blog posts

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  Spring forest flowers likely a key to bumble bee survival, Illinois study finds

  Apr 28, 2021 9:30 am

  For more than a decade, ecologists have been warning of a downward trend in bumble bee populations across North America. While efforts to preserve wild bees in the Midwest often focus on restoring native flowers to prairies, a new Illinois-based study finds evidence of a steady decline in the availability of springtime flowers in wooded landscapes. The scarcity of early season flowers in forests – a primary food source for bumble bees at this time of year – likely endangers the queen bees’ ability to start their nesting season and survive until other floral resources become available, researchers say. They report their findings in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

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  Starving mosquitoes for science

  Feb 23, 2024 9:45 am

  A behind the scenes look at the Medical Entomology Laboratory at Illinois Nature History Survey and the work of Jiayue (Gabriel) Yan on Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

• Statewide bird survey shows changes in bird diversity and distribution

  Jul 27, 2008 1:00 pm
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  Stoneflies, a bioindicator of river quality, mapped across Ohio

  Apr 12, 2012 8:00 am

  INHS scientists worked with peers at Western Kentucky University to conduct a statewide assessment of stoneflies in Ohio. Utilizing over 30,000 specimens from 18 museums they determined that there are between 102 and 120 species of stonefly in Ohio. These environmentally sensitive insects are an indicator of river health and this study will help Ohio prioritize high quality streams for protection.

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  Strong floods drive warblers away from their known breeding sites

  Apr 18, 2017 8:00 am

  Fewer migratory Swainson’s Warblers return to breed after high flood waters alter the quality of their wetland forest habitat, according to new University of Illinois research published in the journal PLOS ONE.

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  Students helping fill in the gaps in INHS herpetology collection records

  Nov 4, 2011 1:00 pm

  Scott Saffer, teacher at Tri-Point Junior High School and former employee at INHS, seeks out opportunities for his students to be engaged in actual science. His students have participated in bird research, studied insects, and cruised the Illinois River looking for Asian carp. This year the students are working on filling in the gaps in our knowledge of reptile and amphibian species in Livingston and Ford County. With the help of INHS Herpetologist Andy Kuhns verifying identifications and occurrence records, the students are documenting the species found in these two under-surveyed areas.

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  Study: Black bears are eating pumas' lunch

  Mar 19, 2021 8:15 am

  A camera-trap study in the Mendocino National Forest in Northern California reveals that black bears are adept at finding and stealing the remains of adult deer killed by pumas. This “kleptoparasitism” by bears, as scientists call it, reduces the calories pumas consume in seasons when the bears are most active. Perhaps in response to this shortage, the pumas hunt more often and eat more small game when the bears are not in hibernation.

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  Study explores coevolution of mammals and their lice

  Jul 5, 2022 7:15 am

  According to a new study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, the first louse to take up residence on a mammalian host likely started out as a parasite of birds. That host-jumping event tens of millions of years ago began the long association between mammals and lice, setting the stage for their coevolution and offering more opportunities for the lice to spread to other mammals.

  The study was led by Illinois Natural History Survey ornithologist Kevin P. Johnson and Jorge Doña, a Marie Curie postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Granada, Spain.

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  Study explores reasons why relocated woodrat populations have fared well in Illinois

  Jun 13, 2022 1:30 pm

  In a new study, researchers analyzed capture histories of 205 woodrats in the summers of 2013 and 2014 in areas of the Shawnee National Forest where woodrats had been reintroduced. The goal was to estimate local population size and determine how abundance and survival rates were associated with availability of nest-site crevices in rocks, the abundance of owls as predators, availability of nut-producing trees, and the risk of raccoon roundworm infection, which is fatal to woodrats.

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  Study finds ethical and illicit sources of poison frogs in the U.S. pet trade

  Mar 30, 2022 10:45 am

  With their vibrant colors and small size, poison frogs are popular among amphibian pet owners in the U.S. Most poison frogs come from legitimate frog breeding operations here and abroad, but some are still snatched from the wild illegally in their native countries, according to Devin Edmonds, doctoral student at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS).

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  Study Finds Illinois Farmers View Feral Hogs as a Nuisance

  Oct 10, 2016 8:00 am

  Illinois farmers, even those who have experienced no damage to their land or crops, dislike feral hogs and support hog control, according to a new study from the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.

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  Study finds minimal risk of exposure to legionella from irrigated wastewater at a safe distance

  Aug 30, 2022 8:30 am

  Potential exposure to legionella bacteria in municipal wastewater used to irrigate crop fields will likely not pose a health threat to residents living downwind, according to a postdoctoral researcher at the Illinois Natural History Survey.

