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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cem>What *is* that bizarre fishlike thing squirming in your sink at night? Firebrats and silverfish are pretty darn similar to some of the earliest insects on Earth. With three long filaments poking out their back, no wings and mini-me babies, they have something to teach us about survival.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>In the middle of the night, you walk into the bathroom. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What \u003cem>is\u003c/em> that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s shaped like a fish and even has shimmering scales. But it also has legs – six of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This insect is a firebrat. Firebrats and their close relative the silverfish don’t come out of your drain, as it might seem. They just happened to wander into your sink and can’t climb out.\u003cbr>\nSorry, pal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They live in dark places, hiding in your walls … or a stack of newspapers. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If they’re near a source of warmth, all the better. They get the name firebrat from their attraction to heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7475.html\">Learn how to identify firebrats and silverfish\u003c/a> with this sheet prepared by the UC’s statewide integrated pest management program.\u003cbr>\n[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they like to live where they eat. This page could make a tasty meal. Firebrats and silverfish are the original bookworms: They love the books you keep meaning to open. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also love the cereal in your kitchen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Look closely. You’ll see traits some of the earliest insects had around 400 million years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take these three long filaments. The two outer ones are called cerci. They work like antennae, detecting chemicals and predators … like this house centipede.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other insects, like cockroaches, have a short pair of cerci.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But very few insects have this third one, called the median caudal filament. Its tiny hairs detect the faintest air currents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A firebrat is born as a mini version of itself. That’s rare for insects. This ancient way of developing is called ametaboly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s totally different than the metamorphosis an insect like a butterfly goes through, from caterpillar to pupa to adult. That’s called holometaboly. This complete transformation is an advantage: The caterpillar feeds on leaves; the adult, nectar. So, a butterfly doesn’t compete with its younger self for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a firebrat does, sharing its food at every life stage. Luckily it can go months between meals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like the original insects, firebrats don’t grow wings. Most insects do. I mean, wings are useful: You can reach different kinds of food and steer clear of predators. The diversity of insects exploded when wings appeared. That’s why there’s hundreds of thousands of species of flies – yes, mosquitoes are flies – and only a few hundred species of firebrats and silverfish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maybe you’re thinking, “Why didn’t firebrats just change to be more like other insects?” The thing is, evolving doesn’t mean an animal or plant keeps moving toward some ideal version of itself. All it has to do to survive is keep up a big-enough population. And firebrats have – for millions of years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, as far as pests go, they’re not so bad. They don’t bite or sting. And they have enzymes in their gut that digest tough cellulose. One day we might even be able to harness those enzymes to make biofuels from plants. Not bad at all for an insect firmly set in its ways.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cem>As the sun sets, hordes of tiny crustaceans called beach hoppers — also known as sand hoppers — emerge from underground burrows to frolic and feast. They eat so much decaying seaweed and other beach wrack that by morning all that’s left are ghostly outlines in the sand.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>As the sun sinks behind the waves, these performers awaken and get ready for their all-night show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They take cues from the tides, the moon, and their appetite, emerging from sandy underground burrows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You might know them as sand fleas, but they don’t bite and they aren’t fleas. They’re called beach hoppers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These crustaceans are as small as an ant or as large as a cricket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their eyes are made up of hundreds of cells called ommatidia, but they don’t see much detail — just blurry shapes, light and dark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>ADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\" data-en-clipboard=\"true\">Read more about \u003ca href=\"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0w1024x6\">the ecological value of beach wrack\u003c/a> and how regular mechanical beach grooming affects the sandy beach ecosystem.\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\" data-en-clipboard=\"true\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\" data-en-clipboard=\"true\">\u003ca href=\"https://explorebeaches.msi.ucsb.edu/\">Learn more about sandy beach ecosystems\u003c/a>, and the important role that beach hoppers play in the food web.\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re drawn toward shadowy blobs on the horizon. They hope it’s kelp, their favorite food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they find it, they eat and eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes they even eat one another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This large beach hopper is piercing the other right behind its eye, holding it in place with its claws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For protection, they dig burrows about a foot deep where the sand is damp and cool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And males will fight over control of burrows, especially if there are females inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deep in the night, the beach hopper acrobatics build into a dazzling show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A powerful flick of their curled-up tail launches them skyward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They do not stick the landing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A beach hopper can jump as high as your knees, dozens of times the length of its body.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a quick way to travel — toward food or mates. Or to get out of harm’s way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beach hoppers’ diets are mostly beach wrack — anything natural that washes ashore. Wrack is an essential source of nutrients for sandy beach ecosystems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These shredders break down the wrack into smaller parts. It’s the first step in sending nutrients into the food chain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When predators like shorebirds or insects eat beach hoppers, they can carry these nutrients further inland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without these hungry acrobats, beaches the world over would be strewn with rotting seaweed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a night of fighting and feasting, they leave only silhouettes behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the sun rises, the beach hoppers retreat to their burrows, just beyond the tide’s reach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The performers need their rest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another spectacle is just a night away.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Two tiny mites duke it out on strawberry plants throughout California. One is a spider mite that sucks the juices out of the delicious crop and destroys it. The other, persimilis, is a crafty predator that growers drop by the thousands from high-tech drones to protect their fields. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>This mite is super small — roughly the size of a grain of salt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But its oversized appetite makes it one of the most daunting threats farmers face.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unchecked, they would devastate crops like these delicious strawberries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’ll know these mites by their calling card: dry rusty leaves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And by these messy webs that give our tiny foe it’s name: The twospotted spider mite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not really a spider, but it is an arachnid — so it’s related. And it does have two dark spots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It sucks the juices from the strawberry plants’ leaves with its needle-like stylet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sip after sip, row after row.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pretty soon the leaves won’t be able to absorb enough sunlight to fuel the plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Farmers use pesticides, but spider mites quickly become resistant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So farmers formed a strategic alliance … with a bolder, badder mite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Persimilis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additional Resources\u003c/p>\n\u003cli>Growers hire companies like \u003ca href=\"https://www.parabug.solutions/\">Parabug\u003c/a> to distribute biological control agents like predators and parasites to defend crops from pests.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\nEntomologist \u003ca href=\"https://chrnansen.wixsite.com/nansen2/research\">Christian Nansen\u003c/a> and engineer \u003ca href=\"https://www.cphslab.com/\">Zhaodan Kong\u003c/a> are studying ways to automate the discovery and treatment of agricultural pests using drones armed with a special camera to identify subtle signs of infestation and distribute biological control agents to infested crops.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Information about garden and landscape pests like \u003ca href=\"http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7405.html\">spider mites\u003c/a> come from the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM).\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Koppert Biological Systems sells predators to control \u003ca href=\"https://www.koppertus.com/challenges/spider-mites-and-other-mites/spider-mite/\">spider mites\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cp>[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Persimilis is a predator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It only eats other mites … and it’s favorite is the twospotted spider mite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tiny carnivores arrive in bottles packed with vermiculite, a lightweight mineral that gives them something to hold on to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But spreading them by hand takes a ton of time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So some farmers are taking this old battle to the next level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re calling in air support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drones, packed with persimilis!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The predatory paratroopers rain down on the field below.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The moment they land, the bright red persimilis start hunting down the unwelcome vegetarians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Persimilis are blind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They track down their prey with palps that sense vibrations and smells.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plants under attack by spider mites release pheromones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those signals lead persimilis mites right to their prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They tear into their prey with biting pincers called chelicerae. And slurp out the innards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Persimilis mites have a taste for eggs too. Caviar anyone?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mmmmmmmm …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually this skilled hunter is so successful it exhausts its only source of food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the feasting’s done, the persimilis mites can’t survive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The field goes quiet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strawberries are safe …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At least until the spider mites return, to face another fight from the skies.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And by these messy webs that give our tiny foe it’s name: The twospotted spider mite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not really a spider, but it is an arachnid — so it’s related. And it does have two dark spots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It sucks the juices from the strawberry plants’ leaves with its needle-like stylet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sip after sip, row after row.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pretty soon the leaves won’t be able to absorb enough sunlight to fuel the plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Farmers use pesticides, but spider mites quickly become resistant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So farmers formed a strategic alliance … with a bolder, badder mite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Persimilis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additional Resources\u003c/p>\n\u003cli>Growers hire companies like \u003ca href=\"https://www.parabug.solutions/\">Parabug\u003c/a> to distribute biological control agents like predators and parasites to defend crops from pests.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\nEntomologist \u003ca href=\"https://chrnansen.wixsite.com/nansen2/research\">Christian Nansen\u003c/a> and engineer \u003ca href=\"https://www.cphslab.com/\">Zhaodan Kong\u003c/a> are studying ways to automate the discovery and treatment of agricultural pests using drones armed with a special camera to identify subtle signs of infestation and distribute biological control agents to infested crops.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Information about garden and landscape pests like \u003ca href=\"http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7405.html\">spider mites\u003c/a> come from the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM).\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Koppert Biological Systems sells predators to control \u003ca href=\"https://www.koppertus.com/challenges/spider-mites-and-other-mites/spider-mite/\">spider mites\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cp>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cem>California oak moth caterpillars eat all the leaves on an oak, leaving a brown skeleton. Then they rappel down on a strand of silk, twirling and swinging. If you were enjoying the shade, good luck getting out of their way. For the oak, the caterpillars are a bigger deal – will the tree survive? \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Ahh. Time for a spring nap under this peaceful oak … unless that oak is under siege by clouds of amorous moths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike most moths, which are nocturnal, these California oak moths take over in daylight. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This female frantically beats her wings to spread her scent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A male picks up the signal with his feathered antennae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every few years, the moths seem to appear out of nowhere and get down to business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once they lay their eggs, the oak is in trouble.\u003cbr>\n[pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>ADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Read about how California oak moth caterpillars descended on the UC Berkeley campus in \u003ca href=\"https://essig.berkeley.edu/research/oakmoth/\">this article\u003c/a> by Peter Oboyski, executive director of the university’s \u003ca href=\"https://essig.berkeley.edu/\">Essig Museum of Entomology\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Learn more about the \u003ca href=\"http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7422.html\">California oak moth’s lifecycle\u003c/a> from the UC’s statewide integrated pest management program.\u003cbr>\n[/pullquote]\u003cbr>\nBy summer, oak moth caterpillars cover its leaves. And they’re ravenous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That bulbous head has powerful mouthparts that chew through the tough oak leaves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The caterpillars eat and eat. They outgrow their skin six times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They stuff themselves in the daytime, when birds and other predators can spot them easily. Their bright colors may signal a gnarly taste that keeps enemies away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The caterpillars leave something behind: tough poop pellets called frass … a little fertilizer that will eventually fall to the ground. At least these gluttons give something back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they’re done eating, in a month or two, what’s left of the tree is a brown skeleton. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With full bellies, the caterpillars rappel down from the branches on long silky strands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes they swing on their silk, Tarzan like, to get that laaast bite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And down they go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re sitting below, you might just be in their way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The caterpillar’s goal is to quickly attach to a hard surface and turn into a pupa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this moment of stillness, these destroyers become vulnerable to predators. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A wasp pierces the pupa to inject its own egg inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wasp larva will feed on the developing moth … because in nature, one day you’re the diner and the next, you’re the meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the oak? It’s tougher than it looks. It almost always survives. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a month or two it grows new leaves. And if it’s lucky, these pernicious guests will stay away … at least for a few years.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cem>California oak moth caterpillars eat all the leaves on an oak, leaving a brown skeleton. Then they rappel down on a strand of silk, twirling and swinging. If you were enjoying the shade, good luck getting out of their way. For the oak, the caterpillars are a bigger deal – will the tree survive? \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Ahh. Time for a spring nap under this peaceful oak … unless that oak is under siege by clouds of amorous moths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike most moths, which are nocturnal, these California oak moths take over in daylight. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This female frantically beats her wings to spread her scent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A male picks up the signal with his feathered antennae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every few years, the moths seem to appear out of nowhere and get down to business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once they lay their eggs, the oak is in trouble.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>ADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Read about how California oak moth caterpillars descended on the UC Berkeley campus in \u003ca href=\"https://essig.berkeley.edu/research/oakmoth/\">this article\u003c/a> by Peter Oboyski, executive director of the university’s \u003ca href=\"https://essig.berkeley.edu/\">Essig Museum of Entomology\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Learn more about the \u003ca href=\"http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7422.html\">California oak moth’s lifecycle\u003c/a> from the UC’s statewide integrated pest management program.