Author: Penn State via EurekAlert!

  • Trees rely on a range of strategies to hunt for nutrient hot spots

    On the surface, trees may look stationary, but underground their roots — aided by their fungal allies — are constantly on the hunt and using a surprising number of strategies to find food, according to an international team of researchers.The precision of the nutrient-seeking strategies that help trees grow in temperate forests may be related…

  • Bees' ability to forage decreases as air pollution increases

    Air pollutants interact with and break down plant-emitted scent molecules, which insect pollinators use to locate needed food, according to a team of researchers led by Penn State. The pollution-modified plant odors can confuse bees and, as a result, bees' foraging time increases and pollination efficiency decreases. This happens because the chemical interactions decrease both…