In Defense of Plants Podcast

By In Defense of Plants

Natural Sciences Science & Medicine

What's In Defense of Plants Podcast about?

Plants are everything. They are also incredibly interesting. From the smallest duckweed to the tallest redwood, the botanical world is full of wonder. Tune in for a podcast celebrating everything botany.

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Ep. 414 - Tales from an Acc...

03.26.2023

When it comes to habitat rehabilitation, making native plant diversity a high priority will greatly increase your chances of success. Healthy, diverse plant communities set the foundation for biodiversity. Such a realization was what set my guest Jeff Talbert on ...

In Defense of Plants Podcast episodes:

03.26.2023 Ep. 414 - Tales from an Accidental Botanist When it comes to habitat rehabilitation, making native plant diversity a high priority will greatly increase your chances of success. Healthy, diverse plant communities set the foundation for biodiversity. Such a realization was what set my guest Jeff Talbert on ...
03.19.2023 Ep. 413 - Down the Redbud Rabbit Hole When it comes to plants, there are more unknowns than knowns, even for very familiar species. You never know where even seemingly simple questions can lead you. Such was the case for Dr. Jorge Alberto Santiago-Blay when he decided to ...
03.12.2023 Ep. 412 - A Trip on the Scrub Mint Time Machine The links between plant taxonomy, evolution, geology, and conservation are not always obvious. It can be very difficult to seamlessly tie these worlds together in a meaningful way, but Botanical Curator of the Wertheim Conservatory Dr. Andre Naranjo has managed ...
03.05.2023 Ep. 411 - Chollas & Biodiversity Revisited When Dr. Jon Rebman decided to take on the diversity of cholla cacti, little did he know what he was getting into. Luckily, this work led him down a road stoked by a deep passion for understanding the biodiversity of ...
02.26.2023 Ep. 410 - Phenology is Important Phenology is defined as "the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant and animal life." Far from being a fun topic to investigate, plant phenology is a very important component of how ecosystems ...
02.19.2023 Ep. 409 - Butterflies in a Changing World Butterflies and plants are inextricably linked. It stands to reason then that if you want healthy butterfly populations, you first need plant diversity on the landscape. Join me and Dr. Katy Prudic as we explore her research into how we ...
02.12.2023 Ep. 408 - Prairie Up! Do you want to bring native plants into your life in ways that will inspire others? Do you want to turn whatever space you have into habitat that fosters biodiversity? Diving into the world of ecological landscaping may seem daunting ...
02.05.2023 Ep. 407 - Orchid Bees: Botanical Perfumers Orchid bees are not your average pollinators. Hailing from tropical regions of the Americas, these little gems have complex relationships with a variety of plants focussed on perfume production. Join Dr. Santiago Ramírez and me as we dive into the ...
01.29.2023 Ep. 406 - Reconstructing Ancient Plants What does it take to reconstruct a plant that went extinct hundreds of millions of years ago? How do you find the right context to place it in when so much has changed? These are just some of the questions ...
01.22.2023 Ep. 405 - Early Land Plants & Earth's Ancient Climate The earliest days of land plant evolution have long thought to have occurred in a hot house environment fueled by high CO2 levels. However, recent investigations suggest this may not have been the case and that small plants, not forests, ...
01.15.2023 Ep. 404 - The Secrets of Vanilla Dispersal Vanilla scent and flavoring is loved the world over, but what is the story behind vanillin, the compound responsible for producing these properties? Many theories as to its ecological function have been put forward over the last century and finally ...
01.08.2023 Ep. 403 - Fossil Bryophytes Revisited The odds of any living material becoming fossilized are extremely rare, especially if that living thing is a moss, liverwort, or hornwort. It does happen, however, and my guest today is dedicating his career to studying and understanding what bryophyte ...
01.01.2023 Ep. 402 - Plant Communities & Trails Have you ever wondered about the impact of outdoor recreation on plant communities? Trinie Chisholm certainly has. Together with her colleagues, Trinie sought to investigate how offroad vehicle and other type of trails are impacting plants in Canada's Castle Provincial ...
12.25.2022 Ep. 401 - Seeing the Forest for its Bats Many bats need forests and, as it turns out, those forests need bats. We are well aware that the majority of North America's bats eat insects, but what is the impact of their insectivorous diet on forest health? Join me ...
12.18.2022 Ep. 400 - The Root of an Ancient Mass Extinction We take plant roots for granted, but there was a time in Earth's history when roots had yet to evolve. As you are going to hear from Professor of Earth Sciences, Dr. Gabe Filippelli, when roots did evolve, they may ...
