If you haven't started thinking about your gardens yet, now is the perfect time to get started planning. Nicole walks us through gardening for native habitats, wildlife, and how to get your neighbors on board too. Photos and more are at our site . Further Reading : Find out more about Bee City Wichita at our website Dyck Arboretum of the Plains "Prairie Notes" blog Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, wildflower.org - database of US plants GrowNative.org - database with lower Midwest focus Flora...
Mar 02, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 11
A wholesome episode about secure love, forming bonds under stress, and human connection through the lens of a grasslands specialist: the prairie vole. Photos and more are at our site . Primary Sources : NPR on the hot new vole research: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/01/27/1152009605/prairie-voles-oxytocin-love-hormone-bonding-study Why Prairie Voles are our animal model: The Prairie Vole ( Microtus ochrogaster ): An Animal Model for Behavioral Neuroendocrine Research on Pair Bon...
Feb 16, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 10
So many monkeys that are forest dwellers, but baboons as a group are ground-dwelling grasslanders whose habitat use and social structure might help us learn about our own hominid ancestors. In this episode, Allan combines ecology and anthropology to discuss some grasslands monkeys. Photos and more are at our site . Primary Sources : King, G.E. 2022. Baboon perspectives on the ecology and behavior of early human ancestors . PNAS Vol. 119, No. 45 Norton, G. W. et al., 1987. Baboon Diet: A Five-Yea...
Feb 03, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 9
The chamois is a goat-antelope from the rolling alpine meadow scenery of European mountains, and today's episode is a straightforward peek into the idyllic life of this animal that's (for once) doing alright! Unless you count the mandatory 7 years of grizzled aging in the mountains and their shrinking body masses. (I don't!) Photos and more are at our site . Primary Sources : Gunderson, D. 2003. "Rupicapra rupicapra" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed January 19, 2023 at https://animaldiv...
Jan 19, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Yank your concept of crayfish out of the water. In this episode, Nicole walks us through one of her favorite arthropod groups and makes a pretty good case for why prairie lovers should love these little crustaceans that burrow deep into the prairie. She also makes us rethink crayfish boils forever. Primary Sources : Florey, C. 2019. Description of Burrow Structure for Four Crayfish Species. [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. ht...
Jan 05, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In this episode, Rachel goes down the opposite of a rabbit hole as we discuss a single widely-cited paper from 2018. Take a look at Africa's savanna plants and what their adaptations mean for conservation, human impacts, and climate change across the continent. Photos and more are at our site . Primary Sources : Osborne, C. P., Charles-Dominique, T., Stevens, N., Bond, W. J., Midgley, G., & Lehmann, C. E. (2018). Human impacts in African savannas are mediated by plant functional traits. New ...
Dec 22, 2022•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 6
Have an existential crisis about the inner lives of bees with us! In this episode, Nicole attempts to teach us a few things about bumblebees while under constant antagonization to slander honeybees. This overview of bumblebees tumbles into some very specific studies on energy, cognition and learning, and even play behaviors for this big bumbly group of native social bees. Photos and more are at our site . Primary Sources : Bumblebee nests. Bumblebee Conservation Trust. https://www.bumblebeeconse...
Dec 08, 2022•1 hr 29 min•Season 2Ep. 5
What does the American South and the Tallgrass Prairie have in common? Their grasslands support an elusive little grassland specialist that the old timey ornithologists roast way too hard: the Henslow's Sparrow. In this episode we explore the beloved longleaf pine savannas of the southern US, and ask why a little grassland sparrow who hates trees chooses to spend its winters among the longleaf pines. Photos and more are at our site . Primary Sources : Harrington, Tim; Miller, Karl; Parks, Noreen...
Nov 24, 2022•53 min•Season 2Ep. 4
This rabbity rodent of South America's grasslands is a common sight in zoos, but has one of the strangest social structures we've talked about in mammals. What makes this strictly monogamous-til-death, pair-bonded, troupe-travelling mammal SO antisocial? How does that work, and what else have we been missing all this time? Nicole shares about the Patagonian Mara (Cavy) in this episode of The Best Biome. Thanks for listening! Primary Sources : Photos and more at our site ! Genest, H. & Dubost...
