Posts

Tiny but Powerful: the Suberabundant, Invasive, New Zealand Mud Snail.

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A New Zealand mud snail Source: NBC As a research assistant for the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis, I see firsthand what invertebrates fill Northern California waterways. Freshwater invertebrates are important indicators of water quality because they are extremely sensitive to conditions such as water temperature, oxygen content, salinity, and nutrients. The presence or absence of a certain species could have varying implications for the true concern of conservationists: fish. Salmon and trout rely on these waterways for their survival, and changes in the water quality can devastate their populations, both directly and indirectly through the abundance of invertebrates: their major food source.  A mayfly larva (Ephemeroptera), a common group in rivers and streams. Source: Landcare Research Fishermen likely already realize the importance of these freshwater invertebrates, as many fly fishing baits are designed to mimic the appearance of common prey for fish....
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The human imperative of stabilizing global climate change at 1.5°C- Review Review

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In light of the recent events (climate week and worldwide climate protests) that I hope are on everyone's minds, I thought I'd present the evidence for climate change as a very real and serious issue. Although environmental policy remains a partisan issue, governmental leaders choosing to ignore the mountain of evidence that drastic changes have already occurred and will continue to do so is incomprehensible.  Greta Thunberg, a teenage climate activist from Sweden, has garnered international attention with her passionate addresses to global leadership. Whether you love her or hate her, she is far from the first person to present the consequences for humans to continue the current level of carbon emissions. As a scientist and member of the scientific community, I often wonder how such a large portion of the population remain climate change deniers. Evidence exists to refute every argument used to deny human responsibility and changing conditions. If you are one of thes...
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Changes in Florida's Coral Reef Communitites

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People all over the world know coral reefs for their incredible beauty and diversity. Tourists flock to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia to catch a glimpse of a natural wonder. Even among ecologists, many cite coral reefs as their favorite ecosystem.  Florida Keys Reef. Source: Surfrider Foundation Hopefully, if you are interested in coral reefs, you also know that they are in danger. The coastal environments that we enjoy today have a long history of exploitation and human intervention. Fortunately, increased modern protections for these crucial systems eliminated much of the direct harvesting by humans within coral reefs. Other human-caused changes to the environment, such as nutrient runoff, increased sedimentation, and global warming, threaten the integrity of coral reefs and reduce their viability.  Logically, if the ocean conditions become unfavorable for most coral species, "weedy" or stress-tolerant species will increase in abundance and ultimately edge out...
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Adaptation in the Feeding of Predatory Snails- Eric Sanford

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One of the most important mentors of my undergraduate career has been Dr. Eric Sanford, professor of Evolution and Ecology at UC Davis and invertebrate zoologist extraordinaire. This summer, I have been a research assistant for a project with Ph.D. student Emily Longman and Eric, examining the adaptation of predatory snails along the West Coast. I'm excited to share the background for that project here! First: what is adaptation? Evolutionary adaptation (or, just adaptation) is the process in which the environment favors organisms with traits that increase their survival or reproductive success. These are often long-term changes, occurring over multiple generations. Individuals can acclimate to changing environmental conditions during one lifetime, but these changes are not genetic and will not be passed down to their offspring.  Local adaptation occurs when one species is spread over an environmental gradient, where individuals may need different characteristics to be success...
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Introductions! Welcome!

Hello, world! I decided to take a step out of my comfort zone and start a blog as a way to practice presenting science to a general audience and force me to interact with current scientific literature on a regular basis. So, welcome! Some background on me: I'm Maddy, an undergraduate student in Biological Sciences at UC Davis. I've been lucky to spend my last two summers researching at the Bodega Marine Laboratory in beautiful Bodega Bay, California. My experiences here have truly sparked my interest in marine science and ecology as a whole. I've been working hard on several different projects recently, and I am excited to share those with you.  My hope is that this blog becomes a place to learn new things about ecology, for me and my readers! Please bear with me as I become a better ~blogger~, thank you for reading!
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