![[S2E22] The Best Cryptid](https://is4-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts112/v4/be/11/a5/be11a5f1-bb2b-43c0-8899-b7d9c633baa6/mza_2428575537825290138.png/250x250bb.jpg)
Episoder
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Bees know more than you. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but they definitely know more than you realize! From complex problem solving to tool use to wing-sparkle navigation, bees illuminate our understanding of insect cognition. In this episode, Nicole invites us to perceive the world as our buzzy, bumbly friends might, in beautifully smooth 240 fps.
Primary Source:
Buchmann, S. 2023. What a Bee Knows: Exploring the Thoughts, Memories, and Personalities of Bees. Island Press. Support us and indie bookstores when you buy the book through this Bookshop.org link!Contact:Website Facebook [email protected]
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Desertification is a major threat to many grasslands, so let's study the best real-world example: The Horqin Grassland, aka the Horqin Sandy Lands. How has this landscape changed over time, what can it teach us about the future of arid grasslands, and which approaches by Inner Mongolia and China to fight desertification give us hope? We love a hopeful story, and this certainly is one.
Primary Sources:
Visual timeline of land deterioration and reversals. (Image)https://www.scitepress.org/PublishedPapers/2021/110202/110202.pdf Song, C., Wang, S., & Lu, W. (2021). Landscapes in the Horqin Sandy Land: Patterns And Processes. Proceedings of The International Conference on Water Resource and Environment. https://doi.org/10.5220/0011020200003354 Huang, W., He, Y., Wang, H., Zhao, X., & Zhu, Y. (2023). Long-term effects of restoration on the links between above-and belowground biodiversity in degraded Horqin Sandy Grassland, northern China. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1128187 Chen, Q., Yang, X., Kwon, S., Li, Y., Liu, J., & Zhang, K. (2023). Woody plant cover trends and potential drivers in the Horqin Temperate Steppe, Northeast China: Remote Sensing-based computation and modeling. Ecological Indicators, 146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109789Serod, Tsedevdorj. (2018). Population changes behind grassland degradation in Horqin region of Inner Mongolia , China. Research of One Health. https://www.academia.edu/109077058/Population_changes_behind_grassland_degradation_in_Horqin_region_of_Inner_Mongolia_ChinaContact:Website Facebook Twitter [email protected]
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Mangler du episoder?
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We get patriotic (kinda) in this special episode where all three hosts work together to petition for new national symbols for the US of A. New floral emblem, new national symbol, and a brand new category all-together. Why do we love non-native national symbols? Who knows. Do better, America.
Photos and more are at our site.
Primary Sources:
As if this silly episode could have any. Do let us know who picked the best emblem though.Contact:Website Facebook Twitter [email protected]
Support us:Bonfire Merch StoreOr donate: Donorbox; CashApp: $GrasslandGroupies
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The fastest land animal in North America, second fastest in the world: the graceful, wonderful, pronghorn. Nicole shares all the reasons these icons of the American prairie are truly the best from their evolutionary history to their epic stare battles between each other and rump flashes to warn of predators.
Primary Sources:
Kitchen, D. 1974. Social Behavior and Ecology of the Pronghorn. Wildlife Monographs, No. 38., pp 3-96.Bender, L., Rosas-Rosas, O.,Hartsough, M., Rodden, C., Morrow, P. 2019. Effect of predation on adult pronghorn Antilocapra americana (Antilocapridae) in New Mexico, Southwestern USA. Mammalia, 2019, Vol 83, Issue 3 p.248-254.On the Move: Pronghorn Migrations Across Seasons. The Nature Conservancy and National Wildlife Federation.Contact:Website Facebook Twitter [email protected]
Support us:Bonfire Merch StoreOr donate: Donorbox, CashApp: $GrasslandGroupies
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Patas Monkeys are weird little guys with fabulous mustaches and very intricate relationships with a special tree on the African savannah. We talk acacias, ants, and the Lorax as Allan tries to make Nicole love just a single primate.
Photos and more are at our site.
Primary Sources:
Palmer, T., Stanton, M., Young T., Goheen, J., Pringle, R., and Karban, R. 2008. Breakdown of an ant-plant mutualism follows the loss of large herbivores from an African savanna.Isbell, L. and Young, T. 2007. Interspecific and temporal variation of ant species within Acacia drepanolobium ant domatia, a staple food of patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) in Laikipia, KenyaDr. Seuss and the real Lorax. Dominy, N., Winters, S., Pease, D., Higham, J. 2018. Dr Seuss and the real Lorax. Nature Ecology & Evolution.Contact:Website Facebook Twitter [email protected]
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This is a special podcast swap episode where we host Kindred Podcast's Power of Fire episode. Learn about the history of fire, how it shapes the landscape and people that live there.