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  Study Finds Recent Size Changes in Illinois River Mussel Shells

  Oct 12, 2016 8:00 am

  Man-made levees and water pollution have made an impact on the fish and other fauna of the Illinois River throughout the 20th century, but researchers at the Prairie Research Institute (PRI), University of Illinois, have taken an even longer view of human-induced changes in freshwater mussels, dating back to pre-Columbian times.

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  Study finds Serengeti leopard population densities vary seasonally

  Aug 31, 2020 8:30 am

  A study of camera-trap data from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania found that leopard population densities in the 3.7-million-acre park are similar to those in other protected areas but vary between wet and dry seasons. The fluctuations appear to be driven by the abundance of prey and how this affects interactions with other large carnivores like lions.

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  Study Finds Waterfowl Hunters’ Spending Benefits Rural Areas

  Aug 9, 2016 2:30 pm

  Guns, gear, gas for the truck, drinks for the cooler, and the faithful dog: such recreational expenses for a day of duck or goose hunting in Illinois add up to a big boost to the local economy, according to Craig Miller, human dimensions scientist at the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute.

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  Study Found Male Fish that Had Female Qualities in the Des Plaines River

  Jun 30, 2016 8:00 am
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  Study links fish stress hormones to whether they take the bait

  Aug 22, 2017 11:00 am

  Take a fish out of water and its stress hormones will go up. Adrenaline and noradrenaline, the “fight or flight” hormones, peak first, followed more gradually by cortisol. A new study reported in the Journal of Experimental Biology finds that largemouth bass whose cortisol levels rise most after a brief bout of stress are inherently harder to catch by angling. This could affect recreational fishing. If anglers are primarily capturing fish whose stress levels dictate whether they are likely to strike at a lure, “we could potentially be selecting for fish that are harder to catch,” said University of Illinois natural resources and environmental sciences professor Cory Suski, who led the new research with Illinois Natural History Survey research scientist Jeffrey Stein and graduate student Michael Louison.

• Study of bird lice shows how evolution sometimes repeats itself

  Aug 16, 2012 9:00 am
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  Study reconstructs 232-year history of prairie fire in Midwestern U.S.

  Oct 19, 2021 11:15 am

  Researchers combed through thousands of historical documents for first-person accounts of fires occurring between 1673 and 1905 in the Midwestern tallgrass prairie. Their study is the first systematic analysis of the timing, causes and consequences of prairie fires in this part of the world. They report their findings in Natural Areas Journal.

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  Study shows disease can be more effective in controlling invasive species than management efforts

  Mar 20, 2017 8:00 am

  Populations of the common carp, introduced from Eurasia and historically the most abundant fish species in parts of the Illinois River, declined from the 1970s to the 1990s and have never made a comeback. A recent University of Illinois study showed that natural factors, including disease, can more effectively curb invasive species populations than human management efforts.

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  Study tracks plant pathogens in leafhoppers from natural areas

  Aug 2, 2022 8:00 am

  Phytoplasmas are bacteria that can invade the vascular tissues of plants, causing many crop diseases. While most studies of phytoplasmas begin by examining plants showing disease symptoms, a new analysis by researchers at the Illinois Natural History Survey focuses on the tiny insects that carry the infectious bacteria from plant to plant. By extracting and testing DNA from archival leafhopper specimens collected in natural areas, the study identified new phytoplasma strains and found new associations between leafhoppers and phytoplasmas known to harm crop plants.

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  Study tracks waterbird use of Chicago-area wetlands

  Sep 14, 2022 9:30 am

  A three-year study in northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana found that – even at small scales – emergent wetlands or ponds support many wetland bird species. The study also found that, at least in the years surveyed, the level of urbanization had little effect on most of the studied species’ use of such sites, provided the right kinds of habitat were available.

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  Study: When do timber rattlesnakes emerge in the spring in Illinois?

  Apr 24, 2024 10:15 am

  Illinois’ timber rattlesnakes emerge from their cold-weather dens hidden below ground and can be seen sunning themselves in the nearby forest foliage as spring temperatures warm. Scientists at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) have found clues to determine when snakes will slither from their over-winter spots to inform conservation officials who manage local habitats.

• Success of new bug-fighting approach may vary from field to field

  Mar 10, 2014 9:00 am
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  Survey: Farmers’ attitudes about land ownership belies some stereotypes

  Jan 25, 2024 10:15 am

  A recent Prairie Research Institute (PRI) study of attitudes about land conservation found that Illinois farmers view themselves as stewards of their land, balancing conservation with earning a profit. Nearly half of farmers surveyed said they would use conservation practices even without financial compensation from federal land conservation programs.