Nov 17, 2022•Season 2Ep. 3
CW: we talk about animal genitalia in this episode in the last 30 mins (it's hard to avoid with hyenas) Hyenas have historically been painted in a pretty negative light, only for recent PR teams to praise their strong women leaders, successful hunts, and sophisticated societies. And while we're all for praising the underdog, a lot of recent media is half truths. Let's all learn to appreciate them for what they are: rowdy stinky scavengers. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why gr...
Feb 19, 2022•1 hr 31 min•Season 2Ep. 2
We are always fans of highlighting underappreciated animals and this week we tackle the ibis . Bin chicken or noble alarm clock? You decide. One thing's for sure: their poop is a problem. Thank you to our guest this week: Allan Saylor ! Thanks for listening, we'll see you again in two weeks! Primary Sources : Be sure to check out photos and more at our site ! Curicaca (Theristicus caudatus) . WikiAves. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://en.wikiaves.com/wiki/curicaca# Zimmerman, M. (2019, A...
Feb 03, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Content Warning: talk of blood. The last of our "spooky"-themed episodes, let's talk about ticks! How do they feed, what kind of diseases do they carry, and how best to prevent getting sick from them. Did you know there are over 900 species of ticks and they live quite literally everywhere? Well, now you do. Be safe out there. Thanks for listening to our exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you in two weeks! Primary Sources : Be sure to check out photos and more at our sit...
Oct 28, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Content Warning: talk of dead things (not graphic). Old World Vultures have a different set of tricks in order to survive including eating fruit, bones, and garbage. We talk Bearded Vultures, Eurasian Griffons, and more in this part two of our vulture special. http://savebellbowlprairie.org - save this Illinois prairie by Nov. 1st! Included is more information on the prairie itself as well as easy actions to take in the next two weeks. Please share to bring awareness before it's too late! Thanks...
Oct 14, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Content Warning: talk of corpses and the eating of them. Vultures are nasty birds which cleanse the landscape of death and disease. In this part of our first ever two part episode we learn about the New World vultures from North and South America and how they fit into their landscapes and interact with each other. Next time: Old World vultures! Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next week for part two! Primary Sources : Be sure to c...
Oct 08, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 23
If you ever find yourself staring at a tangle of orange spaghetti in a grassland, it's probably a dodder plant. These talented, strange parasites have no leaves or roots, but plenty of other tricks to make sure that they succeed. Learn about plant communication systems, haustoria, plus a bonus fun tale of a maiden in a prairie looking for love. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you in two weeks! Primary Sources: Be sure to check out ph...
Sep 16, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 22
A raptor like no other crosses 20,000km across hemispheres every year, chasing summer and bugs and grasslands through the Americas. The Swainson's Hawk is a spectacle, and we're grateful to have them fighting on our side in the looming grasshopper apocalypse. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next time! Primary Sources : Bechard, M. J., C. S. Houston, J. H. Sarasola, and A. S. England (2020). Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni), vers...
Sep 02, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 21
How can grasshoppers save the world? By doing what they do best: eating. But too many grasshoppers might end us all so keep that in mind the next time you turn your nose up at entomophagy. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next time! Primary Sources : Be sure to check out photos and more at our site ! Carolina Grasshopper poem . A Michigan Menagerie in Poems. YouTube. Zhong, Z. 2014. Positive interactions between large herbivores a...
Aug 20, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Rachel takes us on a journey into one of North America's savannas dominated by oak trees. They provide shelter and food for a variety of different animals and (surprise) are critically endangered. One of the biggest causes of decline is a change in land management when European settlers pushed out indigenous land caretakers. This episode is a little long but worth the ride. Primary Sources : Be sure to check out photos and more at our site ! Gucker, Corey L. 2011. Quercus macrocarpa . In: Fire E...
Aug 06, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Episode Notes Coyotes are fantastic survivors that no matter how much people hate them (and boy do they hate them) they keep thriving. They are the ultimate flexitarian, can control their litter sizes, and just can't be stopped on their conquest to take over the world. We also dive into the problem of human-coyote conflict and how best to etch out a living alongside these awesome creatures. Thanks for listening to our exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next time! Pri...