\u003cbr>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cbr>\nBy summer, oak moth caterpillars cover its leaves. And they’re ravenous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That bulbous head has powerful mouthparts that chew through the tough oak leaves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The caterpillars eat and eat. They outgrow their skin six times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They stuff themselves in the daytime, when birds and other predators can spot them easily. Their bright colors may signal a gnarly taste that keeps enemies away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The caterpillars leave something behind: tough poop pellets called frass … a little fertilizer that will eventually fall to the ground. At least these gluttons give something back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they’re done eating, in a month or two, what’s left of the tree is a brown skeleton. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With full bellies, the caterpillars rappel down from the branches on long silky strands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes they swing on their silk, Tarzan like, to get that laaast bite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And down they go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re sitting below, you might just be in their way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The caterpillar’s goal is to quickly attach to a hard surface and turn into a pupa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this moment of stillness, these destroyers become vulnerable to predators. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A wasp pierces the pupa to inject its own egg inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wasp larva will feed on the developing moth … because in nature, one day you’re the diner and the next, you’re the meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the oak? It’s tougher than it looks. It almost always survives. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a month or two it grows new leaves. And if it’s lucky, these pernicious guests will stay away … at least for a few years.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]If an outdoors, socially-distanced gathering is part of your Thanksgiving plans, beware of uninvited guests. I don’t mean friendly neighbors who might invite themselves to a piece of pie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1971201\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_eats_apple.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1971201\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_eats_apple.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A blowfly feeds on an apple with its straw-like proboscis. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I’m talking about flies. Buzzing around curiously, they’ll help themselves to whatever food you leave unattended. As they walk all around they could spread hundreds of types of bacteria they carry on their legs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So you try sneaking up on one and it skedaddles. Why, oh why, is it so hard to swat a fly?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1971202\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_escapes_swatter.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1971202\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_escapes_swatter.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Now you see me, now you don’t. A blowfly escapes a swatter in the nick of time. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Flies are formidable opponents, with an arsenal of tools they carry all over their bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For starters, their hair and antennae help a fly sense us as we walk up to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They have sensory hairs all over their body that help them detect air currents,” said entomologist Jessica Fox, who studies flies’ shenanigans at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1971203\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_cleans_eyes.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1971203\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_cleans_eyes.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A fly can see you coming from nearly every angle. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Not only can they feel us, they can see us too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They have a very small blind spot in the back of their head,” Fox said, “but a lot of flies can see almost 360 degrees around their heads.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And a fly’s eyes and tiny brain process information 10 times faster than human eyes and brains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Compared to flies, humans are slow and sluggish creatures,” said Sanjay Sane, who researches flies at the National Centre for Biological Sciences at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Bangalore, India.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1971204\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_makes_sharp_turns.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1971204\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_makes_sharp_turns.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Quick, sharp turns help a fly dodge your swatter. These aerobatics are possible thanks to a pair of tiny club-shaped limbs called halteres, nestled below the fly’s two wings. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Once the fly escapes your swatter and is in the air, it’s in its element and your job is even tougher. Seen up close and slowed down, a fly’s aerobatics are impressive: It makes razor-sharp turns with ease and at great speed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What makes this possible is a pair of modified wings called halteres, a Greek word for dumbbell, which describes their shape. All of the 200,000 species of flies that scientists have described have a pair of halteres and a pair of wings. (That includes mosquitoes, which, wouldn’t you know it, are flies too.) Most other insects — bees, butterflies, dragonflies — have four wings and no halteres.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1971205\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Halteres_of_crane_fly_Fox.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1971205\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Halteres_of_crane_fly_Fox.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The relatively large halteres of a crane fly are easier to spot than most. The halteres are the small, club-shaped parts beating below the fly’s wings. \u003ccite>(Jessica Fox/Case Western Reserve University)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As a fly turns, its halteres sense the rotation. In a split second, neurons at the base of the halteres send information to the fly’s muscles to steer its wings and keep its head steady.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Houseflies flap their wings about 200 times per second, which means they really only have five milliseconds to figure out what the next wingbeat is going to be like. And if you’re using vision that takes too long to do,” Fox said. “They really need a mechanical receptor in order to be able to sense their body rotations and correct them on the timescale that they need.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though flies are a pesky pest and we are constantly in their pursuit, they likely evolved halteres to escape other animals besides us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Flies hang out on the backs of cows,” said Sane. “The tail of a cow trying to flick insects off, it’s likely to kill the fly if it doesn’t fly off fast.” Lizard tongues are also quick-moving threats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then there’s flies themselves. In lightning-fast chases, males compete for the ability to mate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These chases are among the most aerobatic chases that I’ve ever seen; there’s nothing that comes even close,” said Sane. “And if flies did not turn very fast they’ll get caught and slammed to the ground.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When researchers remove a fly’s halteres, it can no longer control its flight. It loses all sense of where its body is in space. In slowed-down videos, flies without halteres give the impression of being drunk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1971206\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_without_halteres_falls_Fox.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1971206\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_without_halteres_falls_Fox.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A fly whose halteres have been removed by researchers can’t control its flight and falls down. \u003ccite>(Katie Jordan, Alex Yarger and Jessica Fox/Case Western Reserve University)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They don’t seem to know; they just keep flapping,” said Fox. “They just keep pitching and rolling and eventually they fall. We’ve got a lot of great videos of these flies comedically falling out of the sky.” \u003cem>(You can see more examples in the Deep Look video embedded in this story.)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a fly gets inside your house, its halteres will help it do a fly’s signature move: the ceiling landing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1971207\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_walks_on_ceiling.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1971207\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_walks_on_ceiling.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A fly can stay out of reach by hanging upside down on the ceiling. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It hangs there with tiny hooks and sticky pads on its feet. The pads, called pulvilli, have microscopic hairs that excrete a liquid that sticks to the surface under pressure, sort of like suction. Hooks on the fly’s feet also help it stay put, by attaching to microscopic imperfections on the surface of the ceiling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1971208\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_pulvilli_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1971208\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_pulvilli_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_pulvilli_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_pulvilli_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_pulvilli_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_pulvilli_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_pulvilli_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_pulvilli_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The pads on a fly’s feet, called pulvilli, have microscopic hairs that excrete a liquid that sticks to the surface. The photo on the right shows an extreme close-up of the hairs. \u003ccite>(Stanislav Gorb/University of Kiel, Germany)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Despite the fly’s slick tools, Sane recommends one trick next time you try to nab one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Flies process information about moving objects but they cannot process static objects,” he explained. “Thus, the best way to approach a fly is in small, quasi-static steps such that they do not see you as a moving object.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you go very slowly, and then pounce, you might stand a chance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Good luck, though,” he said, “because flies are spectacularly fast.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>If an outdoors, socially-distanced gathering is part of your Thanksgiving plans, beware of uninvited guests. I don’t mean friendly neighbors who might invite themselves to a piece of pie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1971201\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_eats_apple.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1971201\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_eats_apple.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A blowfly feeds on an apple with its straw-like proboscis. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I’m talking about flies. Buzzing around curiously, they’ll help themselves to whatever food you leave unattended. As they walk all around they could spread hundreds of types of bacteria they carry on their legs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So you try sneaking up on one and it skedaddles. Why, oh why, is it so hard to swat a fly?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1971202\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_escapes_swatter.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1971202\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_escapes_swatter.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Now you see me, now you don’t. A blowfly escapes a swatter in the nick of time. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Flies are formidable opponents, with an arsenal of tools they carry all over their bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For starters, their hair and antennae help a fly sense us as we walk up to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They have sensory hairs all over their body that help them detect air currents,” said entomologist Jessica Fox, who studies flies’ shenanigans at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1971203\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_cleans_eyes.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1971203\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_cleans_eyes.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A fly can see you coming from nearly every angle. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Not only can they feel us, they can see us too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They have a very small blind spot in the back of their head,” Fox said, “but a lot of flies can see almost 360 degrees around their heads.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And a fly’s eyes and tiny brain process information 10 times faster than human eyes and brains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Compared to flies, humans are slow and sluggish creatures,” said Sanjay Sane, who researches flies at the National Centre for Biological Sciences at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Bangalore, India.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1971204\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_makes_sharp_turns.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1971204\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_makes_sharp_turns.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Quick, sharp turns help a fly dodge your swatter. These aerobatics are possible thanks to a pair of tiny club-shaped limbs called halteres, nestled below the fly’s two wings. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Once the fly escapes your swatter and is in the air, it’s in its element and your job is even tougher. Seen up close and slowed down, a fly’s aerobatics are impressive: It makes razor-sharp turns with ease and at great speed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What makes this possible is a pair of modified wings called halteres, a Greek word for dumbbell, which describes their shape. All of the 200,000 species of flies that scientists have described have a pair of halteres and a pair of wings. (That includes mosquitoes, which, wouldn’t you know it, are flies too.) Most other insects — bees, butterflies, dragonflies — have four wings and no halteres.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1971205\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Halteres_of_crane_fly_Fox.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1971205\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Halteres_of_crane_fly_Fox.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The relatively large halteres of a crane fly are easier to spot than most. The halteres are the small, club-shaped parts beating below the fly’s wings. \u003ccite>(Jessica Fox/Case Western Reserve University)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As a fly turns, its halteres sense the rotation. In a split second, neurons at the base of the halteres send information to the fly’s muscles to steer its wings and keep its head steady.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Houseflies flap their wings about 200 times per second, which means they really only have five milliseconds to figure out what the next wingbeat is going to be like. And if you’re using vision that takes too long to do,” Fox said. “They really need a mechanical receptor in order to be able to sense their body rotations and correct them on the timescale that they need.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though flies are a pesky pest and we are constantly in their pursuit, they likely evolved halteres to escape other animals besides us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Flies hang out on the backs of cows,” said Sane. “The tail of a cow trying to flick insects off, it’s likely to kill the fly if it doesn’t fly off fast.” Lizard tongues are also quick-moving threats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then there’s flies themselves. In lightning-fast chases, males compete for the ability to mate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These chases are among the most aerobatic chases that I’ve ever seen; there’s nothing that comes even close,” said Sane. “And if flies did not turn very fast they’ll get caught and slammed to the ground.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When researchers remove a fly’s halteres, it can no longer control its flight. It loses all sense of where its body is in space. In slowed-down videos, flies without halteres give the impression of being drunk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1971206\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_without_halteres_falls_Fox.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1971206\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_without_halteres_falls_Fox.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A fly whose halteres have been removed by researchers can’t control its flight and falls down. \u003ccite>(Katie Jordan, Alex Yarger and Jessica Fox/Case Western Reserve University)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They don’t seem to know; they just keep flapping,” said Fox. “They just keep pitching and rolling and eventually they fall. We’ve got a lot of great videos of these flies comedically falling out of the sky.” \u003cem>(You can see more examples in the Deep Look video embedded in this story.)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a fly gets inside your house, its halteres will help it do a fly’s signature move: the ceiling landing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1971207\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_walks_on_ceiling.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1971207\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_Fly_walks_on_ceiling.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A fly can stay out of reach by hanging upside down on the ceiling. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It hangs there with tiny hooks and sticky pads on its feet. The pads, called pulvilli, have microscopic hairs that excrete a liquid that sticks to the surface under pressure, sort of like suction. Hooks on the fly’s feet also help it stay put, by attaching to microscopic imperfections on the surface of the ceiling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1971208\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_pulvilli_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1971208\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_pulvilli_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_pulvilli_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_pulvilli_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_pulvilli_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_pulvilli_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_pulvilli_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL720_pulvilli_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The pads on a fly’s feet, called pulvilli, have microscopic hairs that excrete a liquid that sticks to the surface. The photo on the right shows an extreme close-up of the hairs. \u003ccite>(Stanislav Gorb/University of Kiel, Germany)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Despite the fly’s slick tools, Sane recommends one trick next time you try to nab one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Flies process information about moving objects but they cannot process static objects,” he explained. “Thus, the best way to approach a fly is in small, quasi-static steps such that they do not see you as a moving object.