KBS LTER https://lter.kbs.msu.edu Kellogg Biological Station | Long-Term Ecological Research Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:24:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 Undergraduate and graduate KBS researchers show how climate warming may be a boon for native goldenrod https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/2026/08/undergraduate-and-graduate-kbs-researchers-show-how-climate-warming-may-be-a-boon-for-native-goldenrod/ Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/?p=16060 Continue reading Undergraduate and graduate KBS researchers show how climate warming may be a boon for native goldenrod]]> A recent study from KBS students suggests that climate warming can offset insect damage in tall goldenrod, potentially making this already aggressive prairie plant even more dominant as temperatures rise. Climate change may reduce yields of crops like corn and soybeans, but it can also give some plants an edge. That’s one of the takeaways of a recent study of tall goldenrod…

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]]> Graduate research from the KBS LTER reveals plant traits that predict ecosystem stability https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/2026/07/graduate-research-from-the-kbs-lter-reveals-plant-traits-that-predict-ecosystem-stability/ Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:33:36 +0000 https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/?p=16008 Continue reading Graduate research from the KBS LTER reveals plant traits that predict ecosystem stability]]> Researchers showed that functional traits of plants can help explain why some grasslands remain productive over many years, but are less useful in understanding how ecosystems respond to individual disturbances. As climate change brings more frequent droughts and increasingly unpredictable weather, one of the biggest questions facing scientists is how ecosystems will respond.

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]]> LTER researchers collaborate with local educators to promote outdoor STEM education https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/2026/04/lter-researchers-collaborate-with-local-educators-to-promote-outdoor-stem-education/ Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:38:42 +0000 https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/?p=15894 Continue reading LTER researchers collaborate with local educators to promote outdoor STEM education]]> A recent CIRCLE Seed Grant from MSU brought together a team of local K-12 teachers and KBS LTER researchers to develop a replicable schoolyard experiment. Scientific discovery is often associated with remote field sites or specialized laboratories, but it can also begin in familiar places – like schoolyards. At the KBS LTER site, researchers study ecosystems using a combination of…

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]]> KBS grad student earn awards for national energy research for harnessing soil microbes https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/2026/03/brandon-kristy/ Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:23:50 +0000 https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/?p=15698 Continue reading KBS grad student earn awards for national energy research for harnessing soil microbes]]> Brandon Kristy, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Integrative Biology and a member of the Evans Lab at the Kellogg Biological Station, will go to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, or LLNL, to study the “unseen” partners of sustainable bioenergy.Kristy’s specialty is plant science for sustainable bioenergy, where he investigates how soil microbiomes can help crops like switchgrass thrive…

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]]> Thirty years of data reveal major declines in lady beetles and their pest-fighting power in Midwestern farmland https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/2026/03/thirty-years-of-data-reveal-major-declines-in-lady-beetles-and-their-pest-fighting-power-in-midwestern-farmland/ Wed, 11 Mar 2026 15:53:38 +0000 https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/?p=15671 Continue reading Thirty years of data reveal major declines in lady beetles and their pest-fighting power in Midwestern farmland]]> Long-term monitoring at the Kellogg Biological Station Long Term Ecological Research site (KBS LTER) shows both native and introduced predators are declining, potentially weakening a key natural defense against crop pests. A new study, led by researchers at Kent State University and Michigan State University, finds that populations of lady beetles, important natural predators of…

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]]> MiSTRIPS program sparks new research and stronger community partnerships https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/2025/11/mistrips-program-sparks-new-research-and-stronger-community-partnerships/ Tue, 25 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/?p=15533 Continue reading MiSTRIPS program sparks new research and stronger community partnerships]]> Researchers at the KBS LTER have leveraged the MiSTRIPS partnership network to launch new grant-funded projects and field studies that may not have been possible without the program. The MiSTRIPS Program at the KBS LTER has become a springboard for new research, helping scientists secure grants and expand studies in sustainable agriculture. Its impact now reaches well beyond…

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]]> Graduate research from the KBS LTER highlights the role of drought in altering plant-environment interactions https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/2025/11/graduate-research-from-the-kbs-lter-highlights-the-role-of-drought-in-altering-plant-environment-interactions/ Tue, 11 Nov 2025 17:47:07 +0000 https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/?p=15516 Continue reading Graduate research from the KBS LTER highlights the role of drought in altering plant-environment interactions]]> Through an experiment that simulates future climate change conditions within the KBS LTER, researchers found that drought strongly affects the chemical compounds released by goldenrod, suggesting that climate change could significantly influence how ecosystems function. Though you might not be able to see it with the naked eye, plants are constantly interacting with their environment.

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]]> Graduate research from the KBS LTER reveals how nematodes contribute to soil food web stability in droughts https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/2025/09/graduate-research-from-the-kbs-lter-reveals-how-nematodes-contribute-to-soil-food-web-stability-in-droughts/ Thu, 11 Sep 2025 19:25:33 +0000 https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/?p=15473 Continue reading Graduate research from the KBS LTER reveals how nematodes contribute to soil food web stability in droughts]]> Using the Rainfall Exclusion Experiment (REX) within the KBS LTER, researchers found that nematode communities are more stable in early successional landscapes than agricultural ones during drought. This study highlights the importance of plant diversity for resilient soil ecosystems under environmental change. As farmers adopt new strategies to cope with increasingly extreme weather…

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]]> Sprunger receives TAP Award, recognized as changemaker in global food security https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/2025/09/sprunger-receives-tap-award-recognized-as-changemaker-in-global-food-security/ Wed, 03 Sep 2025 16:25:05 +0000 https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/?p=15451 Continue reading Sprunger receives TAP Award, recognized as changemaker in global food security]]> W.K. Kellogg Biological Station faculty member and part of the KBS LTER Executive Committee, Christine Sprunger, is one of 39 visionaries named to the 2025 Top Agri-food Pioneers, or TAP, list by the World Food Prize Foundation. Now in its second year, the TAP list honors individuals driving bold and innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges in global food security. This year’…

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]]> Nature-based climate solutions are a powerful tool to reverse the warming caused by deforestation https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/2025/08/nature-based-climate-solutions-are-a-powerful-tool-to-reverse-the-warming-caused-by-deforestation/ Mon, 25 Aug 2025 16:14:07 +0000 https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/?p=15395 Continue reading Nature-based climate solutions are a powerful tool to reverse the warming caused by deforestation]]> Deforestation has intensified global warming, but a new study out in Nature Communications Earth and Environment finds restoring forests and adopting sustainable land-use practices can reverse the damage while benefiting both people and nature. A new study published in Nature Communications Earth and Environment reveals that when land managers implement nature-based climate…

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