Mammals – Field Talk

Immersed in the clouds: Interview with tropical cloud forest researcher

liza — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:41:08 +0000

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

Biocontrol Insects and the Mammals Who Love Them

liza — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:44:01 +0000

Managing biological invasions is one of ecology’s most difficult challenges. One controversial approach is the use of biocontrol agents, which involves transplanting an invasive’s natural enemies in an effort to control its spread. In this episode of Field Talk, Dean Pearson, a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service, talks about a grassland community in western Montana where a biocontrol insect has been introduced to control an invasive weed. His paper in the September issue of Ecological Applications shows that even the most carefully selected biocontrol agents can have complex and detrimental indirect effects on the community.

Arctic Marine Mammals

liza — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:02:36 +0000

Timothy Ragen, Executive Director of the Marine Mammal Commission, talks about a special issue of Ecological Applications which focuses on arctic marine mammals and climate change. The Commission supported publication of the Supplement issue, which features a cross-section of experts offering their insights to the future of arctic marine mammals. Ragen talks about which species may be most vulnerable to climate change.