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you go very slowly, and then pounce, you might stand a chance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Good luck, though,” he said, “because flies are spectacularly fast.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "See Sea Slugs Scour Seagrass by the Seashore",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“They’re so majestic,” ecologist Brent Hughes says as he looks out across Elkhorn Slough, a large winding estuary off the Monterey Bay coastline. He’s not talking about whales or pelicans. He’s talking about a tiny, slimy, aquatic slug — the eelgrass sea hare. Donning his wetsuit, Hughes hops into his kayak and paddles off toward a section of water where the sea hares live, in an underwater meadow of seagrass.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Also known as the Taylor’s sea hare, these humble, zebra-striped slices of green jello are actually crucial to the health of their eelgrass meadow ecosystem.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eelgrass sea hares — named for the bunny-like tentacles on top of their heads — can be found munching on the microscopic algae that grow on the surface of eelgrass, a type of marine seagrass. They don’t eat the grass itself; instead they help the meadows grow by clearing the way for sunlight to reach the plants, scraping the blades of grass clean with their rows of tiny teeth. The seagrass, in turn, serves as a safe haven to lay their eggs, and protection from predators like crabs and fish.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970800\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 590px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1970800 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_slide.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"590\" height=\"331\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eelgrass sea hares symbiotically co-evolved with eelgrass, a type of seagrass found near coastlines worldwide. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy /KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The blades of grass also protect more than just these voracious little cleaners. At Elkhorn Slough off of the Monterey Bay, the eelgrass beds form a habitat for a diverse community of animals and plant life, which includes sea otters, Dungeness crabs, clams, skeleton shrimp and various fish.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Eelgrass is like the ugly duckling of the charismatic habitat world,” says biologist Grace Ha of UC Davis, who studied the camouflage of the Taylor’s sea hare. “Seagrasses are among the most productive habitats in the world, if you compare them to rainforest or coral reefs, but most people don’t even know what eelgrass is.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eelgrass forms submarine meadows in shallow seawater, estuaries and salt marshes across the Northern Hemisphere. Seagrasses absorb carbon from the atmosphere and prevent coastal erosion, but climate change, and human activities like large-scale agriculture threaten their existence worldwide. Biologists compare the steady decline of seagrass beds to the global crises of disappearing rainforests and coral reefs.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For decades, the eelgrass meadows of Elkhorn Slough were also disappearing. Since the 1950s nitrogen-based fertilizers from farms in the Salinas Valley have drained into the estuary, overloading the water with nutrients, causing massive algae blooms. Too much algae living on the surface of the water blocks the sunlight necessary for eelgrass meadows to grow, and the grasses begin to die out. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970796\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1970796 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_MW2-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_MW2-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_MW2-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_MW2-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_MW2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_MW2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_MW2-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_MW2-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eelgrass sea hares clean the eelgrass of the microscopic algae that coats it. Seagrass meadows help absorb carbon from the atmosphere and control erosion. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2013, Hughes, now at Sonoma State University, published the results of a surprising discovery. He noticed that the eelgrass in Elkhorn Slough was actually rebounding, despite the extreme algal blooms. Strangely, his data showed, this was happening right around the time sea otters were reintroduced to the area.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sea otters had been totally missing from the estuary ecosystem since the early 20\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">th\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> century. By that time, fur traders had hunted otters almost to extinction along the California coast. But in the late 1980s, the Monterey Bay Aquarium rereleased a small population of sea otters back into the slough, and their numbers have steadily increased.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hughes’ research established that the hungry otters were eating copious amounts of local crabs, a natural predator of Taylor’s sea hares. “The otters recovering allowed for an explosion of sea hares that really kind of facilitated the resilience of that seagrass.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970797\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1970797\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Eelgrass_Sea_Hare_sea_otter2-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Eelgrass_Sea_Hare_sea_otter2-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Eelgrass_Sea_Hare_sea_otter2-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Eelgrass_Sea_Hare_sea_otter2-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Eelgrass_Sea_Hare_sea_otter2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Eelgrass_Sea_Hare_sea_otter2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Eelgrass_Sea_Hare_sea_otter2.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">When sea otters were reintroduced to Elkhorn Slough, they started eating the crabs that eat the sea hares. This meant the sea hares could get back to work cleaning the eelgrass of excessive algae, enabling the eelgrass to grow again. Researchers call this a trophic cascade, when a top predator, like a sea otter, has a balancing effect on the ecosystem. \u003ccite>(Mike Seely/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hughes and his colleagues had uncovered a trophic cascade in which the reintroduction of a top predator (in this case the sea otter) results in a balancing effect on the food web.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In an eelgrass ecosystem like Elkhorn Slough, where nutrient-polluted waters cause regular extreme algal blooms, the “grazers just become really, really important for controlling that algal overgrowth.” When otters were missing and not eating crabs, the crab population grew and ate too many sea hares, so the eelgrass had less help dealing with the suffocating algae growth.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The remarkable thing is that the nutrients are still climbing,” Hughes said. “It’s insane how high the nutrients are in that system.” Despite this continued stress on the ecosystem, the eelgrass meadows in Elkhorn Slough have in fact steadily expanded over the past three decades. Hughes credits the otters and their trophic cascade relationship with the sea hares. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970798\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1970798\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Elkhorn_Slough_algal_bloom-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Elkhorn_Slough_algal_bloom-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Elkhorn_Slough_algal_bloom-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Elkhorn_Slough_algal_bloom-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Elkhorn_Slough_algal_bloom-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Elkhorn_Slough_algal_bloom-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Elkhorn_Slough_algal_bloom-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Elkhorn_Slough_algal_bloom.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Runoff from farms carries excessive nutrients into Elkhorn Slough, which spurs the growth of thick mats of algae. Left unchecked, these algal blooms block sunlight from reaching the eelgrass, and cause them to die. The eelgrass sea hare’s constant appetite for algae helps to counterbalance these harmful effects. \u003ccite>(Brent Hughes/Sonoma State University)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“These grazers are so abundant in Elkhorn Slough, you just have to reach over and grab some seagrass and you’ll end up grabbing a few sea hares too.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Further north, in the San Francisco Bay, Kathy Boyer has been working for years to restore native eelgrass ecosystems. Eelgrass sea hares had also been easy to find in the meadows she was restoring, until recently.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">2017 was an extremely wet winter and spring for the San Francisco Bay Area. Storm after storm brought so much fresh water to the bay that salinity dropped well below the usual level (below ten parts per thousand). Very soon after this dramatic drop in salinity, Boyer and her colleagues noticed that the Taylor’s sea hare (and another symbiotic grazer called the eelgrass isopod) had disappeared from the meadows in the bay. The sea hares had simply vanished from the eight eelgrass restoration sites she and her team had been monitoring.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It was shocking,” she says. “We’ve definitely seen fluctuations in invertebrate populations, but we’ve never seen the complete loss of species.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970799\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970799\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Eelgrass_Sea_Hare_bunny_edit.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"393\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sea hares get their name from the bunny-ear-like tentacles on top of their heads called rhinophores, which they use to sense temperature, water movement and smell. \u003ccite>(Mike Seely/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Boyer and her team realized at that moment that the only places in the San Francisco Bay with living Taylor’s sea hares were the experimental holding tanks where she does most of her eelgrass restoration studies, at San Francisco State University’s Estuary and Ocean Science Center in Tiburon.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Boyer immediately recognized the importance of the animals in her tanks. “We’ve got to try to keep these guys alive, because it’s all that’s left of this population.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">She hopes to grow the population, and eventually reestablish them throughout eelgrass meadows in the bay. The good news is “they’re reproducing like crazy, they’re really happy in the tanks. They’ve got no predators, so they’re just doing their thing.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having worked in ecosystem restoration for years, Boyer intimately understands the complexities inherent to the work. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“There’s lots of interest in just going out and restoring a bunch of eelgrass, but the grass doesn’t live in a vacuum out there in the bay. It interacts with all these other species. It brings up lots of questions about ‘What are restoration best practices?’”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970795\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1970795\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_baby-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_baby-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_baby-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_baby-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_baby-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_baby-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_baby-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_baby-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eelgrass meadows provide a safe haven for sea hare eggs and protection for their young. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The disappearance of the sea hares offers a rare opportunity to observe what happens when a species suddenly vanishes from an ecosystem. “Sometimes you don’t know what you have until you lose a bit of it,” Boyer said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Also, Elkhorn Slough has sea otters, but the San Francisco Bay does not, which translates to a big difference in how the food webs function in each location.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Whether the trophic cascade will have the same levels, and effect, as Brent is seeing down in Elkhorn, we really have no idea,” says Boyer.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are different sets of animals in the food web in the San Francisco Bay, but it seems that reintroducing otters is a real possibility. Because their populations have been so scarce over the past century, scientists had assumed sea otters lived primarily in ocean waters.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970801\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 590px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970801\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_XCU1.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"590\" height=\"331\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eelgrass sea hares symbiotically co-evolved with eelgrass, a type of seagrass found near coastlines worldwide. Their patterning helps them bland seamlessly into their grassy home. \u003ccite>(Mike Seely/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The amazing thing with the otters is that as they’re recovering, they’re revealing their true range of habitats that they can use right now,” Hughes says, citing the recent success of the Elkhorn Slough otter population. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Now researchers are focusing on these estuaries as areas for sea otter recovery, in areas away from predators, away from big waves that you might experience in a kelp forest, somewhat removed from human influence”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Both Boyer and Hughes are co-authors of a research paper suggesting that if properly reintroduced, the San Francisco Bay could be home to as many as 6,000 sea otters, effectively tripling the current population of sea otters in California.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whether or not sea otters should be a part of the Taylor’s sea hare reintroduction plan in the San Francisco Bay is still an open question, but it is definitely on Boyer’s mind as she wrestles with the complex decisions of when and how to bring the sea hares back to the bay’s meadows.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite the challenges of eelgrass ecosystem restoration, Hughes remains inspired by the example of the Taylor’s sea hares. He says Elkhorn Slough is “a gold mine in terms of scientific discoveries. It’s a story of recovery, of conservation, and it involves not only the imperiled species, the sea otter, but these imperiled habitats that they’re returning to, such as seagrasses and salt marshes.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s also a story of how even a little green slug can be so much more important than its modest appearance might, at first, suggest.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "See Sea Slugs Scour Seagrass by the Seashore | KQED",
"description": "These sea slugs may look like lazy, zebra-striped spoonfuls of jello, but eelgrass sea hares are actually environmental heroes. Their voracious appetite for algae helps keep underwater meadow ecosystems in balance – which is great news for sea otters.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“They’re so majestic,” ecologist Brent Hughes says as he looks out across Elkhorn Slough, a large winding estuary off the Monterey Bay coastline. He’s not talking about whales or pelicans. He’s talking about a tiny, slimy, aquatic slug — the eelgrass sea hare. Donning his wetsuit, Hughes hops into his kayak and paddles off toward a section of water where the sea hares live, in an underwater meadow of seagrass.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Also known as the Taylor’s sea hare, these humble, zebra-striped slices of green jello are actually crucial to the health of their eelgrass meadow ecosystem.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eelgrass sea hares — named for the bunny-like tentacles on top of their heads — can be found munching on the microscopic algae that grow on the surface of eelgrass, a type of marine seagrass. They don’t eat the grass itself; instead they help the meadows grow by clearing the way for sunlight to reach the plants, scraping the blades of grass clean with their rows of tiny teeth. The seagrass, in turn, serves as a safe haven to lay their eggs, and protection from predators like crabs and fish.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970800\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 590px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1970800 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_slide.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"590\" height=\"331\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eelgrass sea hares symbiotically co-evolved with eelgrass, a type of seagrass found near coastlines worldwide. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy /KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The blades of grass also protect more than just these voracious little cleaners. At Elkhorn Slough off of the Monterey Bay, the eelgrass beds form a habitat for a diverse community of animals and plant life, which includes sea otters, Dungeness crabs, clams, skeleton shrimp and various fish.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Eelgrass is like the ugly duckling of the charismatic habitat world,” says biologist Grace Ha of UC Davis, who studied the camouflage of the Taylor’s sea hare. “Seagrasses are among the most productive habitats in the world, if you compare them to rainforest or coral reefs, but most people don’t even know what eelgrass is.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eelgrass forms submarine meadows in shallow seawater, estuaries and salt marshes across the Northern Hemisphere. Seagrasses absorb carbon from the atmosphere and prevent coastal erosion, but climate change, and human activities like large-scale agriculture threaten their existence worldwide. Biologists compare the steady decline of seagrass beds to the global crises of disappearing rainforests and coral reefs.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For decades, the eelgrass meadows of Elkhorn Slough were also disappearing. Since the 1950s nitrogen-based fertilizers from farms in the Salinas Valley have drained into the estuary, overloading the water with nutrients, causing massive algae blooms. Too much algae living on the surface of the water blocks the sunlight necessary for eelgrass meadows to grow, and the grasses begin to die out. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970796\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1970796 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_MW2-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_MW2-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_MW2-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_MW2-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_MW2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_MW2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_MW2-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_MW2-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eelgrass sea hares clean the eelgrass of the microscopic algae that coats it. Seagrass meadows help absorb carbon from the atmosphere and control erosion. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2013, Hughes, now at Sonoma State University, published the results of a surprising discovery. He noticed that the eelgrass in Elkhorn Slough was actually rebounding, despite the extreme algal blooms. Strangely, his data showed, this was happening right around the time sea otters were reintroduced to the area.