In Defense of Plants Podcast

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Ep. 60 - Orchid Bees and Deciduous Trees Jun 12, 2016

Show notes

People like Dr. Mark Whitten are why I started this podcast. In the context of botany, Mark is the real deal. He started his academic career studying the interaction between orchids from genera such as Stanhopea, Catasetum, and Gongora and the orchid bees (Euglossini) that utilize them for the complex perfumes they produce. Today Mark is working on the USA-China Biodiversity Project which has him scouring the Appalachian Mountains for disjunct flora shared by these two continents. I have had the honor of being able to interact and learn from Mark over the last few weeks and I would be remiss if I didn't get him on the podcast. This was a fascinating conversation that you are certainly going to enjoy! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 59 - Herbaria Revisited Jun 06, 2016

Show notes

A visit to The Field Museum in Chicago is always an adventure. You never know who you might run into. On a recent visit I had the honor of sitting down for a chat with one of the herbarium collections managers, Christine Niezgoda. She has dedicated her career to herbarium work and it was a wonderful experience to be able to pick her brain a bit. This episode was produced in part by Gregory. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 58 - Saving the Rainforest May 29, 2016

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"Save the rainforest." It is probably the most pervasive meme in environmentalism. It means a lot of different things to many different people, but what does it mean in practice? How do we save the rainforest? This week's guest is working on exactly that. Dr. Corine Vriesendorp is the director of the Andes-Amazon Project for The Field Museum. Their multifaceted approach is highlighting the need to conserve these biologically diverse areas while at the same time, empowering and engaging local communities and governments by helping preserve their quality of life. In total they have managed to protect over 9 million acres of pristine rainforest in countries like Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. This is one episode you do not want to miss! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 57 - The Fascinating World of Liverworts May 22, 2016

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Say liverwort to some random person on the street and you are going to get some funny looks. Say it to the right person, however, and brace yourself because you are about to enter into a world hundreds of millions of years in the making. Liverworts represent something akin to the earliest stages in terrestrial plant evolution. Despite their diminutive stature, the world of liverworts is endlessly fascinating. For this reason I was very excited to sit down for a conversation with this week's guest. Laura Briscoe is a Research & Collections Assistant at The Field Museum who specializes in liverwort biology and her work focuses on cataloguing and describing liverwort diversity. Her research takes her to a small island off the coast of Chile where liverwort diversity far outnumbers that of vascular plants such as trees. This was one of the most fascinating conversations I have ever had and I really think you are going to enjoy it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 56 - Tales from the Field May 15, 2016

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Field season has arrived for many of us. Others have been in the field for weeks by now. Whether you study plants, fish, or geology, field work brings with it a sense of fun and adventure. It also comes with its own set of challenges. In celebration of the life of a field technician, I invited some of my friends and colleagues to tell us stories from the field. Some are funny and others end in a trip to the hospital. Regardless of the challenges, we wouldn't trade this lifestyle for anything. Join us this episode for some tales from the field! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 55 - For the Love of Ferns May 08, 2016

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Who doesn't love ferns? After all, they represent one of the oldest lineages of plants on our planet. Far from being lowly curiosities living out their lives in the shade of their flowering cousins, ferns are incredibly complex organisms with astounding diversity. Dr. Carl Rothfels joins us for a fascinating discussion about ferns and their evolution. This is one conversation you don't want to miss. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 54 - Megafaunal Dispersal Syndrome feat. Ryan from Science... sort of Apr 30, 2016

Show notes

What could be cooler than an evolutionary anachronism? It is fun to think about all of the plants on this planet that once shared their habitats with now extinct megafauna like giant ground sloths, mammoths, and gomphotheres. Well, there is a school of thought that at least some plants entered into an evolutionary relationship with these large mammals. This is especially true in the context of seed dispersal. The extinction of these animals at the end of the Pleistocene left some of these plants without seed dispersers. Their large fruits now go undispersed, often left to rot in the shade of their parent. To talk about this in more detail, (paleo)ecologist and host of the Science... sort of podcast, Ryan Haupt, for a fascinating discussion on where this theory came from and where it stands now. You may be surprised at some of the plants we talk about. This is part of a super fun crossover podcasts (check out episode 241 of the Science... sort of podcast to hear me get interviewed by some of the Science... sort of team). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 53 - Getting to Know the Carnivorous Yellow Butterwort (Pinguicula lutea) Apr 24, 2016

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Butterwort may sound like a silly name for a plant, however, the genus to which the name refers is anything but. The genus Pinguicula houses some of the most beautiful carnivorous plants on the planet. Despite their intriguing nature, we know very little about this group of plants. This is where researchers like Sam Primer of the University of Illinois come in. I first met Sam at a conference where she gave a talk about the yellow butterwort of the American southeast. Since then I have been interested in the work she is doing. Because we know so little about this species, Sam has devoted the last few years of her life to gaining a deeper understanding about everything from their carnivorous habit to their ongoing conservation. Sam's work has opened up many new lines of inquiry into this enigmatic group of carnivores. Join us for a great conversation that you are sure to enjoy! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 52 - Flower Phenology: A Story of Tradeoffs Apr 17, 2016

Show notes

Being sessile organisms, plants have to be able to cope with changes in their environment in unique ways. One of the major challenges plants face is knowing when to flower. Whereas some species stick to steadfast schedules, others have evolved some flexibility to cope with their stochastic surroundings. Dr. Emily Austen is interested in the evolution and maintenance of flowering strategies. She is also undertaking a fascinating citizen science project involving trout lily pollen color. With spring well underway, this is a timely episode you won't want to miss. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 51 - Cemetery Prairies Apr 10, 2016

Show notes

Because they were never plowed under, pioneer cemeteries have functioned as an important refugia for prairie remnants. These small patches of habitat allow us to look back at what much of the midwest once looked like. They also harbor some of the rarest prairie plants that simply cannot survive in more disturbed habitats. As a tribute to these small nature preserves, Strange Bird blogger Sara Johnson and I set out on a mini tour of three cemetery prairie preserves here in central Illinois. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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