12.11.2022 Ep. 399 - Remembering a Cycad Defender This episode is dedicated to the memory of world-renowned cycad expert Dr. Nathalie Nagalingum who sadly passed away. I first spoke with Dr. Nagalingum back in 2017 where she opened my eyes to the plight of cycads. Did you know ...
12.04.2022 Ep. 398 - Tall Trees & the Habitats They Create Tall trees are true marvels of nature in and of themselves, but the habitats they create can take our fascination and appreciation to whole new levels. Dr. Steve Sillett has spent his career climbing giant trees and uncovering remarkable insights ...
11.27.2022 Ep. 397 - Grappling with the Hawthorns The hawthorns (Crataegus spp.) are in intriguing group of small trees. They are members of a genus that has sparked plenty of controversy and debate among taxonomists for decades and it doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon. ...
11.20.2022 Ep. 396 - The Secrets of Seagrass Pollination For seagrasses, living life underwater comes with a lot of unique challenges, not the least of which is pollination. This is especially true when you consider the fact that their flowers are both ephemeral and borne submerged. Figuring out the ...
11.13.2022 Ep. 395 - Botany in the Garden I am a big fan of the "grow it to know it" philosophy. Growing plants provides so many important insights into the botanical world. However, for so many of us, figuring out where to start can be daunting. Botany, after ...
11.06.2022 Ep. 394 - Insect Herbivory Past & Present Insect herbivory is a major driver of ecosystem processes across ecosystems, but how has it changed through time? Wouldn't it be amazing to travel back through time to see how much plant-insect interactions have changed? Essentially, that is what Dr. ...
10.30.2022 Ep. 393 - Threats to U.S. Trees What are the threats to all the trees in the U.S.? To answer this question, you first have to figure out how many species there are and comb through data gathered by hundreds of dedicated biologists, ecologists, and more. Join ...
10.23.2022 Ep. 392 - Botanizing Down Under Plant ecologist Sara Johnson and I look back at a recent botanical adventure in southern Australia with fondness. Never before have we been exposed to such distinct biodiversity compared to what we are used to. Listen in as we talk ...
10.16.2022 Ep. 391 - A Non-Model, Model Plant Group Today we are focusing on a strange genus of plants in the family Euphorbiaceae. The Dalechampia can be found growing in tropical forests throughout much of the world. We revisit a 2018 discussion I had with Dr. Scott Armbruster, who ...
10.09.2022 Ep. 390 - Pinosaur Revisited The Wollemi pine is one of the world's rarest trees. These mysterious gymnosperms was unknown to science until 1994. Their discovery made headlines around the globe. My guest today, Dr. Heidi Zimmer, has the distinct honor of working with this ...
10.02.2022 Ep. 389 - Old Growth Grasslands Grasslands are in desperate need of both protecting and restoring. These important and diverse ecosystems have long been viewed as less important than forests but that could not be farther from the truth. Join me and Dr. Katharine Suding as ...
09.25.2022 Ep. 388 - Sprucey Soils Plants help create soil just as much as they depend on it for their survival. Understanding how this affects the ecosystems that plants comprise can provide novel and important insights into ecosystem restoration and health. Soil geographer Dr. Jim Thompson ...
09.18.2022 Ep. 387 - A Sequenced Fern Genome Ferns may have an ancient evolutionary history and enjoy something of a celebrity status among the botanically and non-botanically minded alike, but a fully sequenced fern genome has been hard to come by... until now. Join me and Dr. Blaine ...
09.11.2022 Ep. 386 - Rethinking Black Walnut Allelopathy "Don't garden under a black walnut!" If you garden in eastern North America, you may have heard some form of this advice at one point or another. Indeed, Juglans nigra has a negative reputation for being allelopathic or producing compounds ...
09.04.2022 Ep. 385 - Plants = Habitat Habitat destruction is the leading cause of extinction on this planet. Plants = Habitat. There is no way around it. We revisit a conversation I had with Pierson Hill, a biologist at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in Florida. ...
08.28.2022 Ep. 384 - Arborvitae on the Limit Edge of range dynamics are always fascinating. Range edges present lots of unique challenges for which plants must contend. When you throw humans into the mix, those challenges often become far more extreme. Join me and plant ecologist Sara Johnson ...
08.21.2022 Ep. 383 - Aroid Pollination is Wild! This episode, we revisit a conversation I had with University of Vienna PhD student Florian Etl regarding an in depth look at a pollination system involving some of our most beloved houseplants. Florian focuses on genera like Philodendron, Anthurium, Dieffenbachia, ...
08.14.2022 Ep. 382 - The Rediscovery of an Extinct Oak Extinction due to human activity is a terrible thing, but every once in a while, a species thought to be extinct is rediscovered. If we are extremely lucky, small populations still exist in the wild. If we are less lucky, ...