Speakers:Tony Incashola Jr., forest manager for CSKT (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), and Stephanie Gillin, information and education program manager and former wildlife biologist for the CSKT at the Flathead Indian Reservation.
Kindred Podcast hosts: Kate and Jen. Producer: Kat Gatti.
Primary Sources:
Kindred Podcast websiteContact Grassland Groupies:Website Facebook Twitter [email protected]
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The long-legged, sickle claw wielding seriema is a wonderful bird that provides insight into the extinct terror birds of old. Rachel explains the link between past and present and we ponder whether or not scientists ever bother actually looking at birds.
Photos and more are at our site.
Primary Sources:
Oswald, T., Curtice, B., Bolander, M., Lopez, C. January 2023. Observation of Claw Use and Feeding Behavior of the Red-Legged Seriema and Its Implication for Claw Use in Deinonychosaurs. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science.Contact:Website Facebook Twitter [email protected]
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The conservation story of Canada's polar-vortex-loving Wood Bison is one of colossal mistakes, stacked odds, and (to our gleeful surprise) hope and optimism. These animals have survived drowning, disease, and hybridization, and have gone on to... success? Allan explores this topic in today's episode.
Primary Sources:
2018 Wood Bison Recovery Strategy (SARA Series)https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/recovery-strategies/wood-bison-2018.html#toc11
Contact:Website Facebook Twitter [email protected]
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It's snowy and getting colder where we're at, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't go outside. Rachel gives a compelling argument as to why winter is the best time of year for birding and gives insight into the Christmas Bird Count: a citizen science project dating back over a hundred years.
Learn more about the Christmas Bird Count here.
Primary Sources:
Gill, F. B., Prum, R. O., & Robinson, S. K. (2019). Ornithology. W.H. Freeman, Macmillan Learning. Sibley, D. (2020). What it’s like to be a bird: From flying to nesting, eating to singing -- what birds are doing, and why. Alfred A. Knopf. Affiliate purchase link.Contact:Website Facebook Twitter [email protected]
Support us:Bonfire Merch StoreOr donate: DonorboxCashApp: $GrasslandGroupies
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This episode is a little different. We celebrate spooky season with the haunting tales of feldgeist, Sinkhole Sam, and the Ohio Grassman. These stories haunt the minds of those who visit prairies and fields across the globe. Be weary, you never know what's lurking in the tall grass.
Photos and more are at our site.
Contact:Website Facebook Twitter [email protected]
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Grasshopper mice are small but fierce. They howl like wolves, stalk their prey like cats, and finish up with a quick face clean. These solitary animals like to live life dangerously and enjoy even venomous meals.
Photos and more are at our site.
Primary Sources:
Grasshopper Mouse Hunting and Howling [YouTube]Animal Diversity Web. Regents of the University of Michigan.USDA Bulletin: Life History and Habits of Grass-hopper mice, genus Onychomys. (1939). [PDF]Richardson, D., Karczmar, A. G., & Scudder, C. L. (1972). Intergeneric behavioral differences among methamphetamine treated mice. Psychopharmacologia, 25(4), 347–375.Tracey Switek. Onychomys: Tiny Terror of the Western Deserts.Contact:Website Facebook Twitter [email protected]
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Nicole talks painted dogs: a surprisingly wholesome and fun-loving animal. They are excellent hunters, take care of not just their pups but their elderly, and rarely squabble amongst themselves.
Photos and more are at our site.
Primary Sources:
Painted Dog Conservation website. Painted Dog Research Trust website.Robert L. Robbins. (2000). Vocal Communication in Free-Ranging African Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus). Behaviour, 137(10), 1271–1298.COZZI, G., BEHR, D. M., WEBSTER, H. S., et al (2020). African Wild Dog Dispersal and Implications for Management. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 84(4), 614–621.ContactWebsite Facebook Twitter [email protected]
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Enjoy this episode of very good facts and very good nonsense. We revisit a nice game of stump the podcast host, this time with more bug viscera and talking ourselves out of an obvious answer.
Our Info:Website Facebook [email protected]
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In the Páramo grasslands of South America is a cloud covered land where a unique ecosystem thrives. Allan tells us all about a plant that drinks clouds plus the miraculous little hummingbirds that call this place home.
Photos and more are at our site.
