Species are everywhere, but they don’t exist: Wherein we discuss different methods of defining species, the purpose of separating living things into categories, why it seems like species exist, and why, ultimately, they may not. If species don’t exactly exist, is the concept still meaningful? Yes. Find out why on the Quest podcast.
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The voices:
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Danaan DeNeve – Evolutionary ecologist, PhD candidate at UC Merced
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Nate Fox – Paleontologist, PhD candidate at UC Merced
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Taran Rallings – Paleo food web modeler, PhD student at UC Merced
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We will update this blog post with some exciting accessory information very soon
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Next up:Models and Data Collection: the methods, the tension, and the search for reality
Today the world celebrates World Wetlands Day!
(ONE day?!? … wait… that’s OK, May makes up for that… the entire month is American Wetlands month… we’ll get really bogged down in them then… )
Wetlands are one of my favorite places… they are where land and water meet and (when healthy) life flourishes! … “what” you ask “are wetlands?”
Wetlands are marshes, bogs, swamps, fens… wetlands are areas where water covers land (permanently or cyclically) in a way that it creates a distinct ecosystem ( ecosystem = a community of organisms [plants, animals, microbes, etc.] and its environment functioning as an ecological unit).
San Lorenzo River Lagoon, Santa Cruz, Ca. (photo: Chiara)
Before we get to describing some of the befits we enjoy from healthy wetlands, I’d like to share a few of *my* favorite wetlands:
Red-crested Cardinal in Kealia Pond (wetland) National Wildlife Refuge, Maui. (photo: Chiara)
Tide-pool with algae, egg sacs, and an unexpected surprise… (photo: Chiara)…the humuhumunukunukuapua’a, a.k.a the reef triggerfish (and the state fish of Hawai’i). (photo: Chiara)
Wetlands of Agate Beach, Oregon. (photo: Chiara)Flooding Creek… provides…
…recreation… 😉 (photo: Chiara)
… returning Coho salmon habitat. The salmon use flood waters/wetlands to access spawning grounds and the young use the nutrients provided… (photo: Chiara)
Wetlands are one of the most productive ecosystems in the world.
Wetlands provide food, water, and shelter… and not just for wild animals, for us also.
A quick review of the main benefits of wetlands:
Water Quality
Wetlands act as natural water filters, filtering out many pollutants and sediments.
Water Quantity and Impacts
Wetlands help to dampen the impact of storms and droughts, absorbing storm energy (decreasing erosion, turbidity, and the resulting sedimentation) and storing and slowing water flow (decreasing flood and drought).
In addition to slowing and storing water, wetlands also allow ground water recharge, critical for human water supplies.
Atmospheric Maintenance
Wetlands store carbon in their plants and soils, potentially moderating climactic impacts.
Ae’o. Endangered Hawaiian stilt, ~ 1500 remain in the wild. (photo: Chiara)
Habitat
Wetlands, of course, also directly provide habitat for many species (including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals). Many other
Moss Landing, Ca., with complimentary sea otters. (photo: Chiara)
animals also use wetlands for food and shelter (elk, moose, bear, etc).
Most of US waterfowl and commercial fisheries depend on wetlands.
In addition, about a third of all plants and animals listed as threatened or endangered in the US depend on wetlands to survive.The plants and microbes living in wetlands are also unique in many ways, many can only survive in specific types of wetlands.
Ecosystem Productivity
Certain wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems on earth and they also have an immediate impact on habitats *down stream*, effectively feeding them.
Recreational
Healthy wetlands are generally beautiful places, ideal for many recreational activities: hiking, water activities, bird watching, fishing, hunting, and photography.
(remember, we’ll explore more of The World Of Wetlands in May, American Wetlands Month!)
