KZYX The Ecology Hour

Sea Otters

Sea Otters were once abundant from the Aleutian Islands to central California, before being hunted nearly to extinction. Dr. James Bodkin of the US Fish & Wildlife Service devoted much of his career to studying these charismatic marine mammals, particularly in the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil tanker disaster. On The Ecology Hour he reunites with his old colleague Dr. Robert Spies and brings us up to date on what has been learned about sea otter ecology, populations, and some of the fascinating ways they influence ecosystems.

Moths

We talk with Dr. Marc Epstein, Senior Insect Biosystematist at the California Department of Food and Agriculture for Lepidoptera, about moths and their taxonomy. Dr. Epstein has worked for the last twenty two years at the Plant Pest Diagnostics Center in South Sacramento and is also a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. While identifying Lepidoptera of potential threat to agriculture, he researches their evolution and classification with an emphasis on the moth family Limacodidae, and the history of entomologists who were his predecessors. He is author of “Moths, Myths, and Mosquitoes: The Eccentric Life of Harrison G. Dyar, Jr.”, published in 2016 by Oxford University Press.

Viruses and viral diseases

The Ecology Hour goes viral this week when hosts Bob Spies and Tim Bray talk with Dr. Tony Goldberg, veterinarian and pathobiologist at the University of Madison-Wisconsin. He studies viruses and the diseases they can cause in everything from mussels to humans, everywhere from the Appalachians to Africa. He particularly focuses on "zoonautic" diseases - those that can jump from one species to another. In a fascinating and surprisingly humorous conversation, we learn many amazing things about both the hosts and the viruses.

Mountain Lions

Mountain Lions are a frequent topic of conversation in Mendocino County, and there is often concern about them preying on livestock or pets. We talk with Dr. Quinton Martins, principal investigator for the Living with Lions project, a partnership between Audubon Canyon Ranch and True Wild.  Dr. Martins explains why Mountain Lions are so secretive, why they hide their food (and even their scat!), and how to prevent them from preying on livestock.

Biological pest control

Our guest is Dr. Mark Hoddle, Distinguished Professor of Extension in Biological Control at the University of California - Riverside, a renowned expert in the field of biological control of invasive insect pests. He presents the checkered history of efforts to find organisms that target damaging invasive species, including some early efforts that succeeded and some that backfired. His work is grounded in that history and follows a rigorous and demanding process to identify such organisms. A major part of his work is understanding the mechanisms limiting predation or infection to target species, so a biological agent can be released without harming non-target species. Join us for a fascinating look at the intersection of hard science and agriculture.