Primary Sources:
Luteyn, J. 1999. Páramos: A Checklist of Plant Diversity, Geographical Distribution, and Botanical Literature. Taxon, Vol. 48, No. 3.Buytaert, W et al. 2005. Clay mineralogy of the soils in the south Ecuadorian paramo region. Geoderman Vol 127, Iss 1-2. Carrington, D. 2019. In the land of El Dorado, clean water has become ‘blue gold’. The Guardian.ContactWebsite Facebook Twitter [email protected]
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Did you know meerkats are far more murderous than they seem or that their burrows can be as wide as a Purple Worm's? All this and more as we delve underground and find out why they can be so aggressive and who would win in a fight: 1000 meerkats or Nicole.
Primary Sources:
Gómez, J., Verdú, M., González-Megías, A., Méndez, M. 2016. The phylogenetic roots of human lethal violence. Nature 538, 233-237.Dyble, M., Houslay, T., Manser, M., Clutton-Brock, T. 2019. Intergroup aggression in meerkats. Proc. R. Soc. B. 286: 20161993.Young A., and Clutton-Brock, T. 2006. Infanticide by subordinates influences reproductive sharing in cooperatively breeding meerkats. Biol. Lett.2385–387.ContactWebsite Facebook [email protected]
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Conservation can be DEPRESSING, so for Mental Health Month we decided to share ONLY positive news and stories (after taking a little break for our brains). Rewire those neurons everybody, because it's not all bleak.
Good news so far in May:
Biden-Harris Administration announced $36 million for national forests and grasslandsDakota Prairie Grasslands received $464,000 of that to improve access.US Department of Agriculture and the Interior announced $2.8 billion in funding for 2024 authorized by the Great American Outdoors Act to improve access to management and recreation opportunities on national forests and grasslands.Proposed CRP Reform Act of 2023TNC funding 9 grasslands research projects thru 2023 JE Weaver Small Grands AwardsArizona is restoring migration routes for pronghorn and mule deerSouth Dakota spending $1 mil restoring grasslandsNo-Mow-Summer in Dengibghshire County, WalesEarless Dragon burrows (Video)Saving Phu My, one of the Mekong Delta’s last natural grasslandsUN International Year of Rangelands and PastoralistsWWF Policy Actions to Save GrasslandsThere's still time to save the Cerrado! (New Research)Cargill got sued over Cerrado deforestation again.Good news deep dives:
Success in the Savanna: Blue-throated Macaw Update2022 State of the Birds ReportNorth American Grasslands Conservation ActGreat Plains Ecotourism CoalitionUtah Wildlife Board approves changes to Utah prairie dog ruleContactWebsite Facebook [email protected]
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Wherein Rachel makes a definitive list of best bird nests in North American grasslands.
Primary Sources:
A Field Guide to Birds Nests by Hal HarrisonThe Birder's Handbook by Paul R. EhrlichMadison Audubon's Into the NestContactWebsite Facebook [email protected]
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Ostriches are one of the strangest birds we've ever talked about. They are the world's biggest bird and toughest survivor. They nest together, have radiators for necks, and can drink saltwater.
Photos and more are at our site.
Primary Sources:
"Strangest Bird Alive". 2016. National Geographic. Documentary.Schou, M.F., Bonato, M., Engelbrecht, A. et al. Extreme temperatures compromise male and female fertility in a large desert bird. Nat Commun 12, 666 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-20937-7Knut Schmidt-Nielsen, John Kanwisher, Robert C. Lasiewski, Jerome E. Cohn, William L. Bretz, Temperature Regulation and Respiration in the Ostrich, The Condor, Volume 71, Issue 4, 1 October 1969, Pages 341–352, https://doi.org/10.2307/1365733ContactWebsite Facebook [email protected]
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Soils define habitats as much as the plantlife, so let's talk about that! How do you identify a soil species, and should grassland ecosystem restorations include soil microbe transplants?
Photos and more are at our site.
Primary Sources:
Prairie: A Natural History of the Heart of North America by Candace Savage [Affiliate Bookshop Link]Current and Future Perspectives on Microbially Focused Restoration Strategies in Tallgrass Prairies: [Link]ContactWebsite Facebook [email protected]
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Basic midwest feeder bird or mysterious exotic tundra sparrow? Actually, both! Harris's Sparrows, one of the most enigmatic North American sparrows, are about to travel well out of reach into the remote frigid north, so let's gossip about them before they're gone. Only a handful of studies have been done with this species, and to this day we lack pretty basic Breeding Bird Survey information about their populations.
Primary Sources:
Norment, C. J., S. A. MacDougall-Shackleton, D. J. Watt, P. Pyle, and M. A. Patten (2020). Harris's Sparrow(Zonotrichia querula ), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.harspa.01ContactWebsite Facebook [email protected]
- Se mer
![[S3E7] Bees Know Everything](https://is4-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts112/v4/be/11/a5/be11a5f1-bb2b-43c0-8899-b7d9c633baa6/mza_2428575537825290138.png/80x80bb.jpg)