Explore the Wonder of the Season! – – (*see Side Note at bottom of page)
Winter has held a deep significance for humans for, well, at least as long as we have been human. It is a time when the dark of the year is at it’s greatest, we know we have the challenge of the depths of winter ahead, and we tend to have more time for introspection (especially at the higher latitudes… you know… the further from the equator you get, the places that have greater seasonal/temperature variations).
We watch the world around us and use symbolism to help us describe things of great significance to us…
This post is an exploration of those changes that we see as we pass through the darkest time of the year and face the challenges of winter (especially historically, because human culture and biology are an expression of our accumulated history)… the plan is to edit this post each day for the 12 days before Yule / Christmas (Dec 13-24), and then to follow that with a post on the 12 days after (which are the traditional “12 days of Christmas”).
This is the holiday season… so please be especially patient if we are late editing/posting… I promise, there is a cookie in your future for you if you do (if you remind me, ’cause lately i need the reminder ) .
< We’ll mark the topics covered within the “Twelve Days *Before* (Winter 2017)” blog post/s that we *explore more* from our “Explore the Wonder of the Season, 2017″ Winter Holiday Card with a nice bright apple! Why an apple?
Watch for our updates later within this post to explore that Quest_ion!
find it in the night sky so you can see it too.
… and, bonus points, it is there every year waiting for you like an early holiday gift, in early through mid December!
The Geminid meteor shower was first identified in 1862, and is believed to be intensifying every year.
Meteor showers have deep meaning for humans… some even taking them as a sign, as famously happened during the massive (and I use that word carefully ) 1833 Leonid meteor shower .
The 1833 Leonid meteor shower, which is credited for giving birth to meteor science, had rates of tens of thousands of meteors per hour (20 to 30 per second!), caused awe, wonder, and (yes, among some) panic:
“Upwards of 100 lay prostrate on the ground…with their hands raised, imploring God to save the world and them. The scene was truly awful; for never did rain fall much thicker than the meteors fell towards the Earth; east, west, north and south, it was the same.”
…from this report from South Carolina… Chambers, A Handbook of Descriptive and Practical Astronomy, Volume 1, 1889.
I know this may seem crazy now… to think that people panicked because there was a meteor shower, but these people did not understand what was happening… and it was a *really* intense meteor shower!
Science has helped people to understand how to predict meteor showers, what danger they realistically present, what causes them, and to explore what they are made of…
Tonight’s show will be great, and while it won’t be the *greatest ever*, it will be really impressive… a great show… likely the best of the year… and, while hopefully it won’t cause you to panic, it could change your life (if you let it ; ) .
…in search of a pear tree?!?
2} Christmas Bird Count BEGINS! (Dec. 14)
…and without the mess of dealing with all 184 birds from “The 12 Days of Christmas”!
YOU can participate in meaningful citizen science, even from your own backyard!
The Annual Christmas Bird Count, hosted by Audubon Society, begins Dec. 14, 2017, and goes through Jan. 5, 2018.
You can participate alone, get the whole family and friends involved, or join a group. It’s easy to participate! Go learn more about it *here* and use/ click on *this* map to find the local group you report to online to report the birds you see!
The Audubon annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) started in 1900 when Frank M. Chapman, an early officer of the recently formed Audubon Society, proposed that Audubon create a *new* holiday tradition, an annual bird census! Participants would *count* birds instead of hunting them, promoting conservation of dwindling bird populations, and also creating a tool for ornithology (the scientific study of birds!). Twenty-five bird counts were held that first day (Christmas Day, 1900), ranging from Ontario, Canada, to Pacific Grove, CA, USA. A total of 90 species were counted… Annual Summaries can be found here and from there full bibliographies (with links to Bird Count results) can be found *here*.
Information on help identifying birds visually and through calls can be found *here* at the Audubon web site!
(Cornell Birds is always a great source too!)
