Ecological Preserve

Rutgers students Kathryn Wulf, Jun Zhang, Gabriel Palmieri inspecting a mosquito trap  Dr. Jennifer Sun, Assistant Professor in the Rutgers University Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology (SEBS), leads a research group interested in the myriad relationships present between insects and microorganisms in nature. In particular, they look at the effects microorganisms have on insect behavior. A core facet of insect-microbe interactions is the insect microbiome, the collection of microbes that live on and inside of the bodies of bugs. Sun’s lab…

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If you look right as you enter the EcoPreserve parking lot, you may see the above signs. Take the short stroll over to see what is blooming.  This small meadow patch includes milkweeds and various wildflowers to attract pollinating insects, including monarch butterflies.  The core of the patch is the result of a new product called wildflower sod produced by the Meadow Lab in Columbia, NJ.  We also sowed in milkweed seeds gathered from local sources. Thanks to Rutgers IP&O…

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The Rutgers Geography program recently hosted an Undergraduate Research Symposium (photo above). Many of the presentations were based on research that the students undertook in the EcoPreserve as part of  the course, Field Geography, taught by Dr. Asa Rennermalm. Through the Spring 2026 semester the students were out in the EcoPreserve collecting data on a host of topics.  There was even some extra excitement when one of the students came across a roaming black bear. A listing of the students…

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Wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) are early breeders and get geared up after the snow leaves and their preferred breeding sites, vernal pools, are free of ice.  From a distance, the male wood frog call resembles the quacking of a duck. In the photo above, one can see the soft-balled size mass of eggs. As is the case here, the egg mass is usually anchored to some vegetation.  The individual eggs are the size of a small marble of clear jelly…

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