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Channel: Dr. Carin Bondar » BioMusings

BIOMUSINGS Episode 1: Health Care on a Coral Reef

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Introducing ‘BIOMUSINGS’

…a brand new set of videos depicting the lives and work of field ecologists.

This past field season I shuttled my HD video cameras around the world to a variety of professors, postdocs, and grad students. The results and footage are stunning, and the research stories are compelling.  I teamed up with my friend Matthew Hawkins, who knows all about film and cinematography, to create these short films.

Episode #1

This episode features the work of Dr. Lexa Grutter of the University of Queensland.  I sent a video camera to two of her field assistants working at the Lizard Island Research Station.  I hope you enjoy!

BIOMUSINGS with Dr. Carin Bondar – Cleaner Fish Episode from Matthew Hawkins on Vimeo.

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Coming soon…Episode #2 Featuring Dr. Jeff Lane from the University of Edinburgh


An Oldie but a Goodie: Darwin’s ‘Survival of the Fittest’ meets the irresponsible Homo sapiens

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After writing this post back in April, I had the idea to send one of my video cameras to Jan and Ulrika in Finland so that they could get me some footage of this work. Now that I’m working on creating a ‘BIOMUSINGS‘ episode around it, I thought I’d remind you of this fantastic research and why I chose to highlight it!

I hope you enjoy!

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Biological fitness includes a measure of both survival and reproductive ability – one is not nearly as important without the other.  So what happens if the ‘unfit’ members of a population are suddenly the ones with all of the reproductive power?

This kind of absurdity can only happen when nature gets  a little ‘help’ from humankind.

Eutrophication of waterways is a major environmental disaster in several areas of the world.  The virtual ‘choking’ out of native animal and plant species by a fast growth of nutrient-starved algae and phytoplankton has effects that reverberate right through many freshwater ecosystems.  The research presented in this paper shows that the indirect effects of eutrophication can have long term effects on evolutionary processes in populations of threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in the Baltic Sea.  The shallows of the Baltic in Southern Finland are highly eutropied with filamentous algae, and this alteration of the near-shore benthic environment is drastically shifting the selective pressures on males that nest there…

Through a series of algal density manipulations, researchers were able to determine that more males nest in dense vegetation when it is available (i.e. in eutrophied habitats).  However, the males in these areas are subject to high-levels of parasitim (a common problem for high-density populations).  Indeed, samples of males from highly vegetated areas showed that these poor fellas carry a much higher level of internal parasites than those living in sparsely vegetated sites.  Here’s the kicker:  these highly parasitized (aka UNFIT) males are still able to fertilize a large number of eggs.  Why?  A few reasons:  first, a decrease in female choosiness occurs in these habitats.  If males are hard to find, a female is more likely with whomever she can see.  Second, the heterogeneous environment in the eutrophied areas supports a greater number of male territories because males cannot see each other.  This results in an overall relaxation of male:male competition (i.e. males that would have otherwise had to compete with each other for access to a suitable territory no longer need to do so).  In areas where vision is NOT blocked by filamentous algae, females are able to discern between high and low-quality mates (i.e. parasitized vs not parasitized) and healthy males compete with each other for territories and access to the females’ eggs.

So, what for the future of the three spined stickleback in the Baltic Sea?   The process of eutrophication has resulted in a major alteration in the part of the population that can successfully reproduce.  The long-term evolutionary consequences of such a shift could be bad news for the entire stickleback population in this area.

Sorry Chuck, your own species has wreaked havoc on the natural world such that your beautiful theory may no longer be applicable as it was intended.

Heuschele, J., & Candolin, U. (2010). Reversed parasite-mediated selection in sticklebacks from eutrophied habitats Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology DOI: 10.1007/s00265-010-0937-9

This post was chosen as an Editor's Selection for ResearchBlogging.org

BIOMUSINGS EPISODE 2: Changing Patterns of Hibernation in Columbian Ground Squirrels

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Episode #2 is live! In this episode we get a glimpse into the work of Dr. Jeff Lane, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Edinburgh. Jeff was working high in the Canadian Rockies this summer, looking at how global climate change is affecting phenological events like hibernation in ground squirrels. I hope you enjoy!

Bio Musings with Dr. Carin Bondar – Ground Squirrel Episode from Matthew Hawkins on Vimeo.

Coming Soon: BIOMUSINGS Episode #3, with Dr. Jan Heschele and Dr. Ulrika Candolin from the University of Finland!

BIOMUSINGS Episode 3: ‘Finding’ that Special Someone

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As if finding a mate in the animal kingdom wasn’t tricky enough!

Drs. Ulrika Candolin and Jan Heschele at the University of Helsinki are examining the effects of eutrophication on the sexual selection of stickleback fish in the Baltic Sea – a phenomenon that is giving a reproductive advantage to all the wrong males.

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BIOMUSINGS with Dr. Carin Bondar – Sticklebacks Episode from Matthew Hawkins on Vimeo.

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All BIOMUSINGS episodes are produced in partnership with my guru producer friend, Matthew Hawkins. Matt has a ton of cool videos on his site – check them out!

BIOMUSINGS Episode 4: Celebration of the Female Form

Biomusings Episode 5: Introduced Sportfish – Is This a Good Idea?

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I’m guessing you all already know the answer! This next episode of Biomusings takes an in-depth look at the research of graduate student Jordan Messner at the University of Alberta, who is studying the process of ecosystem recovery in hundreds of alpine lakes high in the Canadian Rockies. Sportfish were routinely introduced to these lakes back in the 1970′s, and many of the communities have never been the same. Stay tuned – episode 5 will be live later this week!

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Biomusings Episode 5: Introduced Sport Fish: Who Cares About Alpine Lake Ecosystems Anyway?

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This episode focuses on the work of University of Alberta graduate student Jordan Messner.  Jordan is looking at the process of ecosystem recovery in hundreds of alpine lakes in the Canadian Rockies after decades of sport fish stocking.  Join us for a quick journey in to the beautiful world of blue/green lakes and ‘pristine’ habitats.  They look beautiful…but have they recovered from decades of irresponsible human practices?  You’ll have to watch to find out…

Bio Musings with Dr. Carin Bondar – Introduced Sport Fish Episode from Matthew Hawkins on Vimeo.

BIOMUSINGS 6: Where the Whales Are…

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In this latest installment we examine the work of Hillary Moors, a PhD student in the Whitehead lab at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Hillary has spent a lot of time examining the possibilities for acoustically monitoring the antics of endangered Scotian Shelf Bottlenosed Whales, and has some pretty telling results about where the whales like to spend most of their time when deep beneath the surface.

Enjoy!

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Bromancing Baboons: What Else are Lonely Bachelors Going to Do?

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The latest video in my ‘Biomusings’ series describes the work of PhD student David Pappano at the University of Michigan.  David spends his field seasons in the highlands of Ethiopia studying the unique behaviors of bachelor gelada baboons.  The social system in geladas is one where a dominant alpha male keeps a harem of females and is extremely protective over his group – which generally leaves many sub-dominant males to form groups of their own.  David is examining just what happens in these all male bachelor groups…

I was still pregnant with my baby daughter Juna when we shot this video – I thought it made for a nice tie in to the family unit.  Enjoy!

 





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