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sea otters had been totally missing from the estuary ecosystem since the early 20\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">th\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> century. By that time, fur traders had hunted otters almost to extinction along the California coast. But in the late 1980s, the Monterey Bay Aquarium rereleased a small population of sea otters back into the slough, and their numbers have steadily increased.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hughes’ research established that the hungry otters were eating copious amounts of local crabs, a natural predator of Taylor’s sea hares. “The otters recovering allowed for an explosion of sea hares that really kind of facilitated the resilience of that seagrass.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970797\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1970797\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Eelgrass_Sea_Hare_sea_otter2-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Eelgrass_Sea_Hare_sea_otter2-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Eelgrass_Sea_Hare_sea_otter2-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Eelgrass_Sea_Hare_sea_otter2-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Eelgrass_Sea_Hare_sea_otter2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Eelgrass_Sea_Hare_sea_otter2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Eelgrass_Sea_Hare_sea_otter2.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">When sea otters were reintroduced to Elkhorn Slough, they started eating the crabs that eat the sea hares. This meant the sea hares could get back to work cleaning the eelgrass of excessive algae, enabling the eelgrass to grow again. Researchers call this a trophic cascade, when a top predator, like a sea otter, has a balancing effect on the ecosystem. \u003ccite>(Mike Seely/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hughes and his colleagues had uncovered a trophic cascade in which the reintroduction of a top predator (in this case the sea otter) results in a balancing effect on the food web.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In an eelgrass ecosystem like Elkhorn Slough, where nutrient-polluted waters cause regular extreme algal blooms, the “grazers just become really, really important for controlling that algal overgrowth.” When otters were missing and not eating crabs, the crab population grew and ate too many sea hares, so the eelgrass had less help dealing with the suffocating algae growth.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The remarkable thing is that the nutrients are still climbing,” Hughes said. “It’s insane how high the nutrients are in that system.” Despite this continued stress on the ecosystem, the eelgrass meadows in Elkhorn Slough have in fact steadily expanded over the past three decades. Hughes credits the otters and their trophic cascade relationship with the sea hares. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970798\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1970798\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Elkhorn_Slough_algal_bloom-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Elkhorn_Slough_algal_bloom-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Elkhorn_Slough_algal_bloom-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Elkhorn_Slough_algal_bloom-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Elkhorn_Slough_algal_bloom-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Elkhorn_Slough_algal_bloom-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Elkhorn_Slough_algal_bloom-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Elkhorn_Slough_algal_bloom.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Runoff from farms carries excessive nutrients into Elkhorn Slough, which spurs the growth of thick mats of algae. Left unchecked, these algal blooms block sunlight from reaching the eelgrass, and cause them to die. The eelgrass sea hare’s constant appetite for algae helps to counterbalance these harmful effects. \u003ccite>(Brent Hughes/Sonoma State University)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“These grazers are so abundant in Elkhorn Slough, you just have to reach over and grab some seagrass and you’ll end up grabbing a few sea hares too.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Further north, in the San Francisco Bay, Kathy Boyer has been working for years to restore native eelgrass ecosystems. Eelgrass sea hares had also been easy to find in the meadows she was restoring, until recently.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">2017 was an extremely wet winter and spring for the San Francisco Bay Area. Storm after storm brought so much fresh water to the bay that salinity dropped well below the usual level (below ten parts per thousand). Very soon after this dramatic drop in salinity, Boyer and her colleagues noticed that the Taylor’s sea hare (and another symbiotic grazer called the eelgrass isopod) had disappeared from the meadows in the bay. The sea hares had simply vanished from the eight eelgrass restoration sites she and her team had been monitoring.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It was shocking,” she says. “We’ve definitely seen fluctuations in invertebrate populations, but we’ve never seen the complete loss of species.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970799\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970799\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_Eelgrass_Sea_Hare_bunny_edit.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"393\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sea hares get their name from the bunny-ear-like tentacles on top of their heads called rhinophores, which they use to sense temperature, water movement and smell. \u003ccite>(Mike Seely/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Boyer and her team realized at that moment that the only places in the San Francisco Bay with living Taylor’s sea hares were the experimental holding tanks where she does most of her eelgrass restoration studies, at San Francisco State University’s Estuary and Ocean Science Center in Tiburon.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Boyer immediately recognized the importance of the animals in her tanks. “We’ve got to try to keep these guys alive, because it’s all that’s left of this population.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">She hopes to grow the population, and eventually reestablish them throughout eelgrass meadows in the bay. The good news is “they’re reproducing like crazy, they’re really happy in the tanks. They’ve got no predators, so they’re just doing their thing.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having worked in ecosystem restoration for years, Boyer intimately understands the complexities inherent to the work. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“There’s lots of interest in just going out and restoring a bunch of eelgrass, but the grass doesn’t live in a vacuum out there in the bay. It interacts with all these other species. It brings up lots of questions about ‘What are restoration best practices?’”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970795\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1970795\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_baby-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_baby-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_baby-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_baby-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_baby-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_baby-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_baby-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_baby-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eelgrass meadows provide a safe haven for sea hare eggs and protection for their young. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The disappearance of the sea hares offers a rare opportunity to observe what happens when a species suddenly vanishes from an ecosystem. “Sometimes you don’t know what you have until you lose a bit of it,” Boyer said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Also, Elkhorn Slough has sea otters, but the San Francisco Bay does not, which translates to a big difference in how the food webs function in each location.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Whether the trophic cascade will have the same levels, and effect, as Brent is seeing down in Elkhorn, we really have no idea,” says Boyer.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are different sets of animals in the food web in the San Francisco Bay, but it seems that reintroducing otters is a real possibility. Because their populations have been so scarce over the past century, scientists had assumed sea otters lived primarily in ocean waters.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970801\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 590px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970801\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/11/DL719_eelgrass_sea_hare_XCU1.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"590\" height=\"331\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eelgrass sea hares symbiotically co-evolved with eelgrass, a type of seagrass found near coastlines worldwide. Their patterning helps them bland seamlessly into their grassy home. \u003ccite>(Mike Seely/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The amazing thing with the otters is that as they’re recovering, they’re revealing their true range of habitats that they can use right now,” Hughes says, citing the recent success of the Elkhorn Slough otter population. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Now researchers are focusing on these estuaries as areas for sea otter recovery, in areas away from predators, away from big waves that you might experience in a kelp forest, somewhat removed from human influence”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Both Boyer and Hughes are co-authors of a research paper suggesting that if properly reintroduced, the San Francisco Bay could be home to as many as 6,000 sea otters, effectively tripling the current population of sea otters in California.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whether or not sea otters should be a part of the Taylor’s sea hare reintroduction plan in the San Francisco Bay is still an open question, but it is definitely on Boyer’s mind as she wrestles with the complex decisions of when and how to bring the sea hares back to the bay’s meadows.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite the challenges of eelgrass ecosystem restoration, Hughes remains inspired by the example of the Taylor’s sea hares. He says Elkhorn Slough is “a gold mine in terms of scientific discoveries. It’s a story of recovery, of conservation, and it involves not only the imperiled species, the sea otter, but these imperiled habitats that they’re returning to, such as seagrasses and salt marshes.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s also a story of how even a little green slug can be so much more important than its modest appearance might, at first, suggest.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]On an extended research visit to a friend’s lab in Tokyo, marine biologists \u003ca href=\"https://www.bowdoin.edu/profiles/faculty/ajohnson/index.html\">Amy Johnson\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.bowdoin.edu/profiles/faculty/oellers/index.html\">Olaf Ellers\u003c/a> witnessed something they’d never seen before. The starfish in Tatsuo Motokawa’s lab weren’t content slowly gliding across the floor of their tank, they bounced and galloped, zooming around their enclosure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For one of the most familiar animals in the sea, this was a new behavior, never before described in the scientific literature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was an absolute epiphany,” said Johnson who studies how sea stars move and teaches marine biology along with Ellers at Bowdoin College in Maine. “That moment we first saw them go faster by bouncing completely transformed everything we were planning to do with our research.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since then, Johnson and Ellers have worked to change the way we understand these animals, who have successfully made a home on this planet for at least 450 million years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of this mission, the two scientists joined a bicoastal collaboration that may one day lead to robots that could move around like starfish to search shipwrecks, clean oceangoing vessels and explore the seafloor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970340\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_Luidia_bounce.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1970340 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_Luidia_bounce.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Starfish only bounce like this if they’re in a hurry.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What Has Five Arms and Hundreds of Feet?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starfish, also called sea stars, are one of the most recognizable and familiar animals in the sea. But most people have never seen them do anything more than clamp down on a rock, motionless, as they wait out a low tide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starfish are actually voracious predators that scour the seafloors of oceans all around the world searching for prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most sea stars have five arms, though some have more — up to 25 in some species. On the undersides of the arms are hundreds, sometimes thousands, of tiny tube feet called podia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The long slender tube feet are hollow and full of water, like miniature water balloons. Each tube foot is connected to its own tiny sac called an ampulla, that sits inside the body of the starfish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the starfish squeezes the ampulla it extends the tube foot in the direction it wants to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970344\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_water_vascular_system_animation.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970344\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_water_vascular_system_animation.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The starfish’s tube feet and ampullae are connected to a series of internal canals called the water vascular system, which carefully controls water pressure to power the feet. \u003ccite>(Teodros Hailye/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A disc at the far end of the tube foot secretes a glue that sticks to whatever surface the starfish is moving across. Then muscles that run along the length of the tube contract, squeezing water back into the ampulla and shortening the tube foot. All those tiny tube feet contracting is what drags the starfish along.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970345\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_tube_feet_ampullae_animation.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970345\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_tube_feet_ampullae_animation.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">During their usual crawling gate, starfish tube feet extend, connect to the substrate and then contract to slowly drag the starfish forward.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Normally, they either sit around or they glide very slowly,” Ellers said. “If you want to see them bounce, you have to get them excited about something.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Johnson and Ellers use tasty mussels to coax the starfish in their lab to gallop. In the wild, starfish might also gallop to flee predators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two researchers record videos from different angles of starfish moving across an aquarium in order to keep track of their numerous tube feet. By painstakingly studying the footage and using computer-assisted motion tracking of the tube feet, the pair has been able to identify the two distinct ways that starfish move.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When starfish are in a hurry, their tube feet don’t just move faster. Instead of just elongating and contracting as they do during their regular crawl, the tube feet lengthen and stiffen in the middle of the step.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s like running compared to walking,” said Johnson. “They kind of vault themselves forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970347\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_bounce_animation.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970347\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_bounce_animation.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Starfish only bounce when enough tube feet stiffen at the same time. \u003ccite>(Teodros Hailye/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When enough tube feet step and stiffen at the same time, it lifts the starfish up slightly as the tube feet vault over themselves. That’s what causes the bounce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But how do each of the hundreds of tube feet know when it’s their turn to go?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alright, Who’s in Charge Around Here?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of having a central brain that tells each foot when to move, starfish leave most of the decision-making to the individual feet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each tube foot is able to use smell, taste and touch to understand the world around it. The long delicate tube feet at the tips of the arms are particularly sensitive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970349\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_bat_star_sensory_tube_feet.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1970349 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_bat_star_sensory_tube_feet.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The sensory tube feet at the tips of the starfish’s arms are extra sensitive, but provide little power toward locomotion. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s up to each one of the tube feet to figure out which way to go and how to get there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When a group of neighboring tube feet start heading in the same direction they eventually get the entire arm headed in the same direction. Any of the starfish’s arms can take the lead at any time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think tube feet are amazing,” said \u003ca href=\"https://viterbi.usc.edu/directory/faculty/Kanso/Eva\">Eva Kanso\u003c/a>, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Southern California where she studies the physics of animal movement. “Every single one of them is both a sensor and an actuator that does the work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Being a tube foot, you don’t need to know what other tube feet are doing to decide whether you need to extend or contract or whether you need to attach or detach.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kanso had been working with biologist Matt McHenry at UC Irvine to develop a mathematical model of the way starfish control their tube feet, when she learned about Johnson and Ellers’ work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDEAbeScVjE&w=560&h=315]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kanso’s model matches the movement of the sea stars filmed by Johnson and Ellers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Biology has evolved a beautiful way of acting on the environment, and in robotics systems we’re still clumsy in how we do the actuation,” said Kanso, who hopes her model will lead to the development of soft-bodied underwater robots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So we teamed up,” Kanso said, “to try to understand how does the nervous system actually control the movements and how does this bounce mode come about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the sea star needed to know what everything each one of its tube foot is doing, it’s a lot of information to keep track of,” said Kanso. And without a brain, there’s no way for the starfish to keep track. “So it seems that every single one of those tube feet has some autonomy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that only explains the starfish’s crawling gate. How do they manage to time up their tube feet during the bouncing gallop that Johnson and Ellers filmed?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2019.0700\">The team of researchers have found\u003c/a> the bounce occurs when a few tube feet happen to match up their steps and the feet around them find it easier to move when their neighbors move since they’re all connected to the same flexible starfish. Pretty soon, more tube feet feel the push and pull, and fall in line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The pattern emerges from noise,” said Kanso. “It kind of reminds me of how sometimes if people applaud after a show for a long time the claps start to synch up.” No one individual is setting the pace. Researchers call that an emergent pattern.