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. 370 - Interview with a ...

05.22.2022

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 ...

In Defense of Plants Podcast episodes:

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 ...
04.10.2022 Ep. 364 - The Versatility of Living Plant Collections Living plant collections at botanical gardens can serve many functions. They can be aesthetic, they can be educational, they can be conservation focused... the list goes on and none of these functions are mutually exclusive. In this episode, we sit ...
04.03.2022 Ep. 363 - Celebrating the Grasses Try to imagine the world without grasses... It would be a very strange place, wouldn't it? This group of plants have shaped the Earth as we know it in innumerable ways. That is why my guest Al started Sejarah Poaceae, ...
03.27.2022 Ep. 362 - Watch for Wasps (because they are awesome!) A world without wasps is a world we wouldn't want to live in. This diverse group of predatory insects is amazingly diverse and they all have a role to play in ecosystem health. We also have so much more to ...
03.20.2022 Ep. 361 - In Praise of Ancient Trees For trees, living for hundreds or even thousands of years is akin to winning the lottery. So many things can go wrong between germination and living long enough to be considered ancient. My guest today is Dr. Chuck Cannon of ...
03.13.2022 Ep. 360 - Exploring a 4.5 Million Year Old Flora If you could travel back in time 4.5 million years, how different would the flora look in your area? That is a difficult question to answer because we don't know of many fossil beds that capture this time period. That ...
03.06.2022 Ep. 359 - Removing Monocultures & Bolstering Biodiversity For geologist turned botanist Paul Heiple, sitting back and letting an invasive plant outcompete the plants that support native ecology was not an option. Join us as we discuss what he has learned from years of grassroots efforts to remove ...
02.27.2022 Ep. 358 - Oaks, Wasps, Galls, and Ants What started as a question about some strange "seeds" in ant ant nest turned into an explosion of scientific investigations into the links between oaks, gall wasps, and ants. Join Dr. Robert Warren and me as we discuss the mind-blowing ...
02.20.2022 Ep. 357 - Plant Architecture Revisited In this episode, we revisit a conversation I had back in 2017 with Dr. Karl Niklas. This is one of my favorite conversations because his work changed the way I look at plant evolution. Dr. Niklas utilizes mathematics to explain ...
02.13.2022 Ep. 356 - Pollen & Plant Stress Pollen, stress, ecosystem health... These three things are more connected than you may think. Join me and my guest Dr. Jeff Benca as we dive into research that is uncovering a whole new way to gauge how plants and the ...
02.06.2022 Ep. 355 - Figuring Out a Floating Aquatic Fern Giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta) is a mysterious floating aquatic fern from Brazil. It is also one of the most aggressive aquatic invasive species, able to clone itself over water bodies big and small. My guest today is Stacy Holt Jr ...
01.30.2022 Ep. 354 - Of Orchids & Fungi The relationship between orchids and mycorrhizal fungi is not necessarily a harmonious one. From day one, orchids live more like parasites than mutualists. Understanding these relationships is not only fascinating but crucial to orchid survival. Join me and Dr. Lawrence ...
01.23.2022 Ep. 353 - A Deep Dive on Some Sweetshrubs If you thought you knew sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridanus), think again! Join botanist Katie Horton and me for a deep dive into the amazing and mysterious world of this ancient lineage. This episode was produced in part by Laura, Miz Holly, ...
01.16.2022 Ep. 352 - Shared Floras a World Apart Eastern North America and eastern Asia share a surprising amount of plant lineages. Termed the "eastern Asian–eastern North American floristic disjunction," this phenomenon has fascinated botanists for centuries. Interestingly, eastern Asia usually boasts more representatives of these shared genera than ...
01.09.2022 Ep. 351 - Can Pseudophoenix Rise From the Ashes? What does it take to save a rare palm from extinction? You are about to find out! Listen in as we sit down with Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden's Conservation Program Manager, Jennifer Possley to learn about one of North America's ...