08.07.2022 Ep. 381 - American Ginseng Revisited What is American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and why is it becoming increasingly rare in North American forests. In this episode, we revisit a conversation I had back in 2015 with Dave DeViney, a scientist deeply passionate about this plant. As ...
07.31.2022 Ep. 380 - Learning to Grow Plants on the Moon Can we grow plants in moon soil or regolith? If so, how are they going to respond? These are the kinds of questions Dr. Robert Ferl and his colleagues set out to answer in their latest experiment. Tune in and ...
07.24.2022 Ep. 379 - Tiny Orchids & Protected Forests This week, we revisit a conversation I had with Lou Jost, founder of Fundación EcoMinga back in 2019. When Lou Jost and friends realized how quickly the rainforests of Ecuador were disappearing they decided to do something about it. Thus, ...
07.17.2022 Ep. 378 - Dracula Orchids & the Threat of Gold Mining The Dracula Reserve in Ecuador was formed with orchids at the center of its focus but it is home to untold numbers of species. New discoveries are made every year, which further emphasizes this region as a biodiversity hotspot for ...
07.10.2022 Ep. 377 - The Whitebark Pine's Complicated Future The whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is a cornerstone of the ecology of western North America. Whether its their direct interactions with animals like the Clark's nutcracker or their indirect influences on snowpack and hydrology, the loss of these trees would ...
07.03.2022 Ep. 376 - Adventures in Azalea Pollination Azaleas are beloved by many yet countless mysteries remain about the ecologies of various species. For instance, who are their main pollinators? Are they the same or different across azalea species? And, what do swallowtail butterfly wings have to do ...
06.26.2022 Ep. 375 - Insights from the Popcorn Flowers You never know what we can from plants until we take a closer look. Such is the case for the popcorn flowers (genus Cryptantha). These members of the forget-me-not family offer wonderful insights into topics like ecology, evolution, and biogeography. ...
06.19.2022 Ep. 374 - A Milkweed on the Brink As far as milkweeds are concerned, Mead's milkweed (Asclepias meadii) doesn't grab a lot of headlines. That is a shame because it is a milkweed in desperate need of conservation attention. Its preferred habitat is unplowed, remnant prairies and those ...
06.12.2022 Ep. 373 - The Sex Lives of Yucca Revisited We dive into the back catalogue this episode to explore the world of Yucca pollination. Yuccas are cool plants just based on appearances but their pollination ecology is downright fascinating. All members of the genus Yucca rely on moths for ...
06.05.2022 Ep. 372 - Cyanogenic Plants Cyanide is one of the most potent toxins on our planet and a bewildering variety of plants put in the effort to produce it. Join me and Dr. Scott Zona as we explore the world of botanical cyanogenesis and learn ...
05.29.2022 Ep. 371 - The Million Orchid Project A massive science experiment aimed at both studying and reintroducing orchids to their native landscapes? Yes, please! Join me and Dr. Jason Downing as we discuss Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden' Million Orchid Project and learn how everyone from children to ...
05.22.2022 Ep. 370 - Interview with a Sedge-Head In this episode, we are diving into the back catalogue to appreciate an under-appreciated group of plants - the sedges (genus Carex). Join me and my friend and botanist Paul Marcum as we discuss the amazing world of sedges, why ...
05.15.2022 Ep. 369 - A Historical Perspective on the Coontie This episode is all about North America's most northerly cycad - the coontie (Zamia integrifolia). A fascinating species both ecologically and culturally, this small cycad once grew from southern Florida up into Georgia. Habitat loss and over-harvesting following European colonization ...
05.08.2022 Ep. 368 - Bumblebees and their Habitat If we care about organisms like bumblebees, we need to protect and restore their habitats and plants are that habitat. In this episode we hear from Senior Program Officer, Communications Lead, WWF Northern Great Plains Program Clay Bolt about the ...
05.01.2022 Ep. 367 - Louisiana Iris Resurgence The Louisiana irises are a group of 6 wetland species native to the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and other Gulf states. These irises are as interesting as they are beautiful, but in recent decades, many have forgotten the role they ...
04.24.2022 Ep. 366 - Forest Herbs in a Changing World Did you know that the bulk of biodiversity in temperate forests lies not in the trees but in the herb layer? Forest herbs are vital to ecosystem health and function but how are they being affected by all of the ...
04.17.2022 Ep. 365 - Fireflies & Plants Fireflies are among the most celebrated organisms on Earth. What is not to love about their incredible light displays? However, fireflies can't exist without habitat and plants are that habitat. Join Dr. Sara Lewis and me as we discuss some ...

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