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s similar to a classic physics demonstration using analog metronomes. First, place several metronomes on a board and put the board on top of two cylinders. Set each metronome to its own beat. Because the board is on top of the cylinders it has a bit of give while staying rigid. After a short time the metronomes that were once randomly timed start to match each other’s beat. No one metronome is setting the tempo. It’s an emergent pattern just like the bounce of the starfish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T58lGKREubo&w=560&h=315]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>An Afternoon at the Edge of the Sea\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So where can you go to see a sea star yourself?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What’s amazing about tide pools is that they’re unavailable most of the time, so they’re kind of like a little secret that only some people know about,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.cabrillo.edu/salsa/listing.php?staffId=1712\">Allison Gong\u003c/a>, a professor at Cabrillo College who also teaches UC Santa Cruz students about tide pool animals . This episode of Deep Look would not have been possible without her contribution of time and knowledge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of Gong’s favorite tide pool denizens are sea stars. “We humans have the bias that the way we do things is the best way to do things. But there is an incredible beauty and elegance in simplicity, which is not appreciated by most people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fact that sea stars haven’t changed their basic body plan for a few hundred million years just means that it’s an outstanding plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So the fact that these animals with no brain live life the way they do, finding food, like finding a place to live, and avoiding being eaten by predators. They do everything we do, but they have different tools to use.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gong has a few suggestions for visitors to the tide pools. Always go with someone else. The rocks can be very slippery and you don’t want to be alone if you take a spill. And don’t turn your back on the ocean. Rogue waves can sneak up on an unwary visitor. Also watch where you step and avoid damaging the life that calls the intertidal zone home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lastly, Gong recommends taking your time and exercising patience. “Just find a good spot and sit there quietly for fifteen minutes and watch everything that happens. Because when you do, all the little animals get used to your presence and they start doing their thing instead of just hiding, waiting for you to leave.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>On an extended research visit to a friend’s lab in Tokyo, marine biologists \u003ca href=\"https://www.bowdoin.edu/profiles/faculty/ajohnson/index.html\">Amy Johnson\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.bowdoin.edu/profiles/faculty/oellers/index.html\">Olaf Ellers\u003c/a> witnessed something they’d never seen before. The starfish in Tatsuo Motokawa’s lab weren’t content slowly gliding across the floor of their tank, they bounced and galloped, zooming around their enclosure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For one of the most familiar animals in the sea, this was a new behavior, never before described in the scientific literature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was an absolute epiphany,” said Johnson who studies how sea stars move and teaches marine biology along with Ellers at Bowdoin College in Maine. “That moment we first saw them go faster by bouncing completely transformed everything we were planning to do with our research.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since then, Johnson and Ellers have worked to change the way we understand these animals, who have successfully made a home on this planet for at least 450 million years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of this mission, the two scientists joined a bicoastal collaboration that may one day lead to robots that could move around like starfish to search shipwrecks, clean oceangoing vessels and explore the seafloor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970340\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_Luidia_bounce.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1970340 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_Luidia_bounce.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Starfish only bounce like this if they’re in a hurry.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What Has Five Arms and Hundreds of Feet?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starfish, also called sea stars, are one of the most recognizable and familiar animals in the sea. But most people have never seen them do anything more than clamp down on a rock, motionless, as they wait out a low tide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starfish are actually voracious predators that scour the seafloors of oceans all around the world searching for prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most sea stars have five arms, though some have more — up to 25 in some species. On the undersides of the arms are hundreds, sometimes thousands, of tiny tube feet called podia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The long slender tube feet are hollow and full of water, like miniature water balloons. Each tube foot is connected to its own tiny sac called an ampulla, that sits inside the body of the starfish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the starfish squeezes the ampulla it extends the tube foot in the direction it wants to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970344\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_water_vascular_system_animation.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970344\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_water_vascular_system_animation.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The starfish’s tube feet and ampullae are connected to a series of internal canals called the water vascular system, which carefully controls water pressure to power the feet. \u003ccite>(Teodros Hailye/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A disc at the far end of the tube foot secretes a glue that sticks to whatever surface the starfish is moving across. Then muscles that run along the length of the tube contract, squeezing water back into the ampulla and shortening the tube foot. All those tiny tube feet contracting is what drags the starfish along.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970345\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_tube_feet_ampullae_animation.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970345\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_tube_feet_ampullae_animation.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">During their usual crawling gate, starfish tube feet extend, connect to the substrate and then contract to slowly drag the starfish forward.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Normally, they either sit around or they glide very slowly,” Ellers said. “If you want to see them bounce, you have to get them excited about something.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Johnson and Ellers use tasty mussels to coax the starfish in their lab to gallop. In the wild, starfish might also gallop to flee predators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two researchers record videos from different angles of starfish moving across an aquarium in order to keep track of their numerous tube feet. By painstakingly studying the footage and using computer-assisted motion tracking of the tube feet, the pair has been able to identify the two distinct ways that starfish move.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When starfish are in a hurry, their tube feet don’t just move faster. Instead of just elongating and contracting as they do during their regular crawl, the tube feet lengthen and stiffen in the middle of the step.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s like running compared to walking,” said Johnson. “They kind of vault themselves forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970347\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_bounce_animation.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970347\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_bounce_animation.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Starfish only bounce when enough tube feet stiffen at the same time. \u003ccite>(Teodros Hailye/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When enough tube feet step and stiffen at the same time, it lifts the starfish up slightly as the tube feet vault over themselves. That’s what causes the bounce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But how do each of the hundreds of tube feet know when it’s their turn to go?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alright, Who’s in Charge Around Here?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of having a central brain that tells each foot when to move, starfish leave most of the decision-making to the individual feet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each tube foot is able to use smell, taste and touch to understand the world around it. The long delicate tube feet at the tips of the arms are particularly sensitive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970349\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_bat_star_sensory_tube_feet.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1970349 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL718_bat_star_sensory_tube_feet.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The sensory tube feet at the tips of the starfish’s arms are extra sensitive, but provide little power toward locomotion. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s up to each one of the tube feet to figure out which way to go and how to get there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When a group of neighboring tube feet start heading in the same direction they eventually get the entire arm headed in the same direction. Any of the starfish’s arms can take the lead at any time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think tube feet are amazing,” said \u003ca href=\"https://viterbi.usc.edu/directory/faculty/Kanso/Eva\">Eva Kanso\u003c/a>, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Southern California where she studies the physics of animal movement. “Every single one of them is both a sensor and an actuator that does the work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Being a tube foot, you don’t need to know what other tube feet are doing to decide whether you need to extend or contract or whether you need to attach or detach.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kanso had been working with biologist Matt McHenry at UC Irvine to develop a mathematical model of the way starfish control their tube feet, when she learned about Johnson and Ellers’ work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/lDEAbeScVjE'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/lDEAbeScVjE'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kanso’s model matches the movement of the sea stars filmed by Johnson and Ellers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Biology has evolved a beautiful way of acting on the environment, and in robotics systems we’re still clumsy in how we do the actuation,” said Kanso, who hopes her model will lead to the development of soft-bodied underwater robots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So we teamed up,” Kanso said, “to try to understand how does the nervous system actually control the movements and how does this bounce mode come about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the sea star needed to know what everything each one of its tube foot is doing, it’s a lot of information to keep track of,” said Kanso. And without a brain, there’s no way for the starfish to keep track. “So it seems that every single one of those tube feet has some autonomy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that only explains the starfish’s crawling gate. How do they manage to time up their tube feet during the bouncing gallop that Johnson and Ellers filmed?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2019.0700\">The team of researchers have found\u003c/a> the bounce occurs when a few tube feet happen to match up their steps and the feet around them find it easier to move when their neighbors move since they’re all connected to the same flexible starfish. Pretty soon, more tube feet feel the push and pull, and fall in line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The pattern emerges from noise,” said Kanso. “It kind of reminds me of how sometimes if people applaud after a show for a long time the claps start to synch up.” No one individual is setting the pace. Researchers call that an emergent pattern.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s similar to a classic physics demonstration using analog metronomes. First, place several metronomes on a board and put the board on top of two cylinders. Set each metronome to its own beat. Because the board is on top of the cylinders it has a bit of give while staying rigid. After a short time the metronomes that were once randomly timed start to match each other’s beat. No one metronome is setting the tempo. It’s an emergent pattern just like the bounce of the starfish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/T58lGKREubo'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/T58lGKREubo'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>An Afternoon at the Edge of the Sea\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So where can you go to see a sea star yourself?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What’s amazing about tide pools is that they’re unavailable most of the time, so they’re kind of like a little secret that only some people know about,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.cabrillo.edu/salsa/listing.php?staffId=1712\">Allison Gong\u003c/a>, a professor at Cabrillo College who also teaches UC Santa Cruz students about tide pool animals . This episode of Deep Look would not have been possible without her contribution of time and knowledge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of Gong’s favorite tide pool denizens are sea stars. “We humans have the bias that the way we do things is the best way to do things. But there is an incredible beauty and elegance in simplicity, which is not appreciated by most people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fact that sea stars haven’t changed their basic body plan for a few hundred million years just means that it’s an outstanding plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So the fact that these animals with no brain live life the way they do, finding food, like finding a place to live, and avoiding being eaten by predators. They do everything we do, but they have different tools to use.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gong has a few suggestions for visitors to the tide pools. Always go with someone else. The rocks can be very slippery and you don’t want to be alone if you take a spill. And don’t turn your back on the ocean. Rogue waves can sneak up on an unwary visitor. Also watch where you step and avoid damaging the life that calls the intertidal zone home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lastly, Gong recommends taking your time and exercising patience. “Just find a good spot and sit there quietly for fifteen minutes and watch everything that happens. Because when you do, all the little animals get used to your presence and they start doing their thing instead of just hiding, waiting for you to leave.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "raising-peregrine-falcon-chicks-is-a-real-cliff-hanger",
"title": "Watch These Peregrine Falcons Become Fierce Parents",
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"headTitle": "Watch These Peregrine Falcons Become Fierce Parents | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Grinnell, a male peregrine falcon, looked up from his nest and started screaming. It was late March and he was taking a turn warming the four eggs he and his partner, Annie, were caring for in their home atop the bell tower at UC Berkeley. A young female peregrine falcon, quite a bit larger than Grinnell, was lurking on the ledge above him. Young peregrine falcons will often come around the site where a pair is already nesting to check it out and plot a possible takeover. She walked right up to Grinnell in the nest and shrieked almost in his face. Grinnell spread his wings wide and swiftly chased her off the tower.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Grinnell had reason to be territorial. He and Annie have been raising chicks on \u003ca href=\"https://visit.berkeley.edu/campus-tourscampanile-tour/\">this 307-foot tower\u003c/a> since 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970077\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Grinnell_pushes_peregrine_falcon_away.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1970077 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Grinnell_pushes_peregrine_falcon_away.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grinnell (right) pushes away a young female peregrine falcon who checked out the bell tower while Grinnell was keeping his eggs warm. \u003ccite>(Cal Falcons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Peregrine Falcons Love Cities\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peregrine falcons \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1944037/peregrine-falcons-are-feathered-fighter-jets-basically\">are the fastest animals in the world\u003c/a>: When in hot pursuit of a pigeon or other bird to pluck from midair they can reach 240 miles per hour — faster than a single engine plane. But even these raptor superstars need to settle down with a mate and have some babies to whom they can pass on their love for meat. When they do, they often pick a tall building in a city. Peregrine falcons regularly make their homes in cities across the United States, from \u003ca href=\"https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7059.html#:~:text=Peregrine%20falcons%20are%20listed%20as,DDE)%20residues%20in%20their%20prey.&text=Peregrines%20first%20returned%20to%20nest,New%20York%20City%20in%201983.\">New York\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://chicagoperegrineprogram.squarespace.com/\">Chicago\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.pge.com/en_US/residential/in-your-community/local-environment/peregrine-falcons/peregrine-falcons.page\">San Francisco\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970084\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Campanile_Pedal_Born_Pictures_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970084\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Campanile_Pedal_Born_Pictures_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Campanile_Pedal_Born_Pictures_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Campanile_Pedal_Born_Pictures_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Campanile_Pedal_Born_Pictures_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Campanile_Pedal_Born_Pictures_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Campanile_Pedal_Born_Pictures_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Campanile_Pedal_Born_Pictures_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peregrine falcons love tall buildings, which mimic the cliffs they nest on in the wild. Peregrine pair Annie and Grinnell live atop the 307-foot bell tower on the UC Berkeley campus, affectionately known as the Campanile. \u003ccite>(Pedal Born Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s serendipity that cities mimic what peregrines need and are looking for in a habitat,” said bird biologist Sean Peterson, a Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley who helped set up \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjo8Rlp6q98TZlG8TDF4GQ\">video cameras atop the bell tower\u003c/a> last year to monitor Annie and Grinnell and share their comings and goings with the public live on the web. “Cities have a lot of prey animals — pigeons especially. And then they have a lot of fake cliff faces for them to nest on: all these tall buildings. And that gives them protection from predators and lots of places for them to hunt.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970078\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Grinnell_flies_off_bell_tower.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970078\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Grinnell_flies_off_bell_tower.