The Best Biome

The Best Biome

By Rachel Roth and Nicole BrownScienceLife SciencesNatural SciencesNature
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The Best Biome episodes

  • #6 – Camels are Grasslanders
    Episode Notes

    Rachel coincidentally ruins another desert creature and exposes why the vast majority of camels are actually grassland animals. This episode detours into evolution and the veterinary science realm to answer why prairies are probably the cause of the mass extinction of this North American (yeah) animal. Also: camels are weird. And they're not ruminants.

    Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next week!

    PS check out this cool paleoart of new world camels.

    Primary Sources: Be sure to check out photos and more at our site!

    • Fowler, M. E. (2008). Camelids are not ruminants. Zoo and Wild Animal Medicine, 375-385. doi:10.1016/b978-141604047-7.50049-x
    • PBS Eons: When Camels Roamed North America. PBS Digital Studios
    • Friis-Baastad, E. (2017, June 28). Yukon finds force scientists to rethink the Camel family tree.
    • Burger, P. A., Ciani, E., & Faye, B. (2019). Old world camels in a modern world – a balancing act between conservation and genetic improvement. Animal Genetics, 50(6), 598-612. doi:10.1111/age.12858
    • Cui, P., R. Ji, F. Ding, D. Qi, H. Gao, H. Meng, J. Yu, S. Hu, H. Zhang. 2007. A complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the wild two-humped camel (Camelus bactrianus ferus): an evolutionary history of camelidae. BMC Genomics, 8/241: N/A - open access journal.

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      1 hr 3 min
    • #5 – Tumbleweeds
      Episode Notes

      Tumbleweeds, icon of the... desert? Grasslands birthed some of the world's worst tumbleweed invaders, and there's more to them than their iconic "American old west" imagery. Desert caviar, savior of the cattle industry, and colonizer extraordinaire, this broad paraphyletic group of plants have been terrorizing and blessing the world for centuries. Nicole breaks down why tumbleweeds are pretty neat.

      PS keep your pet tumbleweeds on leashes.

      Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next week!

      Primary Sources: Be sure to check out photos and more at our site!

      1. Baker, D. V., Withrow, J. R., Brown, C. S., & Beck, K. G. (2010). Tumbling: Use of Diffuse KNAPWEED (Centaurea DIFFUSA) to examine an understudied dispersal mechanism. Invasive Plant Science and Management, 3(3), 301-309. doi:10.1614/ipsm-d-09-00016.1
      2. George P. Stallings, Thill, D., Carol A. Mallory-Smith, & Lawrence W. Lass. (1995). Plant Movement and Seed Dispersal of Russian Thistle (Salsola iberica). Weed Science, 43(1), 63-69.
      3. United States Department of Agriculture. Plant Guide For SALSOLA TRAGUS (prickly Russian Thistle). Retrieved February 24, 2021.
      4. Bernstein, J. (2019, October 07). Monster tumbleweed: Invasive new species is here to stay. University of California, Riverside. Retrieved February 24, 2021. 
      5. Barroso, J., Lyon, D. J., and Prather, T. Russian Thistle Management in a Wheat-Fallow Crop Rotation. Pacific Northwest Extension Publishing.

        6. Contact

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        57 min
      6. #4 – Coastal Tussac and Seabirds
        Episode Notes

        The coastal tussac grasslands of the Falkland Islands have been a struggle for conservationists. A team of paleoecologists used this grass's unique characteristics to uncover the ecosystem's origins, track its changing climate, and reveal why seabirds make these grasslands thrive.

        Primary Sources:

        1. Groff, D. V., Hamley, K. M., Lessard, T. J., Greenawalt, K. E., Yasuhara, M., Brickle, P., & Gill, J. L. (2020). Seabird establishment during regional cooling drove a terrestrial ecosystem SHIFT 5000 years ago. Science Advances, 6(43). doi:10.1126/sciadv.abb2788
        2. Palaeocast Episode 116: Ice Age Palaeoecology, with Dr. Jacquelyn Gill.
        3. Falklands Conservation Registered Charity

          4. Dr. Dulcinea Groff / Twitter

          Dr. Jacquelyn Gill / Twitter

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          50 min
        4. #3 – Extinct African Megafauna
          Episode Notes

          African megafauna are already super well-known, but when grasslands took over the forests of ancient Africa, some megafauna were driven to extinction. What other megafauna has reached the brink, never to return, and can a subspecies of Plains Zebra really be resurrected from the void of extinction?

          Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next week!

          Primary Sources: Be sure to check out photos and more at our site!

          • Plio-Pleistocene decline of African megaherbivores: No evidence for ancient hominin impacts, doi:10.1126/science.aau2728
          • The Quagga Project
          • Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

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            46 min
          • #2 – Parrots of the Plains
            Episode Notes

            What do Burrowing Owls and Blue-throated Macaws have in common? Their habitat. Rachel takes us on a tour of the parrots, cockatoos, lovebirds, and parakeets that thrive in Australia, American, and African grasslands.

            Thanks for listening to our weekly ~~love letter~~ podcast exploring a straightforward thesis: grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next week!

            Primary Sources:

            I had a million sources from this episode because of the breadth of species covered, so for more complete information look for the parrot post on our site!

            • Animal Diversity Web
            • (PDF) Notes on the ecology of the yellow-faced parrot (Alipiopsitta Xanthops) in central Brazil
            • We Now Know the Real Range of the Extinct Carolina Parakeet | Audubon
            • Turquoise Parrot
            • BirdLife Australia
            • ICUN Redlist

              • Contact: Email: [email protected] Website Facebook Twitter

              1 hr
            • #1 – Prairie Dogs Required
              Episode Notes

              Our first episode has Nicole talking about prairie dogs, go figure. They not only help to increase plant and animal diversity around their burrows, but are also very tasty snacks. Nicole believes that without prairie dogs, we would have no prairies.

              Thanks for listening to our weekly ~~love letter~~ podcast exploring a straightforward thesis: grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next week!

              Primary Sources:

              • Con Slobodchikoff, "Prairie Dogs: Prairie Dogs: Communication and Community in an Animal Society," and various publications.
              • Effects of black-tailed prairie dogs on plant communities in complex urban landscapes (Beals, Stower; et al)
              • Community dynamics on grazed mixed-grass prairie (Rose Lipinski)

                • Prairie Dogs: America's Meerkats - Language (Youtube)

                Contact:

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                57 min

              About The Best Biome

              From the publisher's feed

              Two prairie biologists make the ever-growing argument for why grasslands are the world's best biome.

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