WTF, Biology?
By WTF Biology
WTF, Biology?Apr 14, 2021
Minisode: National Pollinator Month extended cut
In this bonus episode, I discuss some of my favorite co-evolved plant-pollinator relationships. I also include a portion of my conversation with Dr. Lindsie McCabe that ended up on the cutting room floor for last week's full episode.
You can learn more about Lindsie and her research by visiting her website https://twitter.com/Lindsie_McCabe. You can also find her on Twitter @Lindsie_McCabe
If you're interested in participating in citizen science, you can check out iNaturalist, and/or bumblebeewatch.org
As always, music for the show is by Dr. Ron Deckert. Find his music at soundcloud.com/ron-deckert.
Episode 12: National Pollinator Month with Dr. Lindsie McCabe
In celebration of #NationalPollinatorsMonth, my guest and I talk about the lesser known and under-appreciated pollinators--native bees and flies. I am joined by Dr. Lindsie McCabe, an entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Pollinating Insect-Biology, Management, Systematics Research lab, otherwise known as the bee lab. Check out more on how to make your garden bee friendly here: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-pollinators-month-june/#:~:text=National%20Pollinators%20Month%20in%20June,bats%2C%20and%20other%20natural%20pollinators.
You can learn more about Lindsie and her research on her website lindsiemccabe.wordpress.com. You can follow her on Twitter @lindsie_mccabe for awesome bee and other pollinator related science.
The citizen science resources we mentioned are here:
https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/
Follow WTF Biology on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and/or TikTok @wtf_biology. Music for the show is by Dr. Ron Deckert. Find him at soundcloud.com/ron-deckert
Episode 11 Living under a rock has its merits with Dr. Jenna Ekwealor
Deserts are extreme places bouncing between too hot and too cold; too dry and too wet. But moss have found a way to buffer those extremes. Join Dr. Jenna Ekwealor and I as we discuss the strange lifestyle of hypolithic moss, namely moss that live underneath rocks. You can learn more about desert mosses at https://3dmoss.berkeley.edu/ Check out Jenna's hero scientists here: https://www.esf.edu/faculty/kimmerer/ https://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/kirsten-fisher Listen to Dr. Ron Deckert's music on soundcloud.com/ron-deckert. This week's song is Green Rain. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok @wtf_biology in all the places.
Episode 10 Wildfire Awareness Month with Dr. Mike Remke
In the United States, May is #NationalWildfireAwarenessMonth. To kick off this month, I welcome Dr. Mike Remke back to the show to discuss wildfire's past, present, and future.
Check out this article of the Yurok tribe's use of wildfire: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/21/wildfire-prescribed-burns-california-native-americans
Find the wildfire information for your location here: https://www.ready.gov/wildfires
Wildfire Adaptive Partnership information is here: https://www.wildfireadapted.org/
Check out Mike's personal website here: https://www.mycoremke.com/
Music is by Dr. Ron Deckert and you can find this song (Pondo Funk) and all his other songs at www.soundcloud.com/ron-deckert
You can support WTF Biology at https://www.patreon.com/wtfbiology. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. I'm @wtf_biolgoy in all of those places.
Episode 9: The importance of disturbing events with Dr. Dave Lytle
Learn more about Dr. Dave Lytle by going to his website here: lytlelab.science.oregonstate.edu/
You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok @wtf_biology
Music is by Dr. Ron Deckert. This song is called 'Red Rock, Blue Skies'. Listen to this song and all Ron's other songs at soundcloud.com/ron-deckert
Minisode: WTF Biologist, Nancy Johnson
Regent's Professor at Northern Arizona University, Dr. Nancy Johnson is a world-famous mycorrhizal researcher. She has roughly 163 publication with over 13,000 citations (according to Google Scholar). So with a track record like that, she deserves an enormous ego, but to her credit, she is the kindest, most down-to-earth, sweetest person who will intellectually bitch-slap you (but only if you deserve it).
In this mini-episode, I revive some of Nancy and my conversation we recorded for the Rachel Carson episode that ended up on the cutting room floor.