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  Survey finds farmers feel responsibility to protect land and waters

  May 31, 2017 8:00 am

  Agricultural producers are typically blamed for applying fertilizer that pollutes local waters and carries oxygen-depleting nitrogen and phosphorus to the northern Gulf of Mexico. However, a strong majority of Illinois farmers believe they are doing their part to protect the environment, according to a study from the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute (PRI).

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  Surveys and relocations protect vulnerable mussel populations

  Apr 5, 2022 9:00 am

  In the summer’s heat, an Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) aquatic biology team can be found in shallow rivers or streams under bridges slated for reconstruction, wading in water and sliding their fingers through the rocks and sediment below, searching for the edge of mussel shells. They’ll move the mussels they find out of harm’s way of construction equipment that will soon roll into the area.

• Survey scientists researching moist-soil resources for waterfowl

  Feb 21, 2008 12:00 am

  Natural History Survey scientists, Joshua Stafford, Aaron Yetter, Chris Hine, Randy Smith, and Michelle Horath have been continuing the moist-soil research of Frank Bellrose from the Forbes Biological Station and F. C. Bellrose Waterfowl Research Center in Havana since 2005. In an article featured in the March 2008 issue of Outdoor Illinois, the scientists discuss their research, the work of Frank Bellrose, and management issues for moist-soil habitats.

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  Survey seeks ideas to help specialty crop growers make pest control decisions

  Feb 19, 2019 10:15 am

  Researchers at the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute are developing new pest degree day tools for the state’s specialty crop growers. A short online survey offers growers the opportunity to contribute their opinions on how this information is delivered.

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  Survey shows species of marsh birds that decline when nearby cities thrive

  Sep 17, 2019 10:30 am

  Wading into the springtime muddy marshland, pushing aside a wall of plants taller than her head, ornithologist Anastasia Rahlin looks and listens for signs of black terns and yellow-crowned night herons. She plays a recording, waits 30 seconds, and listens for a return call. The species of birds that she doesn’t find in the marsh are the ones she doesn’t want scientists to forget.

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  Surveys to assess potential for Thousand Canker Disease on Illinois walnut trees

  Aug 29, 2011 8:00 am

  Illinois Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey Coordinator Kelly Estes is sampling black walnuts across the state to monitor for the potential of Thousand Canker Disease. If you have black walnut stands on your property or know of stands, ICAPS asks that you submit that information for mapping purposes.

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  Swarms of mayflies are short-lived

  Jul 6, 2011 4:00 pm

  INHS Entomologist Chris Dietrich was interviewed about the infestation of mayflies long the Illinois River this week. After spending most of their life in the water, they emerge en masse, overwhelming predators, mate and then die, typically within 24 hours. According to Dietrich, mayflies are an environmental indicator for our rivers, so large numbers of them is a good thing.

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  Swarms of mayflies indicate good water quality

  Jun 18, 2012 8:00 am

  INHS Aquatic Entomologist Ed DeWalt told the Peoria Journal Star that the presence of large numbers of mayflies indicates the water quality is high enough to support this species that spends the majority of its life in water. Mayflies emerge from the water this time of year for to live out their short adult life stage—finding a mate and returning to the water to lay eggs. While some people see them as a nuisance, they don't bite and according to Ed DeWalt, "they will make a mess for a week and then they'll be gone."

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  Tarantulas in a pickle jar

  Mar 6, 2018 9:15 am

  Tommy McElrath takes readers Behind the Scenes of the INHS insect collection. "Storing your dead tarantulas in a gallon-sized pickle jar is not the best solution to long-term preservation. Especially when those tarantulas are toe-tagged – like corpses in a morgue."

• Targeted culling of deer controls disease with little effect on hunting

  Oct 21, 2014 9:00 am

• Tari Tweddale to give lecture at GIS Day

  Oct 24, 2007 2:30 pm

  Tari Tweddale, GIS/Remote Sensing Specialist and Illinois Gap Analysis Project Coordinator at the Illinois Natural History Survey, will present a seminar called, "GIS in Conservation Biology: Modeling Vertebrate Species Distribution in the Illinois GAP Analysis Project " at GIS Day at Illinois State University. The full line-up of presenters can be found in this Word document which will download to your computer.