01.02.2022 Ep. 350 - Exploding Flowers You may have heard about exploding fruit but what about exploding flowers? That is exactly what we are discussing in this episode. For Dr. Joan Edwards, there is no substitute for a walk in the woods, especially when we know ...
12.26.2021 Ep. 349 - A Prairie at Home What would you rather have for a backyard, an industrial ag field or your own homegrown patch of prairie? For entomologist Fred Delcomyn, the choice was simple. Converting your yard into a functional prairie requires attention to detail and a ...
12.19.2021 Ep. 348 - Reversing the Nightmare on Elm Streets In this episode, we sit down with Ecologist Dr. Leila Pinchot to learn about her work on American elm (Ulmus americana) restoration. Devastated by the combination of invasive fungi and bark beetles, American elm and its relatives present a challenge ...
12.12.2021 Ep. 347 - Resisting the Emerald Ash Borer The invasive emerald ash borer has devastated North America's ash trees (genus Fraxinus), but we aren't going to stand by and let it happen. Join Ecologist Dr. Kathleen Knight and me about all the incredible work being done to keep ...
12.05.2021 Ep. 346 - A Longleaf Adventure Revisited This time of year has me thinking of friendships both past and present, which is why I wanted to revisit this old episode. What you are about to hear is my first experience botanizing a longleaf pine savanna with the ...
11.28.2021 Ep. 345 - Reconstructing Two Centuries of Midwest Prairie Fire History Understanding the role of fire in an ecosystem is very important. It can also be a very difficult task where good data are limited. This hasn't stopped Dr. Greg Spyreas and colleagues from trying! By scouring over two centuries worth ...
11.21.2021 Ep. 344 - A Thistle on the Brink Pitcher's thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) just might be one of the most intensely studied endangered plants in the world and yet its numbers are still in decline. From habitat loss to biocontrols gone awry, this poor dune specialist just can't catch ...
11.14.2021 Ep. 343 - Native Seed Science Unlocking the mysteries of seed germination is vital for effective plant conservation and restoration. Join Dr. Marcello De Vitis and me as we discuss the ins and outs of native seed science. This episode was produced in part by Levi, ...
11.07.2021 Ep. 342 - The Way of the Gardener Gardener, author, and environmentalist Lyndon Penner returns to the podcast to talk about his new book, "The Way of the Gardener: Lost in the Weeds Along the Camino de Santiago." This book details his 825 km (512 mi) journey across ...
10.31.2021 Ep. 341 - Moonwort Madness In this episode, we explore the mysterious world of moonworts (Ophioglossaceae) with botanist and moonwort fanatic, Steve Popovich. Whereas we still have a lot to learn about these strange ferns, the insights we have gained have revealed amazing things about ...
10.24.2021 Ep. 340 - The Race to Save a Remnant Prairie Upwards of 170 million acres of prairie once covered North America. Today, humans have reduced this to only 0.01%. The remnant prairies (fragments of the original, pre-colonial prairie landscape) that remain represent vestiges of this once great ecosystem and harbor ...
10.17.2021 Ep. 339 - Urban Lichens Lichens have so much to teach us about our planet and yet we have so much to learn about them! That is where people like Dr. Jessi Allen come in. She has devoted her life to understanding lichens and their ...
10.10.2021 Ep. 338 - How Old are the Oldest Trees? How long can a tree live? How old are the oldest trees? The answers to questions like these are more nuanced that some might think. We sit down with curator of the Gymnosperm Database, Dr. Chris Earle, for some insights ...
10.03.2021 Ep. 337 - DNA Duplication & Plant Evolution In this episode, we journey back in time with the help of DNA and fossil evidence to learn what they can teach us about plant evolution. Specifically, we explore how genome duplication events has influenced the evolutionary history of gymnosperms. ...
09.26.2021 Ep. 336 - Parasitic Plants & their Hosts How do parasitic plants find an appropriate host and what determines their range of host possibilities? These are the kinds of questions that drive Dr. Caitlin Conn's research. Join us as we explore some of the insight she has gained ...