A blub about Nancy from her lab website:
"Nutritional symbioses among soil organisms fascinate me. I study arbuscular mycorrhizas in natural and agricultural systems. A better understanding of the factors controlling the balance of trade between plants and mycorrhizal fungi could lead to their management so that fertilizer inputs can be reduced. Also, since mycorrhizal fungi are enormous (yet invisible), understanding how to manage them may help generate an important belowground carbon sink in our increasingly carbon dioxide enriched world."
Episode 8: Myco-who-sa?! Mycorrhizas with Dr. Mike Remke
Mycorrhizas are the dual organs created by plant roots and their associated fungi that form typically beneficial partnerships. These (usually) mutualistic symbiotic relationships are super important for many ecological processes, especially in the drylands of the southwestern United States. Dr. Mike Remke and I discuss his research in how understanding the mycorrhizal relationships can be used in restoring dryland ecosystems.
Dr. Mike Remke earned a PhD in the School of Forestry at Northern Arizona University. He is now a Forest Health Research Associate with Mountain Studies Institute (check out his profile). He is also a faculty member at his undergraduate Alma Mater, Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Mike is also an awesome photographer and you can follow him on Instagram at myco_remke.
Minisode: Extended Extended Phenotype (revisit of Episode 6: WTF Biologist, Richard Dawkins with Tom Whitham)
There is more to Richard Dawkins' books, the Selfish Gene and The Extended Phenotype, than I was able to cover in Episode 6, so I am revisiting this topic. If you haven't heard Episode 6, WTF Biologist, Richard Dawkins with Tom Whitham, please go back and check it out. There are also some never-been-heard portions of my conversation with Dr. Tom Whitham, including the origin story of the Cottonwood Ecology Group's motto: "Sacrifice Your Body!"
Please follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and/or TikTok. I'm @wtf_biology in all of those places. Ron Deckert writes the music for the show. This week's song is Crystal Clear. Check him out at soundcloud.com/ron-deckert.
Check out https://www.patreon.com/lazybiologyproductions for all the science communication projects I'm working on and decide which one(s) you would like to support. More information is on my website www.lazybiology.com.
Episode 7: Returning from the (mostly) dead with Dr. Matt Bowker
That crunchy black moss ball probably isn't dead...at least maybe not if you are in the desert. Just give it a splash with your water bottle and watch this cool little plant resurrect right before your very eyes! Join Dr. Matt Bowker and I as we discuss the super powers of the resurrection moss. Syntricia contains about 79 species and occur all of the world in drylands in a large variety of habitats, ranging from high-elevation mountain meadows to a major component of desert biological soil crusts. Learn more about all things resurrection moss, Syntricia, at https://3dmoss.berkeley.edu/
Learn more about Dr. Matt Bower at his blog. Here's a bit of his bio from that blog site:
"I am a soil ecologist largely focused on ecosystem and community ecology of sub-humid and dryer ecosystems (inclusive of forests, woodlands, grasslands, steppes and deserts). My research topics vary from empirical work focused on the advancement of theory in the areas of biodiversity effects on ecosystem function, and species interactions, to applied work focused on modeling the distribution of biological crusts, restoration of biological crusts, understanding erosion processes, and putting soil organisms to work in assisted migration of plants. I am a qualified plant ecologist and mycorrhizal ecologist, but I am best known for my work on biological crusts having authored about 30 papers on this topic, including several specifically on restoration. I maintain an international network of collaborators in Spain, Australia, and the United Kingdom and I am a participant in a truly global scientific network studying global drylands."
Episode 6: WTF Biologist, Richard Dawkins with Dr. Tom Whitham
Richard Dawkins' contributions to evolutionary biology (and pop culture) revolutionized the field of study. He is an emeritus fellow of New College Oxford and was the first University of Oxford's Professor for Public Understanding of Science. He is also my science crush. Dawkins has authored several books, but this episode focuses on his first two, The Selfish Gene (1976) and The Extended Phenotype: The Long Reach of the Gene (1982). While Dawkins is known for voicing his strong opinion about religion, this episode focuses only on the science of this important evolutionary biologist. I am joined by Dr. Tom Whitham, who provided some of the earliest hard data to support the extended phenotype. Tom Whitham is Regents’ Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Arizona University and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2011, Whitham received the prestigious Eminent Ecologist Award by the Ecological Society of America—the group’s highest honor—for his outstanding body of work and his training of a new generation of scientists. Whitham served as the primary scientific advisor of an award-winning PBS documentary, A Thousand Invisible Cords: Connecting Genes to Ecosystems, which I highly recommend. This video is what convinced me to apply to graduate school. Whitham has authored or co-authored more than 220 papers in scientific journals, including Science and Nature. Music this week is "Crystal Clear" by Ron Deckert. Find him on SoundCloud. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok @wtf_biology in all those places.