Jul 22, 2021•55 min•Season 1Ep. 18
The concept behind Pleistocene Park is deceptively simple: rewild the Pleistocene Siberian arctic, slow the effects of climate change in the arctic. All it takes to revive the 10,000-year-old Mammoth Steppe, restore permafrost, and seriously reduce carbon and methane emissions--according to scientists--is releasing long-gone megafauna and watching the ecosystem shift under their influence. The park is an incredible experiment, but more incredible is the paleoscience, climate science, grassland e...
Jul 09, 2021•Season 1Ep. 17
Episode Notes Madagascar... land of the forest and lemurs and definitely not mostly grassland, right? Wrong. Welcome to another case of grassland erasure as we try to set the record straight on the wonderful, beautiful grasslands that blanket this tropical island. We even highlight a very special tree! Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you in two weeks! Primary Sources : Be sure to check out photos and more at our site ! Vorontsova, M....
Jun 24, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Episode Notes We're going back to the Eurasian Steppe this week to take a look at the Mongolian toad. How do these toads survive where no other amphibian dares to travel? What the heck is a drink patch? The answer is more complex than you might think. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you in two weeks! Primary Sources : Be sure to check out photos and more at our site ! Litvinchuk SN, Schepina NA, Borzée A. 2020. Reconstruction of past...
Jun 10, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Episode Notes Saiga antelope: strange Muppet or amazing survivor? These animals have some amazing adaptations to help them survive the nearly insurmountable odds stacked against them. Also, sandalwood is evil apparently? Who knew. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next time! Primary Sources : Be sure to check out photos and more at our site ! Planet Earth II: why more than 200,000 saiga antelopes died in just days . Milner-Gulland,...
May 24, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Episode Notes THE characteristic toucan species, Toco Toucan, tucanuçu, is the only toucan that doesn't live exclusively in forests. Like many hornbills in the Old World, these birds thrive in South America's savannas, where they're intricately connected to their ecosystems. Let's put them back in their place and do an explore. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next week! Primary Sources : Pizo, M. A., Donatti, C. I., Guedes, N. M....
May 06, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Nuance below: We have some feelings on the North American Model and the way it's implemented and discussed in the wildlife field. It usually disparages other models of wildlife conservation, silences non-consumptive users, and erases the indigenous "north American models" developed and implemented long before colonization. We'd love to hear other voices on this issue, so reach out if you'd like to bring your perspective to a future conversation! Recommended reading: Study: Non-hunters contribute...
Apr 28, 2021•25 min
Episode Notes Apparently Biosphere Reserves are everywhere? Nicole's deep dive into UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme takes several twists and turns, linking natural and social sciences, the program's protected grasslands, the difficulties of international cooperation, and other land conservation efforts here in the United States. Happy Earth Day or something? Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next week! Primary Source...
Apr 21, 2021•59 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Episode Notes In Assam, India, the grasslands along the river Brahmaputra totally contain tigers, but Rachel is bound and determined to talk about something hiding in the shadows of those tigers: riverine and river-island grasslands and their flagship species the Bengal Florican. 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 ! Batbayar, N., Bhardwaj, G. S., et al (20...
Apr 15, 2021•56 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Episode Notes What has four legs and walks on its middle finger and features heavily in all your favorite childhood video games?? Horses are actually kinda neat, it turns out, especially the modern conservation work of the last remaining wild horse, Przewalkski's Horse, the Takhi. Nicole embraces her childhood horsegirl vibes and kinda sorta teaches Rachel to appreciate horses because they're like camels. This description brought to you by Rachel. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration o...
Apr 07, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Episode Notes In an April 1 break from the normal format, Nicole and Rachel try to stump each other with a game of Two Truths, One Lie. Buckle up for carnivorous prairie plants, Saiga death by banging, and so, so many bugs. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next week! Primary Sources , pics, and more are on our site , to keep these notes spoiler-free. ;) Contact Website Facebook Twitter info@grasslandgroupies.org...
Apr 01, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Episode Notes Some of the smallest, most unassuming birds among us have the most amazing stories to tell. The Grasshopper Sparrow is a tiny little bird with a big personality. Learn about captive breeding of the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow and other ways we are helping this prairie icon avoid the brink of extinction. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next week! Links we promised: https://www.3billionbirds.org/ America's dwindling g...
Mar 25, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 8
