WTF, Biology?31 Mar 2021

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."

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Episoder(20)

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 fl...

9 Jun 202113min

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 wit...

2 Jun 202159min

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 lifes...

20 Mai 202149min

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...

5 Mai 202143min

Episode 9: The importance of disturbing events with Dr. Dave Lytle

Western North American landscapes are driven by ecological disturbances. That might mean wildfire, insect outbreaks, or gophers. In the Colorado River and other western North American streams, that me...

28 Apr 202130min

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)....

21 Apr 202121min

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 f...

14 Apr 202155min

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 Biologis...

7 Apr 202114min