Topics covered: group selection, common gardens, foundation species, beavers, cottonwoods, aphids, Ogden Nature Center
MINISODE: WTF is that tree still doing with leaves? It's winter....
This is called marcescence. Commonly seen on juvenile oaks, hornbeams, and beeches, the why behind marcescence remains a mystery. Music is by Dr. Ron Deckert. Find him on SoundCloud. If you have question such as "WTF is that thing doing that", drop me a email wtfbiology@gmail.com or send me a message on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok @wtf_biology. I'll try to answer your question in a minisode or maybe even a full episode. Find Cool Ass Nature Shit on my YouTube channel. Find me at https://www.patreon.com/lazybiologyproductions. There you'll see all the science communication projects I'm working on and decide which one(s) you would like to support. Check out my website at www.lazybiology.com.
Episode 5: Hidden hormone pumping poison packets with Dr. Ron Deckert
Plants are full of microbes! Fungal and bacterial endophytes live inside healthy plant tissue, but WTF are they doing in there? Join Dr. Ron Deckert and me as we get super nerdy about endophytic fungi. We talk about all four types or classes of endophytes that found inside plants and the features that make each type distinct. Not only is Ron an expert endophytologist, he is also the musical mastermind behind the show. You can find Ron's research on ResearchGate and his music on SoundCloud. And if you are feeling super nerdy, you can get the paper that describes the four classes of endophytes nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.02773.x. If you have a question about biology or ecology, send me an email (wtfbiology@gmail.com) or DM me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and/or TikTok. I'm @wtf_biology in all of those places. Hell, you might be featured in a minisode.
MINISODE: WTF is mRNA?
In this minsode, I answer a WTFer's question about mRNA. I explain the Central Dogma of Biology...how genes get are expressed as proteins, and how mRNA can be used to train an immune system to recognize an invader. If you have a nature question, send me an email at wtfbiology@gmail.com, or send a message via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or TikTok @wtf_biology on all platforms. I'll try to answer your question as a minisode or maybe even a full episode. As always, music is by Dr. Ron Deckert; find him on SoundCloud. Check out my YouTube channel for Cool Ass Nature Shit videos. In these 2-ish minute videos, I walk around the forest by my house (or wherever I happen to be) and point out shit that I think is cool. You can find bonus content, including exclusive Cool Ass Nature Shit videos, at https://www.patreon.com/lazybiologyproductions. You'll find all the science communication projects I am working on and decide which ones you would like to support. THANK YOU to all the patrons!
Episode 4: WTF Biologist, Gene Bozniak
Dr. Gene Bozniak, or just plain old Boz, and I discuss so many things....biases and why they exist, how forcing people to become Christian resulted in ecosystem destruction, and where the mysterious place "away" is.
As always, music this week is by Dr. Ron Deckert. His music can be found on SoundCloud. Not only is Ron the mastermind behind the music for this show, he is also a research studying the ecology of plant-associated fungi. Next episode, he joins me to discuss all the different types of beneficial fungi hiding inside plants and why plants put up with that bullshit. Look for that on March 3rd, 2021.
Links to my sources regarding: Female hunters and Agent Orange are here. And check out Gun, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond.
Check out my YouTube channel for Cool Ass Nature Shit videos. In these 2-ish minute videos, I walk around the forest by my house (or wherever I happen to be) and point out shit that I think is cool. You can find bonus content, including exclusive Cool Ass Nature Shit videos, at patreon.com/wtfbiology. There is a $1/month tier that grands you access to a bunch of bonus content and a $5/month tier that grants you access to exclusive Cool Ass Nature Shit videos.
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @wtf_biology If you have suggestions, questions, comments, or whatever, drop me a line at wtfbiology@gmail.com. You can check out my website for all things WTF Biological.
