Field Talk » Species http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk audio interviews go into the field with ecologists Thu, 18 Apr 2013 22:08:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 2006-2007 podcast@esa.org (ESA Podcast) podcast@esa.org (ESA Podcast) ESA, Ecology, Environment, Beyond Frontier, Field Talks, The Ecologist Goes to Washington 1440 http://www.esa.org/podcast/images/esa_podcast_small.jpg Field Talk http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk 144 144 ESA Podcast: Field Talks, Beyond the Frontier, The Ecologist Goes to Washington Field Talk explores research results – and the stories of the ecologists behind them – from three of the Society’s journals: Ecology, Ecological Applications, and Ecological Monographs. ESA, Podcast, Field, Talks, Ecology, Environment, Frontiers, Environmental, Science, Ecological, Society, of ESA Podcast ESA Podcast podcast@esa.org no no Immersed in the clouds: Interview with tropical cloud forest researcher http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk/immersed-in-the-clouds-interview-with-tropical-cloud-forest-researcher/ http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk/immersed-in-the-clouds-interview-with-tropical-cloud-forest-researcher/#comments Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:41:08 +0000 liza http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk/?p=217 Greg Goldsmith, tropical plant ecologist from the University of California, BerkeleyThere is a world within the canopy of a tropical cloud forest that not many people get to see. In this unique ecosystem – maintained by the exceptionally wet microclimate of cloud cover—orchids, moss, lichens and other epiphytes grow in every crease and pocket of the supporting tree branches. Here, hundreds of species of birds, monkeys and other mammal pollinators navigate the aerial landscape, scattering seeds along the way (see below video).

Greg Goldsmith, tropical plant ecologist from the University of California, Berkeley, spends his days harnessed in this “canopy in the clouds”—the name of the interactive, educational website he is currently working on with photographer Drew Fulton and cinematographer Colin Witherill. Read more in the EcoTone post.

Photo Credit: Drew Fulton

]]> http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk/immersed-in-the-clouds-interview-with-tropical-cloud-forest-researcher/feed/ 1 0:07:51 There is a world within the canopy of a tropical cloud forest that not many people get to see. In this unique ecosystem – maintained by the exceptionally wet microclimate of cloud cover—orchids, moss, lichens and other epiphytes grow in ever[...] There is a world within the canopy of a tropical cloud forest that not many people get to see. In this unique ecosystem – maintained by the exceptionally wet microclimate of cloud cover—orchids, moss, lichens and other epiphytes grow in every crease and pocket of the supporting tree branches. Here, hundreds of species of birds, monkeys and other mammal pollinators navigate the aerial landscape, scattering seeds along the way (see below video). Greg Goldsmith, tropical plant ecologist from the University of California, Berkeley, spends his days harnessed in this “canopy in the clouds”—the name of the interactive, educational website he is currently working on with photographer Drew Fulton and cinematographer Colin Witherill. Read more in the EcoTone post. Photo Credit: Drew Fulton ESA Podcast no no Considering canopy cover in Ecuador http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk/considering-canopy-cover-in-ecuador/ http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk/considering-canopy-cover-in-ecuador/#comments Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:26:28 +0000 liza http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk/?p=199 Jason Tylianakis

Jason Tylianakis

Loss of canopy cover in rainforests—compared to the other fragmented habitats in Manabi in southwest Ecuador—leads to a region-wide loss of diversity in species interactions, said researchers from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. As Jason Tilianakis and Etienne Laliberté reported in the June issue of Ecology, the food webs and interactions between parasitoids and their bee and wasp hosts were simplified and homogenized across habitats. As it turns out, land use was not the major contributor to this loss of interaction diversity: The researchers proposed that the lack of canopy cover in the managed and abandoned coffee agroforests and pasture and rice fields allowed for easier access as parasitoids searched for their bee and wasp hosts. In this edition of Field Talk, Jason Tylianakis discusses his findings, the fragmented habitats of Ecuador and the Homogecene era.