• Taxonomists stand up and count your species

  Mar 27, 2007 10:15 am

• Team discovers how western corn rootworm resists crop rotation

  Jul 19, 2012 9:00 am
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  Team discovers invasive-native crayfish hybrids in Missouri

  Oct 8, 2021 7:00 am

  In a study of crayfish in the Current River in southeastern Missouri, researchers discovered that the virile crayfish, Faxonius virilis, was interbreeding with a native crayfish, potentially altering the native’s genetics, life history and ecology. Reported in the journal Aquatic Invasions, the study highlights the difficulty of detecting some of the consequences of biological invasions, the researchers say.

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  Team finds first wild alligator snapping turtle in Illinois since 1984

  Nov 13, 2017 9:30 am

  Researchers report the first sighting in 30 years of a wild alligator snapping turtle in Illinois. The discovery may be a sign of hope for this state-endangered species, or the animal could be the last of its kind to have survived in Illinois without human intervention, the researchers say.

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  The best laid plans: Did insect resistance management hasten Bt resistance in western corn rootworm?

  Oct 13, 2017 11:00 am

  Illinois Natural History Survey scientists studied behaviors of the western corn rootworm to learn why the insect pests have developed a resistance to Bt corn hybrids, once a deterrent that was as effective as soil insecticides but without the human health risks and environmental concerns associated with broad-spectrum insecticides.

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  The Biology of Small Mammals published

  Mar 4, 2010 5:30 pm

  Dr. Joseph F. Merritt, INHS Mammalogist, is the author of The Biology of Small Mammals, published by the Johns Hopkins University Press. The book covers  small mammals, which are defined as weighing 11 pounds and under. The book, 336 pages long, also includes black and white photographs and illustrations. It can be ordered from amazon.com.

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  The convergent evolution of bird lice

  Sep 3, 2012 8:00 am

  Recent research by INHS Ornithologist and Parasitologist Kevin Johnson has found that bird lice have undergone convergent evolution, evolving different body shapes dependent on where they live on the bird. Despite the morphological similarities between lice from the wings of different bird groups, the species are more closely related to other lice species on the same bird group. The same pattern holds true for lice from the head and body. Learn more about Kevin Johnson's research through this video by the U of I News Bureau.

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  The extinction of the passenger pigeon

  Mar 25, 2014 8:00 am

  On Sept. 1, 1914, Martha, the last living passenger pigeon, died at the Cincinnati Zoo. This seemingly abundant bird had been decimated by hunting, leaving them vulnerable to other predators. Following the opening of an exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, INHS Ornithologist Kevin Johnson, who reconstructed the family tree of the passenger pigeon, was interviewed.

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  The race to save the little brown bat: How genomic research could rescue a species on the brink of extinction

  Oct 31, 2024 11:00 am

  Researchers are using cutting-edge genomic techniques to help the little brown bat, a species at risk due to white-nose syndrome. By analyzing DNA samples from across the bat's historic range, the team aims to uncover genetic insights that could guide conservation strategies. This collaborative effort among scientists and institutions offers new hope for protecting the bat and other vulnerable wildlife. 

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  The squirrel experiment

  Sep 21, 2023 9:45 am

• The threat of invasive species

  Oct 31, 2011 8:00 am

  INHS Affiliate and former director of the Illinois River Field Station was featured on CBS Sunday Morning in a story about invasive species. On the Asian Carp, Sass stated "We've seen explosive population growth, a population that has almost doubled every year. We're fairly confident we have the highest wild densities of Asian carp anywhere in the world." David Lodge of Notre Dame says studies estimate that invasive species cost the US Economy on the order of at least $120 billion annually. There are 30 federal agencies involved in the fight against invasive species, with about $1.5 billion spent annually. Education and prevention are key to warding off the invasive species.

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  Thinking ahead: Corn rootworm management for 2018

  Mar 14, 2018 8:30 am

  Illinois corn growers in the northern and central parts of the state have come to expect some rootworm damage, but University of Illinois entomologists say putting management plans in place now could help growers avoid major losses.

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  Threat of Zika in Illinois low, but precautions can be taken

  Feb 16, 2016 8:00 am

  INHS Medical Entomologist Ephantus Muturi was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune about the threat of Zika virus in Illinois. Muturi says that Aedes aegypti, which transmits Zika, has been found in Illinois but does not thrive in our climate. The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopinctus, is found in Illinois, but has not been found to transmit Zika, though more research is needed. 

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  Tick-infested songbirds help spread Lyme disease

  Mar 1, 2017 8:00 am

  Songbird species that carry the ticks responsible for Lyme disease and other diseases forage close to the ground in large wooded areas, according to a recently published study by Christine Parker, a graduate research assistant at the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute, Illinois Natural History Survey.