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Male peregrine falcon Grinnell flies off the Campanile on the UC Berkeley campus. Tall buildings give peregrines a perch from which to hunt small birds like pigeons. \u003ccite>(Cal Falcons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When peregrines nest in the wild, they look for a ledge high up on a cliff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There might be a shelf that’s 500 feet off of the ground and 300 feet down from the top, and no mammal’s going to get to it,” said raptor expert Doug Bell, wildlife program manager at the East Bay Regional Park District and, together with Peterson, part of a \u003ca href=\"https://calfalcons.berkeley.edu/people/\">small team\u003c/a> that has been giving Annie and Grinnell a helping hand. “No fisher, no raccoon, no bobcat is going to be able to get to the site.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Grinnell and Annie have raised four groups of chicks, called clutches, on the bell tower, affectionately known as the Campanile (camp-ah-NEE-lee), starting in 2017. That’s when Bell, Peterson, his wife, bird biologist Lynn Schofield, and volunteer raptor nest monitor Mary Malec discovered Annie nesting at the top of the tower on a wet sandbag and built her a nest out of a plastic tray filled with pea gravel. Gravel is similar to the pebbles or sandy soil they lay their eggs on in the wild and drains well, which allows the parents to keep their eggs warm. Though two eggs were lost by the time nest construction took place, two chicks were born from the eggs that survived.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annie and Grinnell Put on a Show\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year the team started operating two \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjo8Rlp6q98TZlG8TDF4GQ\">video cameras that broadcast the pair’s parenting live through the web\u003c/a>. Peterson and Schofield share the happenings in the nest via the \u003ca href=\"https://calfalcons.berkeley.edu/\">Cal Falcons\u003c/a> channel on YouTube and on social media. The raising of Annie and Grinnell’s two chicks last year and three chicks this year drew avid fans and tens of thousands of views.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970079\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Annie_and_Grinnell_mate.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970079\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Annie_and_Grinnell_mate.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In early March, Grinnell mated with Annie atop the Campanile. The male lands on the female’s back, trying to keep his large talons from hurting her and they mate for a few seconds. \u003ccite>(Cal Falcons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The cameras beam the birds’ behaviors directly to scientists, complementing the information they can gather by patiently watching a cliff all day with a pair of binoculars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You start to get a better window into what is going on at the nest,” said Bell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers can watch peregrines laying their eggs, for example, and they can know more precisely what small birds they feed their young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, Annie and Grinnell cemented their celebrity status by performing in a three-camera, rather than two-camera, reality show, with one video feed documenting their every move in the nest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970085\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcons_three_cameras_Cal_Falcons_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970085\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcons_three_cameras_Cal_Falcons_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcons_three_cameras_Cal_Falcons_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcons_three_cameras_Cal_Falcons_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcons_three_cameras_Cal_Falcons_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcons_three_cameras_Cal_Falcons_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcons_three_cameras_Cal_Falcons_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcons_three_cameras_Cal_Falcons_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Scientists have set up three cameras atop UC Berkeley’s Campanile to watch peregrine falcon pair Grinnell (left, in his nest) and Annie (top right, with the campus and the cities of Berkeley and Albany in the background) and their chicks. In the right bottom photo, Annie (in the back) and two of the three chicks she raised this year. \u003ccite>(Cal Falcons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Annie’s first egg \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/Nfq9LMrmscs\">plopped right out of her\u003c/a> in early March. In the wild, peregrines don’t build a nest of twigs and leaves; they lay their eggs on a ledge in a cliff into which the female has scratched a bowl-shaped depression called a scrape to prevent her eggs from rolling away. Fans had watched Annie do the same thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really cool to see,” said Bell. “She’ll lay with her breast down and she pushes herself into the soil, and you can see her take her feet and she’ll literally scrape the soil out from underneath her and push it towards her tail.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Detective Work Leads to a Success Story\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The four eggs Annie laid in March tell an extraordinary story when you consider that 60 years ago these raptors were on the brink of extinction. In the 1950s and 1960s, they nearly disappeared from the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists had to do some sleuthing to figure out the cause — and they zeroed in on the eggs. Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring,” in 1962, raised the specter that the pesticide DDT harmed eggs. With their rusty-red mottled patterns, peregrines’ eggs are so beautiful that private collectors had been taking them from nests as far back as the 19th century. Many of those eggs ended up in museums.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970086\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_eggs_at_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970086\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_eggs_at_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_eggs_at_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_eggs_at_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_eggs_at_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_eggs_at_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_eggs_at_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_eggs_at_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peregrine falcon eggs in the collection of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By measuring the calcium content and thickness of eggshells in museum collections, they were able to determine that eggs were thinning and that the culprit was likely DDT.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our specimens go back to the late 1800s, early 1900s, so you have this historical material to be able to compare the eggs before and after the introduction of DDT,” said Carla Cicero, curator of birds at the \u003ca href=\"https://mvz.berkeley.edu/\">Museum of Vertebrate Zoology\u003c/a> at UC Berkeley, one of the institutions whose collections contributed to the research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970089\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Broken_peregrine_falcon_egg_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970089\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Broken_peregrine_falcon_egg_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Broken_peregrine_falcon_egg_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Broken_peregrine_falcon_egg_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Broken_peregrine_falcon_egg_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Broken_peregrine_falcon_egg_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Broken_peregrine_falcon_egg_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Broken_peregrine_falcon_egg_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A broken peregrine falcon egg at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The pesticide DDT, used heavily in the 1940s and until 1972 to control mosquitoes, bed bugs and agricultural pests, accumulated in peregrine’s bodies. It thwarted the development of embryos in the eggs. And it reduced the amount of calcium in the females, which resulted in eggshells so thin that they broke when parents sat on them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Other times, they were just so fragile that even just a small rock within the nest site or some debris would cause a hole in the egg,” said raptor ecologist Joel “Jeep” Pagel, who as a peregrine falcon specialist for the U.S. Forest Service starting in the early 1980s, and later for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, worked throughout the western U.S. to help their numbers rebound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970080\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_flies_towards_Joel_Pagel.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970080\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_flies_towards_Joel_Pagel.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Raptor ecologist Joel “Jeep” Pagel puts up his hand to keep back a peregrine that flew toward him. Pagel was placing bands with ID numbers on the peregrine’s chicks in a nest outside Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego in 2015. \u003ccite>(National Park Service)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pagel would rappel down cliffs, removed eggs from their parents and replaced them with plaster of Paris replicas for them to incubate. Alarmed peregrine parents would sometimes attack Pagel, shredding his T-shirt and scratching his back, shoulders and even his face with their large talons. He placed the eggs carefully into \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/incubator-helped-saved-peregrine-falcons-extinction\">an incubator\u003c/a> and took them to different research institutions to be hatched in captivity. When the chicks hatched, he returned to nests and placed them with their own parents or with fosters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It worked so well that oftentimes the adults were bringing prey items into the nest site to the chicks even before my rope was all the way up the cliff,” said Pagel. “There was never an instance where this type of fostering did not take. The birds were very efficient and they raised those youngsters as if they were their own, and those youngsters fledged and helped increase the population.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970087\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded_at_Cabrillo_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970087\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded_at_Cabrillo_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded_at_Cabrillo_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded_at_Cabrillo_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded_at_Cabrillo_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded_at_Cabrillo_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded_at_Cabrillo_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded_at_Cabrillo_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Raptor ecologist Joel “Jeep” Pagel placed a band with an ID on a peregrine falcon chick in a nest outside Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego in 2015. \u003ccite>(National Park Service)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s a real success story,” said Bell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1999, the U.S. government took peregrine falcons off the federal endangered species list, though the raptors continue to be protected in California and elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back at the Campanile nest, it’s Annie who usually sits on the eggs, keeping them at 103 degrees Fahrenheit. Grinnell brings meat to her — pigeons, mourning doves — and takes a turn keeping the eggs warm while she eats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of their four eggs this year, one broke, which Bell said could be the result of lingering effects of DDT and its breakdown product, DDE.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Although it is much diluted, there are still some areas with fairly high concentrations in sediments that may resurface from time to time in our bays and coastal areas,” said Bell. “So it is conceivable that a falcon or fish could still get an occasional dose that would have a physiological effect.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Noisy Chicks Demand Their Meat\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After incubating for about a month, three white chicks hatched in April and they were hungry. In one early feeding caught on camera, Annie fed them tiny bits of meat that she plucked from a pigeon carcass and placed in their mouths. Grinnell hunts and stashes carcasses near the nest for Annie. So when the chicks are hungry, she disappears briefly and comes back with a chunk of meat, which Grinnell has already de-feathered. At mealtime, \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/1dNIuNUNoBI\">chicks scream nonstop\u003c/a>, making mealtime a raucous affair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970081\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Annie_feeds_chicks.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970081\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Annie_feeds_chicks.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Annie feeds her three chicks, which were only a few days old, small pieces of pigeon meat on April 21. \u003ccite>(Cal Falcons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Whereas with other smaller birds they try to keep quiet and not be noticed by predators, peregrines are in this situation where they basically don’t get penalized for making noise and bringing attention to themselves,” said Peterson. “So they can beg constantly for their parents to give them food.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And beg they did. Their parents obliged, making sure not to feed them bones or feathers, which chicks can’t digest. But by the time they were 10 days old, the chicks had fully developed a muscular organ called the crop, which crushes bones and feathers into little bits. The proof was a brown ball called a pellet that one of the chicks coughed up on prime time YouTube.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970082\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Chick_coughs_up_pellet.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970082\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Chick_coughs_up_pellet.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of Annie and Grinnell’s 10-day-old chicks coughs up a pellet made of bits of feather and bone from the birds that its parents fed it. \u003ccite>(Cal Falcons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The chicks grew quickly. They went through an awkward phase in which they had white feathers mixed in with the new brown ones. They practiced beating their large wings, fought noisily over food and \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/7TCkU0J_wLs\">chased moths together\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then at the end of May, when they were about 40 days old, they took turns flying off the tower for the first time, a group of noisy fans waiting for them below to cheer them on and make sure they didn’t hurt themselves on the way down. One of Grinnell and Annie’s two chicks born in 2017 died when it hit a window on campus and another chick got stuck inside a building and needed to be rescued, Peterson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970083\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Annie_feeds_one_of_her_young.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970083\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Annie_feeds_one_of_her_young.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Female peregrine falcon Annie (right) feeds her 6-week-old daughter, Poppy, in early June. Even though Poppy had recently taken her first flight off the Campanile, she returned to visit her parents and demand a meal. Young peregrine falcons hang out around their parents’ nest for a month or longer after they fledge. \u003ccite>(Cal Falcons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This year, all three chicks fledged successfully. Because each one has been given a small band with a visible ID number, bird watchers can report sightings of the young and follow their journey. One of Annie and Grinnell’s 10 offspring, a female called Lawrencium, born in 2018, is known to be living on some prime Bay Area real estate: Alcatraz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She just had her first chicks this year,” said Peterson. “So Annie and Grinnell, we know, are grandparents now.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "High up in their 300-foot tower penthouse in Berkeley, falcon stars Annie and Grinnell's romance quickly gets real, as they face the tough demands of raising a family. The four eggs Annie lays tell a poignant story of the recovery of a species from the brink of extinction.",
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"title": "Watch These Peregrine Falcons Become Fierce Parents | KQED",
"description": "High up in their 300-foot tower penthouse in Berkeley, falcon stars Annie and Grinnell's romance quickly gets real, as they face the tough demands of raising a family. The four eggs Annie lays tell a poignant story of the recovery of a species from the brink of extinction.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Grinnell, a male peregrine falcon, looked up from his nest and started screaming. It was late March and he was taking a turn warming the four eggs he and his partner, Annie, were caring for in their home atop the bell tower at UC Berkeley. A young female peregrine falcon, quite a bit larger than Grinnell, was lurking on the ledge above him. Young peregrine falcons will often come around the site where a pair is already nesting to check it out and plot a possible takeover. She walked right up to Grinnell in the nest and shrieked almost in his face. Grinnell spread his wings wide and swiftly chased her off the tower.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Grinnell had reason to be territorial. He and Annie have been raising chicks on \u003ca href=\"https://visit.berkeley.edu/campus-tourscampanile-tour/\">this 307-foot tower\u003c/a> since 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970077\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Grinnell_pushes_peregrine_falcon_away.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1970077 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Grinnell_pushes_peregrine_falcon_away.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grinnell (right) pushes away a young female peregrine falcon who checked out the bell tower while Grinnell was keeping his eggs warm. \u003ccite>(Cal Falcons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Peregrine Falcons Love Cities\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peregrine falcons \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1944037/peregrine-falcons-are-feathered-fighter-jets-basically\">are the fastest animals in the world\u003c/a>: When in hot pursuit of a pigeon or other bird to pluck from midair they can reach 240 miles per hour — faster than a single engine plane. But even these raptor superstars need to settle down with a mate and have some babies to whom they can pass on their love for meat. When they do, they often pick a tall building in a city. Peregrine falcons regularly make their homes in cities across the United States, from \u003ca href=\"https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7059.html#:~:text=Peregrine%20falcons%20are%20listed%20as,DDE)%20residues%20in%20their%20prey.&text=Peregrines%20first%20returned%20to%20nest,New%20York%20City%20in%201983.