]]> http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk/considering-canopy-cover-in-ecuador/feed/ 0 0:10:46 Jason Tylianakis Loss of canopy cover in rainforests—compared to the other fragmented habitats in Manabi in southwest Ecuador—leads to a region-wide loss of diversity in species interactions, said researchers from the University of Canterbury i[...] Jason Tylianakis Loss of canopy cover in rainforests—compared to the other fragmented habitats in Manabi in southwest Ecuador—leads to a region-wide loss of diversity in species interactions, said researchers from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. As Jason Tilianakis and Etienne Laliberté reported in the June issue of Ecology, the food webs and interactions between parasitoids and their bee and wasp hosts were simplified and homogenized across habitats. As it turns out, land use was not the major contributor to this loss of interaction diversity: The researchers proposed that the lack of canopy cover in the managed and abandoned coffee agroforests and pasture and rice fields allowed for easier access as parasitoids searched for their bee and wasp hosts. In this edition of Field Talk, Jason Tylianakis discusses his findings, the fragmented habitats of Ecuador and the Homogecene era. ESA Podcast no no The Sacrificial Sibling Hypothesis http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk/field-talk-the-sacrificial-sibling-hypothesis/ http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk/field-talk-the-sacrificial-sibling-hypothesis/#comments Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:00:13 +0000 liza http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk/?p=61 The success of an animal or plant is determined by how many offspring it Jaboury Ghazoul of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerlandproduces. But in some cases, not all offspring are created equal. In the February edition of Field Talk, Jaboury Ghazoul of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, describes how some species of trees invest resources in seeds that cannot produce viable offspring. His paper in the February issue of Ecology shows that when seed predators are abundant, investment in decoy seeds – or “sacrificial siblings” – can increase a plant’s chances of producing successful progeny.

]]> http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk/field-talk-the-sacrificial-sibling-hypothesis/feed/ 0 0:10:45 The success of an animal or plant is determined by how many offspring it produces. But in some cases, not all offspring are created equal. In the February edition of Field Talk, Jaboury Ghazoul of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich[...] The success of an animal or plant is determined by how many offspring it produces. But in some cases, not all offspring are created equal. In the February edition of Field Talk, Jaboury Ghazoul of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, describes how some species of trees invest resources in seeds that cannot produce viable offspring. His paper in the February issue of Ecology shows that when seed predators are abundant, investment in decoy seeds – or “sacrificial siblings” – can increase a plant’s chances of producing successful progeny. ESA Podcast no no Candy canes as plant defenses http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk/field-talk-candy-canes-as-plant-defenses/ http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk/field-talk-candy-canes-as-plant-defenses/#comments Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:47:15 +0000 liza http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk/?p=30 What would make a plant want to stop growing towards the sun and instead grow downward? Michael Wise of the University of Virginia studies a species of goldenrod that grows toward the ground for part of the spring months, creating a morphology that looks a lot like a candy cane. He explains that this “candy-cane” morphology could increase the plant’s defenses against herbivores. The origin and evolution of such a defense, however, is a mystery when so few plants disguise themselves by this morphology, which he likens to an animal ducking to escape a threat. Read more about Wise’s research in the December issue of Ecology (www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/08-0277.1).

]]> http://www.esa.org/fieldtalk/field-talk-candy-canes-as-plant-defenses/feed/ 0 0:10:33 What would make a plant want to stop growing towards the sun and instead grow downward? Michael Wise of the University of Virginia studies a species of goldenrod that grows toward the ground for part of the spring months, creating a morphology that [...] What would make a plant want to stop growing towards the sun and instead grow downward? Michael Wise of the University of Virginia studies a species of goldenrod that grows toward the ground for part of the spring months, creating a morphology that looks a lot like a candy cane. He explains that this “candy-cane” morphology could increase the plant’s defenses against herbivores. The origin and evolution of such a defense, however, is a mystery when so few plants disguise themselves by this morphology, which he likens to an animal ducking to escape a threat. Read more about Wise’s research in the December issue of Ecology (www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/08-0277.1). ESA Podcast no no