MINISODE: Happy Birthday Chucky D
Did you know that a lot of Darwin's evidence for evolution through natural selection came from experiments that he conducted at home? During this pandemic, many of us find ourselves working from home...productive or otherwise. In this first ever minisode of WTF Biology, I describe a simple experiment that Darwin did to understand competition and natural selection. This experiment is so simple that 1000s of school children have replicated it. Thanks, as always, to Dr. Ron Deckert for the music. Find him on SoundCloud.
Check out my YouTube channel for Cool Ass Nature Shit videos. In these 2-ish minute videos, I walk around the forest by my house (or wherever I happen to be) and point out shit that I think is cool. You can find bonus content, including exclusive Cool Ass Nature Shit videos, at patreon.com/wtfbiology. There is a $1/month tier that grands you access to a bunch of bonus content and a $5/month tier that grants you access to exclusive Cool Ass Nature Shit videos.
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @wtf_biology If you have suggestions, questions, comments, or whatever, drop me a line at wtfbiology@gmail.com. You can check out my website for all things WTF Biological.
And happy birthday Charles Darwin!
Episode 3: Biological Luggage of Mountain Pine Beetles with PhD candidate Sneha Vissa
PhD candidate, Sneha Vissa, and I discuss all the little buddies that mountain pine beetles pack around with them, including mites and fungi. We talk about beetle sex, elk hiding in fog, and where not to leave condoms. Music this week is Pondo Funk by Ron Deckert. Find his music on SoundCloud. Look for a Cool Ass Nature Shit video on my YouTube channel where I show you beetle galleries and how the lumber used the power of branding to make what once was a useless product into a luxury item. Big thanks to Sneha for being on the show. And thanks to Derek Uhey who took the photo for this episode’s art--a pinyon ips covered in mites. You can find a bunch more amazing photos of the natural world on Derek’s Facebook page. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @wtf_biology If you have suggestions, questions, comments, whatever, drop me a line at wtfbiology@gmail.com. You can check out my website www.lazybiology.com and please check out patreon.com/lazybiologyproductions.
Episode 2: WTF Biologist, Rachel Carson
Even nearly 60 years after Rachel Carson's death, many of the issues she faced are still with us. My guests and I discuss biases in science, the need for effective science communication, and, of course, environmental issues.
Randy Swaty runs the Data Conservation Lab. Check out their blog.
Melissa Sevigny is a science writer. Find out more about her books and other writings at her website.
The music on this episode is The Seed by Ron Deckert. Check out all of his music on SoundCloud.
These are my sources on the wage gap and publication bias.
Check out Cool Ass Nature Shit videos on my YouTube Channel. If you like Cool Ass Nature Shit videos, you can get exclusive access to more on pateron.com/lazybiologyproductions for just $5/month. For just a buck a month, you can get access to awesome bonus content, including the full interviews of Dr. Nancy Johnson, Dr. Kristen Waring, Randy Swaty, and Melissa Sevigny.
Photo of Rachel Carson, public domain.
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @wtf_biology.
Episode 1: Host Swapping Master of Disguise with Dr. Ehren Moler
Join Dr. Ehren Moler and me as we discuss a host swapping alien invader. We discuss this master of disguise of a fungal disease and what it means for forests of North America. We even have a throw-back to the Magic School Bus of our youths. Photo: White bark pine (Pinus albicaulis) affected by white pine blister rust disease near Yellowstone National Park. Copyright Ehren Moler, used with permission. The life cycle of Cronartium ribicola is summarized here and check out this YouTube video from the University of Wyoming that explains the life cycle and shows the flagging that Ehren talked about. You can find Ehren on ResearchGate. Music by Ron Deckert. Check him out on SoundCloud.
Find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok @wtf_biology. Support me on https://www.patreon.com/lazybiologyproductions
Episode 0: Why WTF Biology?
With a load of dogs, a load of kids, a dissertation to write, and a full-time job, why did I decide to make a podcast? And why this podcast? In this bonus episode, I explain how this podcast came to be and why it is so important to me. I hope you join me in getting a fresh take on the natural world. If you like the show, consider supporting me on Patreon. Find me https://www.patreon.com/wtfbiology. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter @wtf_biology. Music is by Joesph McDade (https://josephmcdade.com/). Big thanks to Joseph for making so much amazing music freely available to all!