\">New York\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://chicagoperegrineprogram.squarespace.com/\">Chicago\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.pge.com/en_US/residential/in-your-community/local-environment/peregrine-falcons/peregrine-falcons.page\">San Francisco\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970084\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Campanile_Pedal_Born_Pictures_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970084\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Campanile_Pedal_Born_Pictures_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Campanile_Pedal_Born_Pictures_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Campanile_Pedal_Born_Pictures_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Campanile_Pedal_Born_Pictures_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Campanile_Pedal_Born_Pictures_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Campanile_Pedal_Born_Pictures_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Campanile_Pedal_Born_Pictures_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peregrine falcons love tall buildings, which mimic the cliffs they nest on in the wild. Peregrine pair Annie and Grinnell live atop the 307-foot bell tower on the UC Berkeley campus, affectionately known as the Campanile. \u003ccite>(Pedal Born Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s serendipity that cities mimic what peregrines need and are looking for in a habitat,” said bird biologist Sean Peterson, a Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley who helped set up \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjo8Rlp6q98TZlG8TDF4GQ\">video cameras atop the bell tower\u003c/a> last year to monitor Annie and Grinnell and share their comings and goings with the public live on the web. “Cities have a lot of prey animals — pigeons especially. And then they have a lot of fake cliff faces for them to nest on: all these tall buildings. And that gives them protection from predators and lots of places for them to hunt.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970078\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Grinnell_flies_off_bell_tower.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970078\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Grinnell_flies_off_bell_tower.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Male peregrine falcon Grinnell flies off the Campanile on the UC Berkeley campus. Tall buildings give peregrines a perch from which to hunt small birds like pigeons. \u003ccite>(Cal Falcons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When peregrines nest in the wild, they look for a ledge high up on a cliff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There might be a shelf that’s 500 feet off of the ground and 300 feet down from the top, and no mammal’s going to get to it,” said raptor expert Doug Bell, wildlife program manager at the East Bay Regional Park District and, together with Peterson, part of a \u003ca href=\"https://calfalcons.berkeley.edu/people/\">small team\u003c/a> that has been giving Annie and Grinnell a helping hand. “No fisher, no raccoon, no bobcat is going to be able to get to the site.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Grinnell and Annie have raised four groups of chicks, called clutches, on the bell tower, affectionately known as the Campanile (camp-ah-NEE-lee), starting in 2017. That’s when Bell, Peterson, his wife, bird biologist Lynn Schofield, and volunteer raptor nest monitor Mary Malec discovered Annie nesting at the top of the tower on a wet sandbag and built her a nest out of a plastic tray filled with pea gravel. Gravel is similar to the pebbles or sandy soil they lay their eggs on in the wild and drains well, which allows the parents to keep their eggs warm. Though two eggs were lost by the time nest construction took place, two chicks were born from the eggs that survived.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Annie and Grinnell Put on a Show\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year the team started operating two \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjo8Rlp6q98TZlG8TDF4GQ\">video cameras that broadcast the pair’s parenting live through the web\u003c/a>. Peterson and Schofield share the happenings in the nest via the \u003ca href=\"https://calfalcons.berkeley.edu/\">Cal Falcons\u003c/a> channel on YouTube and on social media. The raising of Annie and Grinnell’s two chicks last year and three chicks this year drew avid fans and tens of thousands of views.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970079\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Annie_and_Grinnell_mate.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970079\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Annie_and_Grinnell_mate.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In early March, Grinnell mated with Annie atop the Campanile. The male lands on the female’s back, trying to keep his large talons from hurting her and they mate for a few seconds. \u003ccite>(Cal Falcons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The cameras beam the birds’ behaviors directly to scientists, complementing the information they can gather by patiently watching a cliff all day with a pair of binoculars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You start to get a better window into what is going on at the nest,” said Bell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers can watch peregrines laying their eggs, for example, and they can know more precisely what small birds they feed their young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, Annie and Grinnell cemented their celebrity status by performing in a three-camera, rather than two-camera, reality show, with one video feed documenting their every move in the nest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970085\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcons_three_cameras_Cal_Falcons_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970085\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcons_three_cameras_Cal_Falcons_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcons_three_cameras_Cal_Falcons_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcons_three_cameras_Cal_Falcons_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcons_three_cameras_Cal_Falcons_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcons_three_cameras_Cal_Falcons_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcons_three_cameras_Cal_Falcons_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcons_three_cameras_Cal_Falcons_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Scientists have set up three cameras atop UC Berkeley’s Campanile to watch peregrine falcon pair Grinnell (left, in his nest) and Annie (top right, with the campus and the cities of Berkeley and Albany in the background) and their chicks. In the right bottom photo, Annie (in the back) and two of the three chicks she raised this year. \u003ccite>(Cal Falcons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Annie’s first egg \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/Nfq9LMrmscs\">plopped right out of her\u003c/a> in early March. In the wild, peregrines don’t build a nest of twigs and leaves; they lay their eggs on a ledge in a cliff into which the female has scratched a bowl-shaped depression called a scrape to prevent her eggs from rolling away. Fans had watched Annie do the same thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really cool to see,” said Bell. “She’ll lay with her breast down and she pushes herself into the soil, and you can see her take her feet and she’ll literally scrape the soil out from underneath her and push it towards her tail.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Detective Work Leads to a Success Story\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The four eggs Annie laid in March tell an extraordinary story when you consider that 60 years ago these raptors were on the brink of extinction. In the 1950s and 1960s, they nearly disappeared from the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists had to do some sleuthing to figure out the cause — and they zeroed in on the eggs. Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring,” in 1962, raised the specter that the pesticide DDT harmed eggs. With their rusty-red mottled patterns, peregrines’ eggs are so beautiful that private collectors had been taking them from nests as far back as the 19th century. Many of those eggs ended up in museums.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970086\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_eggs_at_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970086\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_eggs_at_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_eggs_at_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_eggs_at_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_eggs_at_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_eggs_at_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_eggs_at_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_eggs_at_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peregrine falcon eggs in the collection of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By measuring the calcium content and thickness of eggshells in museum collections, they were able to determine that eggs were thinning and that the culprit was likely DDT.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our specimens go back to the late 1800s, early 1900s, so you have this historical material to be able to compare the eggs before and after the introduction of DDT,” said Carla Cicero, curator of birds at the \u003ca href=\"https://mvz.berkeley.edu/\">Museum of Vertebrate Zoology\u003c/a> at UC Berkeley, one of the institutions whose collections contributed to the research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970089\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Broken_peregrine_falcon_egg_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970089\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Broken_peregrine_falcon_egg_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Broken_peregrine_falcon_egg_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Broken_peregrine_falcon_egg_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Broken_peregrine_falcon_egg_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Broken_peregrine_falcon_egg_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Broken_peregrine_falcon_egg_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Broken_peregrine_falcon_egg_Museum_Vertebrate_Zoology_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A broken peregrine falcon egg at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The pesticide DDT, used heavily in the 1940s and until 1972 to control mosquitoes, bed bugs and agricultural pests, accumulated in peregrine’s bodies. It thwarted the development of embryos in the eggs. And it reduced the amount of calcium in the females, which resulted in eggshells so thin that they broke when parents sat on them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Other times, they were just so fragile that even just a small rock within the nest site or some debris would cause a hole in the egg,” said raptor ecologist Joel “Jeep” Pagel, who as a peregrine falcon specialist for the U.S. Forest Service starting in the early 1980s, and later for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, worked throughout the western U.S. to help their numbers rebound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970080\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_flies_towards_Joel_Pagel.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970080\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_flies_towards_Joel_Pagel.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Raptor ecologist Joel “Jeep” Pagel puts up his hand to keep back a peregrine that flew toward him. Pagel was placing bands with ID numbers on the peregrine’s chicks in a nest outside Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego in 2015. \u003ccite>(National Park Service)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pagel would rappel down cliffs, removed eggs from their parents and replaced them with plaster of Paris replicas for them to incubate. Alarmed peregrine parents would sometimes attack Pagel, shredding his T-shirt and scratching his back, shoulders and even his face with their large talons. He placed the eggs carefully into \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/incubator-helped-saved-peregrine-falcons-extinction\">an incubator\u003c/a> and took them to different research institutions to be hatched in captivity. When the chicks hatched, he returned to nests and placed them with their own parents or with fosters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It worked so well that oftentimes the adults were bringing prey items into the nest site to the chicks even before my rope was all the way up the cliff,” said Pagel. “There was never an instance where this type of fostering did not take. The birds were very efficient and they raised those youngsters as if they were their own, and those youngsters fledged and helped increase the population.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970087\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded_at_Cabrillo_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970087\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded_at_Cabrillo_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded_at_Cabrillo_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded_at_Cabrillo_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded_at_Cabrillo_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded_at_Cabrillo_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded_at_Cabrillo_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Peregrine_falcon_chicks_banded_at_Cabrillo_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Raptor ecologist Joel “Jeep” Pagel placed a band with an ID on a peregrine falcon chick in a nest outside Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego in 2015. \u003ccite>(National Park Service)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s a real success story,” said Bell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1999, the U.S. government took peregrine falcons off the federal endangered species list, though the raptors continue to be protected in California and elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back at the Campanile nest, it’s Annie who usually sits on the eggs, keeping them at 103 degrees Fahrenheit. Grinnell brings meat to her — pigeons, mourning doves — and takes a turn keeping the eggs warm while she eats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of their four eggs this year, one broke, which Bell said could be the result of lingering effects of DDT and its breakdown product, DDE.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Although it is much diluted, there are still some areas with fairly high concentrations in sediments that may resurface from time to time in our bays and coastal areas,” said Bell. “So it is conceivable that a falcon or fish could still get an occasional dose that would have a physiological effect.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Noisy Chicks Demand Their Meat\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After incubating for about a month, three white chicks hatched in April and they were hungry. In one early feeding caught on camera, Annie fed them tiny bits of meat that she plucked from a pigeon carcass and placed in their mouths. Grinnell hunts and stashes carcasses near the nest for Annie. So when the chicks are hungry, she disappears briefly and comes back with a chunk of meat, which Grinnell has already de-feathered. At mealtime, \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/1dNIuNUNoBI\">chicks scream nonstop\u003c/a>, making mealtime a raucous affair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970081\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Annie_feeds_chicks.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970081\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Annie_feeds_chicks.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Annie feeds her three chicks, which were only a few days old, small pieces of pigeon meat on April 21. \u003ccite>(Cal Falcons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Whereas with other smaller birds they try to keep quiet and not be noticed by predators, peregrines are in this situation where they basically don’t get penalized for making noise and bringing attention to themselves,” said Peterson. “So they can beg constantly for their parents to give them food.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And beg they did. Their parents obliged, making sure not to feed them bones or feathers, which chicks can’t digest. But by the time they were 10 days old, the chicks had fully developed a muscular organ called the crop, which crushes bones and feathers into little bits. The proof was a brown ball called a pellet that one of the chicks coughed up on prime time YouTube.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970082\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Chick_coughs_up_pellet.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970082\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Chick_coughs_up_pellet.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of Annie and Grinnell’s 10-day-old chicks coughs up a pellet made of bits of feather and bone from the birds that its parents fed it. \u003ccite>(Cal Falcons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The chicks grew quickly. They went through an awkward phase in which they had white feathers mixed in with the new brown ones. They practiced beating their large wings, fought noisily over food and \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/7TCkU0J_wLs\">chased moths together\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then at the end of May, when they were about 40 days old, they took turns flying off the tower for the first time, a group of noisy fans waiting for them below to cheer them on and make sure they didn’t hurt themselves on the way down. One of Grinnell and Annie’s two chicks born in 2017 died when it hit a window on campus and another chick got stuck inside a building and needed to be rescued, Peterson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1970083\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Annie_feeds_one_of_her_young.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1970083\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/10/DL717_Annie_feeds_one_of_her_young.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Female peregrine falcon Annie (right) feeds her 6-week-old daughter, Poppy, in early June. Even though Poppy had recently taken her first flight off the Campanile, she returned to visit her parents and demand a meal. Young peregrine falcons hang out around their parents’ nest for a month or longer after they fledge. \u003ccite>(Cal Falcons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This year, all three chicks fledged successfully. Because each one has been given a small band with a visible ID number, bird watchers can report sightings of the young and follow their journey. One of Annie and Grinnell’s 10 offspring, a female called Lawrencium, born in 2018, is known to be living on some prime Bay Area real estate: Alcatraz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She just had her first chicks this year,” said Peterson. “So Annie and Grinnell, we know, are grandparents now.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]Next time you see a big spider sitting in the middle of its web, before you scream, run away or squash it, maybe pause and consider for a moment all of the wondrous things it can do with that itsy-bitsy brain. Most spiders have a brain no larger than a poppy seed, but with this modest cerebral endowment, they not only construct intricate insect traps, they expertly expand their senses far beyond the limits of their bodies, using their webs as a physical extension of their perceptual abilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Imagine if you were able to extend microphones out, radiating from your ears, extending the capability of your hearing,” said Francis Windram, a Ph.D. candidate and expert in spider foraging at Imperial College London.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The more than 48,000 spider species have done well for themselves, evolutionarily speaking. They create a wide variety of web styles, though some — like jumping spiders — don’t spin webs at all. There are over 4,000 different species of orb weaver spiders alone; these are the eight-legged spinners that create the famous spiral-shaped webs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969756\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 590px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969756\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_juvenile_cross_orb_weaver.