09.19.2021 Ep. 335 - A Global Effort to Help Magnolias Magnolias are among the most iconic trees in the world. This family (Magnoliaceae) has also been around for a very long time. But, for all their history, intrigue, and interest, the magnolia family is not faring well in our modern ...
09.12.2021 Ep. 334 - An Azalea Extravaganza To look upon a flowering azalea is to bare witness to one of our planets most stunning botanical spectacles. These ericaceous shrubs enjoy celebrity status among many a gardener because of this. Azaleas are also ecologically important plants in their ...
09.05.2021 Ep. 333 - Variability in Plant Coloration Plants come in a bewildering variety of colors. Even within species, colors can vary from individual to individual. How and why color can differs are exactly the kinds of questions that intrigue PhD student Cierra Sullivan. Join us as we ...
08.29.2021 Ep. 332 - The Ecology of Douglas Fir In this episode, we celebrate one of the most venerable conifers in North America - the Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). This wide ranging species can establish early after disturbance and live for centuries, bolstering the ecology of the forests it comprises. ...
08.22.2021 Ep. 331 - Unraveling Quillwort Mysteries Their ancestors once dominated the coal swamps of the Carboniferous Period, growing into massive trees that could reach upwards of 160 feet (50 m) into the canopy. Today, the quillworts (Isoetes spp.) are all that remains of this lineage. Though ...
08.15.2021 Ep. 330 - Horticultural Taxonomy Have you ever walked through a plant nursery or garden center and wondered about who keeps track of all those named varieties, selections, and cultivars? The answer to this are horticultural taxonomists! From registering new plants to maintaining herbarium records ...
08.08.2021 Ep. 329 - A Closer Look at Algae It's important to give credit to the small but important things in life, like algae! In this episode we dive under the microscope lens with Julia Van Etten to talk about the microscopic world of algae and how they relate ...
08.01.2021 Ep. 328 - Behind the Scenes at Prairie Moon Nursery In this episode, we explore how a small native seed company selling native plant seeds out of their living room grew into one of the biggest native plant nurseries in the United States. Joining us is Horticulture Educator Kaitlyn O'Connor ...
07.25.2021 Ep. 327 - A Rallying Cry for Restoration The United Nations kicked off 2021 is a rallying cry for restoring ecosystems around the globe. The so-called UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is aimed at preventing, halting, and reversing ecosystem degradation around the globe. Importantly, ecosystem restoration should not ...
07.18.2021 Ep. 326 - Trillium Diversity: A Story of Ants & Seed Dispersal This episode explores the amazing world of Trillium diversity. This charismatic genus is incredible in its own right, but what makes it so diverse only adds to the intrigue. Joining us is Dr. Chelsea Miller to talk about her research ...
07.11.2021 Ep. 325 - Toxic Soils & Drinking Water From Rocks Everyone needs a bit of calcium in their diet, but too much of it can cause serious health issues. The same is true for plants. Growing in soils high in calcium is no walk in the park and yet, around ...
07.04.2021 Ep. 324 - Palms Through Deep Time Palms (Arecaceae) are among the best known and easily recognizable groups of plants on Earth. Their diversity is staggering and they play important roles in the ecology of the habitats in which they grow. But how much do we know ...
06.27.2021 Ep. 323 - Cacti, Microbes, and More! Cacti may appear like strong, independent organisms but that simply isn't the case. No organism operates in a vacuum and cacti are no exception to this. This episode, we talk with Stefan Burger, or as you may know him, Cactus ...
06.20.2021 Ep. 322 - Rue-production in Thalictrum Plant sex is strange. Rooted in place, plants have had to get really creative (evolutionarily speaking) when it comes to reproduction. Moreover, there is no single pathway to success, and each plant lineage seems to have evolved multiple strategies for ...
06.13.2021 Ep. 321 - Rapid Changes in Slow-Growing Ecosystems Disturbance is an integral part of any ecosystem, but as the human presence on this planet continues to grow, disturbances are becoming more frequent and more severe. In this episode, Dr. Brian Buma joins us to discuss his research on ...

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