3} The Mistletoe Kiss (Dec. 15)
…as promised on our holiday card here is where we tell more of the story (or as much as we can without re-translating several conflicting versions of The Edda)
Mistletoe
Kissing under the mistletoe stems primarily from Norse mythology….
the story goes like this … When Baldur (also called “The Shining One”, Odin and Frigg’s son), the most beloved of the gods ( so joyful, courageous, and generous that he gave off light/ illumination) began dreaming of his death, his mother Frigg (in some referred to as Frija), the goddess of love, went to the plants and animals to obtain oaths not to harm him.
The other gods, finding this whole situation ridiculous, that the invincible and loved Baldur could be harmed by anything, took to throwing things at him (axes, blades, etc.). But Frigg had overlooked the apparently harmless mistletoe.
When Loki, the god of mischief and envious of Baldur, learned this, he made a dart (in some stories an arrow or spear) from mistletoe and then teased the blind god Hodr about not joining in the fun of chucking things at Baldur… Hodr threw the dart at Baldur and he fell, dead.
At this point, again, versions vary… some say Baldur died and was resurrected again after 3 days, some say he died, not to return until after Ragnorak…… but we aren’t worried about that part of the story today, today we’re watching the mistletoe…
Frigg and/or Mistletoe wept for Baldur, and the tears became mistletoe’s white berries, from there versions vary again… but the result was that Frigg blessed the mistletoe, decreed it a symbol of enduring love and friendship, and promised a kiss to all who passed beneath it.
So… we share a kiss beneath the mistletoe to show our goodwill…
Mistletoe (Santalaceae)
*symbol of vitality, fecundity, & goodwill*
Mistletoe can be found in many parts of the world and symbolizes everlasting life. It has also been used medicinally in traditional cultures, and was called “all heal” by the ancient Celts.
Today it’s medicinal properties are being studied by science…
Nutty Mushroom Cookies! (image linked to recipe page)
you can coat practically *anything* in chocolate!
…*and*, bonus, scientific research is showing that dark chocolate has health benefits!
*Protection from Disease-Causing Free Radicals.
*Antioxidant-Rich Super-food.
*Better Cognitive Function.
*Improved Heart Health.
*Good for Overall Cholesterol Profile.
*Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar Aid.
*Potential Cancer Prevention.
In honor of this delectable day we’re posting several recipes that we love to make during the winter holidays that, yes, are coated in chocolate!
*Side Note:
…btw … if you received a holiday card directly from us, you know that glitter on the card?
Biodegradable glitter (for craft, food, and make-up) is now a *thing*!
Regular (non-biodegradable) glitter, micro-beads, and mylar have become *huge* environmental problems… they look like bits of food to many critters and can 1) directly kill them, 2) cause illness that can even impact offspring, and 3) can carry toxins to *us* (let’s say a fish eats that toxic glitter, processes it, and then *we* eat that fish…) …
…so, yeah, QuestX suggests using biodegradable products!
Yep… scientists researching the ecology of scavengers (in other words> studying how animals that feed on dead animal or plant matter interact with each other and their environments) during winter in the Great Basin Desert, Utah, staked out 7 calf carcasses (each with an associated trap camera) and got an unexpected result…
Badgers!
Scientific researchers in Great Basin Desert, Utah, caught American badgers (on trap cameras) caching cows.
While badgers are known scavengers, the researchers hadn’t planned on studying any mustelids, including badgers.
Badgers are hard to study since they are generally active underground or are nocturnal (out and about at night), so their behaviors aren’t well-known. Last winter (January, 2016) the researchers caught two badgers (images, not the badgers themselves! ; ) caching two of the staked out carcasses. This is the first evidence of a badger caching / burying an animal larger than itself.
Here is a video (from a trap camera) of one of those badgers caching /burying it’s find for later:
Today the world celebrates World Wetlands Day!
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beloved of the gods ( so joyful, courageous, and generous that he gave off light/ illumination) began dreaming of his death, his mother Frigg (in some referred to as Frija), the goddess of love, went to the plants and animals to obtain oaths not to harm him.
