Opens in new window)
Monarch butterfly sightings may be sparser than usual in the U.S. and Canada following a drastic drop in populations wintering in Mexico, researchers told ABC News.
Wed, 02/07/2024
Monarch butterflies just took a big hit. Midwesterners may see few of them this year (Opens in new window)
Scientists say roosting monarchs took up 2.2 acres of Mexican fir forests this winter. That's the second smallest overwintering population on the books.
Wed, 01/03/2024
The choreography connecting kelp forests to the beach (Opens in new window)
How does the synchrony of abundance across kelp forests affect beach food webs and resilience in a changing environment? A new paper by current and former Reuman Lab members & collaborators in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences explores these questions.