University of Wisconsin–Madison

Category: Agroecosystems

Pastures as Potential Pollinator Habitat

Graduate student Skye Bruce studies the effects of grazing on butterfly communities. Check out this blog post Skye wrote for the Grassland 2.0 project!

Publication highlight: Research suggests invasive fruit fly not a problem for grape growers

Much of the research we do in the Gratton Lab focuses on the pests and pollinators of agricultural crops grown in Wisconsin. Former lab member Emma Pelton (M.S. 2015) did her research on an invasive fruit fly, the spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii), which is a recently introduced pest of soft-skinned fruit and a potential …

Talking Science: 2017 conferences thus far

The Gratton lab has been busy these past couple of months presenting research at regional and national meetings.  Here are examples of our 2017 research presentations ranging from bee behavioral responses in apple orchards to nitrogen effects on freshwater algal communities. While these topics may appear disparate and unrelated, they are all united by the …

New lab paper: “A Landscape View of Agricultural Insecticide Use across the Conterminous US from 1997 through 2012”

Insecticide use across the US has increased from 1997 to 2012, according to a recently published paper by Tim Meehan (former UW research associate) and Claudio Gratton entitled “A Landscape View of Agricultural Insecticide Use across the Conterminous US from 1997 through 2012”.  Using data published from the US Census of Agriculture, Tim and Claudio …

Wild about Bees: Kiley Friedrich on Native Pollinators & Their Interactions with Plant Communities

  Bees are among the most frequently studied animals, and yet there remains a vast amount of knowledge to be gained about these important pollinators. In this exclusive interview, Kiley Friedrich from the Gratton Lab and Agroecology Master’s program at UW-Madison discusses her research on wild bees and their interactions with native plant communities.   …