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"590\" height=\"331\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A juvenile cross orb weaver. Even though they are extremely small, orb weavers are born with the ability to spin intricate, spiral-shaped webs. \u003ccite>(Mike Seely/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Anyone who’s watched orb weavers in action has seen them use their exquisite creations to deftly ensnare flying insects. Impressive as this, the webs function as much more than deadly traps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mostly nocturnal, orb weavers also happen to be almost completely blind. These species are only able to see light, dark and a little movement, but they are somehow able to quickly navigate their webs, pinpointing their unlucky victims and binding them in silk, a meal saved for later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Webs play an integral role in everything an orb weaver does. Many species every day eat their silk, recycle it inside their body, and reconstruct the web overnight. When spiders are hungry, they can tighten the web’s strands and even adjust its size and shape, depending on what size of prey they’re in the mood for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Knowing that beetles and moths use pheromones to communicate, UC Berkeley Ph.D. candidate Ashley Adams wondered whether spiders could use chemical cues to distinguish the webs of their own species from those of other types of spiders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make sure they weren’t just checking the web by feel, she soaked cotton threads in solutions made from extracts of webs spun by different species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male long-jawed orb weaver spiders in her lab consistently chose the threads treated with extracts from their own species, avoiding those doused with web extracts from other kinds of spiders, suggesting they do sense chemicals with their legs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969753\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1969753\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver5-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver5-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver5-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver5-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver5-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver5-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver5-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver5-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An adult cross orb weaver spider lying in wait at the center of its web. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Adams’ soon-to-be-published study adds to the already impressive list of complex behaviors for these tiny-brained animals. We know that many mammals and birds seem to be able to construct a mental representation of space, but it’s rare for invertebrates (bees, octopuses and cuttlefish are exceptions). Orb weavers can do so much with their miniscule brains, some researchers ask the question: Is a spider’s web an extension of its mind?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adams agrees that “at least from a neurological perspective, [the web] is this extremely effective extension of their senses that has helped them succeed in the environment and become so prevalent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But others, like biologist Hilton Japyassú of the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil, takes this idea a step further, suggesting that orb weavers use their webs as a form of extended cognition, outsourcing advanced mental tasks like problem-solving and memory. For example, once they have killed and wrapped their prey, a spider can store the prey for later, then easily find it again. The way they relocate the insects they have killed looks an awful lot like they are remembering, Japyassú says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently, he and his colleagues set up an experiment in which they manipulated the web and removed prey the spider had wrapped up in silk to see how the spider reacted. By limiting the way the animals sensed the world around them, the scientists were able to directly test the “thinking web” idea. They found that when the webs were manipulated, the spiders changed their behavior. For one, they searched for the prey taken by the researchers. Also, if their webs were altered, or they encountered different-sized prey, they could adjust their foraging behavior by changing their capturing technique.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The researchers concluded that this two-way connection between the web and the spider’s behavior suggests that the web is indeed a way for the spider to process information\u003cb>, \u003c/b>reserving precious brain power for other necessary and complex tasks like the actual capture of prey. For tasks that are more memory-intensive, like navigating or relocating prey, they don’t need to remember every single thread they have spun — just a few previous steps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969758\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 590px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969758\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver_prey_capture2.gif\" alt=\"Cross orb weaver prey capture\" width=\"590\" height=\"331\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A cross orb weaver spider quickly wraps its prey after paralyzing it with a dose of venom. Orb weavers are mostly blind, but they use their webs to help remember where they keep their wrapped-up food. \u003ccite>(Mike Seely/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The idea of extended cognition — that tools like writing, computers, or phones are extensions of our thought processes — is not new to philosophers or scientists. But if you start defining cognition in the traditional sense, “there is no possibility to expand [it] to anywhere else outside of human experience,” Japyassú said. “I prefer to define it in a very simple way; that … cognition helps you to survive, and it’s related to information processing.” By this definition, the web is an extension of the spider’s thought processes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers don’t all fully agree that the webs actually are a part of a spider’s thinking. How do you tell that the spider has an actual plan, or if it is just exhibiting instinctual behavior when it builds its web? With current technology, we can’t see inside the tiny working brain of the orb weaver, so we are left with what behavioral observation can tell us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although some philosophers have a problem with the idea that an animal has a mind at all, Japyassú says scientists researching animal cognition “are more open-minded because they can observe such different ways of thinking in other animals.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spider researchers, said Japyassú, “see these spiders doing things that would seem impossible for a tiny animal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, he says, the logical place to look for where all that thinking is happening is in the web.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969757\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 590px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969757\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_orb_web_sunlight.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"590\" height=\"331\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The signature spiral-shaped webs of the orb weaver extend the senses of a spider far beyond the limits of its body. \u003ccite>(Mike Seely/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Next time you see a big spider sitting in the middle of its web, before you scream, run away or squash it, maybe pause and consider for a moment all of the wondrous things it can do with that itsy-bitsy brain. Most spiders have a brain no larger than a poppy seed, but with this modest cerebral endowment, they not only construct intricate insect traps, they expertly expand their senses far beyond the limits of their bodies, using their webs as a physical extension of their perceptual abilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Imagine if you were able to extend microphones out, radiating from your ears, extending the capability of your hearing,” said Francis Windram, a Ph.D. candidate and expert in spider foraging at Imperial College London.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The more than 48,000 spider species have done well for themselves, evolutionarily speaking. They create a wide variety of web styles, though some — like jumping spiders — don’t spin webs at all. There are over 4,000 different species of orb weaver spiders alone; these are the eight-legged spinners that create the famous spiral-shaped webs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969756\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 590px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969756\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_juvenile_cross_orb_weaver.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"590\" height=\"331\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A juvenile cross orb weaver. Even though they are extremely small, orb weavers are born with the ability to spin intricate, spiral-shaped webs. \u003ccite>(Mike Seely/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Anyone who’s watched orb weavers in action has seen them use their exquisite creations to deftly ensnare flying insects. Impressive as this, the webs function as much more than deadly traps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mostly nocturnal, orb weavers also happen to be almost completely blind. These species are only able to see light, dark and a little movement, but they are somehow able to quickly navigate their webs, pinpointing their unlucky victims and binding them in silk, a meal saved for later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Webs play an integral role in everything an orb weaver does. Many species every day eat their silk, recycle it inside their body, and reconstruct the web overnight. When spiders are hungry, they can tighten the web’s strands and even adjust its size and shape, depending on what size of prey they’re in the mood for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Knowing that beetles and moths use pheromones to communicate, UC Berkeley Ph.D. candidate Ashley Adams wondered whether spiders could use chemical cues to distinguish the webs of their own species from those of other types of spiders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make sure they weren’t just checking the web by feel, she soaked cotton threads in solutions made from extracts of webs spun by different species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male long-jawed orb weaver spiders in her lab consistently chose the threads treated with extracts from their own species, avoiding those doused with web extracts from other kinds of spiders, suggesting they do sense chemicals with their legs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969753\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1969753\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver5-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver5-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver5-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver5-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver5-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver5-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver5-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver5-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An adult cross orb weaver spider lying in wait at the center of its web. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Adams’ soon-to-be-published study adds to the already impressive list of complex behaviors for these tiny-brained animals. We know that many mammals and birds seem to be able to construct a mental representation of space, but it’s rare for invertebrates (bees, octopuses and cuttlefish are exceptions). Orb weavers can do so much with their miniscule brains, some researchers ask the question: Is a spider’s web an extension of its mind?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adams agrees that “at least from a neurological perspective, [the web] is this extremely effective extension of their senses that has helped them succeed in the environment and become so prevalent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But others, like biologist Hilton Japyassú of the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil, takes this idea a step further, suggesting that orb weavers use their webs as a form of extended cognition, outsourcing advanced mental tasks like problem-solving and memory. For example, once they have killed and wrapped their prey, a spider can store the prey for later, then easily find it again. The way they relocate the insects they have killed looks an awful lot like they are remembering, Japyassú says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently, he and his colleagues set up an experiment in which they manipulated the web and removed prey the spider had wrapped up in silk to see how the spider reacted. By limiting the way the animals sensed the world around them, the scientists were able to directly test the “thinking web” idea. They found that when the webs were manipulated, the spiders changed their behavior. For one, they searched for the prey taken by the researchers. Also, if their webs were altered, or they encountered different-sized prey, they could adjust their foraging behavior by changing their capturing technique.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The researchers concluded that this two-way connection between the web and the spider’s behavior suggests that the web is indeed a way for the spider to process information\u003cb>, \u003c/b>reserving precious brain power for other necessary and complex tasks like the actual capture of prey. For tasks that are more memory-intensive, like navigating or relocating prey, they don’t need to remember every single thread they have spun — just a few previous steps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969758\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 590px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969758\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_cross_orb_weaver_prey_capture2.gif\" alt=\"Cross orb weaver prey capture\" width=\"590\" height=\"331\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A cross orb weaver spider quickly wraps its prey after paralyzing it with a dose of venom. Orb weavers are mostly blind, but they use their webs to help remember where they keep their wrapped-up food. \u003ccite>(Mike Seely/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The idea of extended cognition — that tools like writing, computers, or phones are extensions of our thought processes — is not new to philosophers or scientists. But if you start defining cognition in the traditional sense, “there is no possibility to expand [it] to anywhere else outside of human experience,” Japyassú said. “I prefer to define it in a very simple way; that … cognition helps you to survive, and it’s related to information processing.” By this definition, the web is an extension of the spider’s thought processes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers don’t all fully agree that the webs actually are a part of a spider’s thinking. How do you tell that the spider has an actual plan, or if it is just exhibiting instinctual behavior when it builds its web? With current technology, we can’t see inside the tiny working brain of the orb weaver, so we are left with what behavioral observation can tell us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although some philosophers have a problem with the idea that an animal has a mind at all, Japyassú says scientists researching animal cognition “are more open-minded because they can observe such different ways of thinking in other animals.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spider researchers, said Japyassú, “see these spiders doing things that would seem impossible for a tiny animal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, he says, the logical place to look for where all that thinking is happening is in the web.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969757\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 590px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969757\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL716_orb_web_sunlight.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"590\" height=\"331\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The signature spiral-shaped webs of the orb weaver extend the senses of a spider far beyond the limits of its body. \u003ccite>(Mike Seely/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "this-is-not-a-dandelion",
"title": "This is NOT a Dandelion.",
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"headTitle": "This is NOT a Dandelion. | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]Gardeners cursing as they yank out yellow blooms from the ground might be misplacing their anger. Not everything that looks like a dandelion is one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969312\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969312\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is not a dandelion. To tell this catsear from its better-known relative you need to look under its petals. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dandelions have many doppelgangers, among them the most successful plant you’ve never heard of: catsears. Their claim to fame is that they were recently \u003ca href=\"https://nytimesanswers.com/dandelion-look-alike-crossword-clue-2/\">a clue in the New York Times crossword puzzle\u003c/a> (“Dandelion look-alike”), but the plant is so prolific — it has spread from its native Morocco all around the world — that it doesn’t really need any press.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chances are you’ll run across both dandelions and catsears in your backyard or at the park this fall, especially if they’re getting watered. Catsears also proliferate in pastures, where cows keep the grasses that compete with them at bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969310\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Lesser_goldfinch_eats_catsear_seeds.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969310 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Lesser_goldfinch_eats_catsear_seeds.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A lesser goldfinch munches on catsear seeds in Berkeley.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Bees and butterflies love the nectar and pollen provided by dandelions and catsears, and little songbirds like lesser goldfinches feed on their seeds. But it’s hard to convince some gardeners of their virtues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most people who have a nice turf want only grasses,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/people/joseph-ditomaso\">Joe DiTomaso\u003c/a>, a weed researcher who retired from UC Davis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969317\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1921px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969317\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1921\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920.jpg 1921w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-1020x573.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1921px) 100vw, 1921px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catsears in bloom in a backyard in Berkeley in June. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Frustratingly for lawn lovers, efforts to keep the turf looking good sometimes help dandelions and catsears. Their leaves grow close to the ground, so when the lawnmower chops down any blades of grass towering over them, they can more easily soak up the rays they need to grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether you’re a friend or a foe, telling dandelions and catsears apart could be useful — if only to know thine enemy — and a fun way to ponder what makes these yellow blooms so successful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re looking down at them, you’ll miss their differences. You need to get on your knees and take a close look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below their petals you’ll see green structures that hold the bloom. They’re called phyllaries. In catsears, they all point up. In dandelions, some phyllaries curl down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969316\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969316\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catsear or dandelion? The green structures called phyllaries that hug the bloom all point up in catsears. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969318\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969318\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dandelions’ curly phyllaries are one way to tell them apart from catsears. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dandelion and catsear leaves have a similar shape, with toothed edges that give dandelions their name — an adaptation from the French dent-de-lion, or lion’s tooth. The leaves of the common catsear are more lobed than pointy and they’re furry, while dandelions’ are smooth. Both leaves are edible, prepared in salads or sauteed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969315\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969315\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catsears’ leaves are furry (left); dandelions’ are smooth. Both are edible. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“If you eat an old dandelion leaf, it’s going to be extremely bitter,” said \u003ca href=\"https://eggert.biology.missouri.edu/visiting-scholars/austin-lynn/\">Austin Lynn\u003c/a>, who studied the plants for his recently completed doctoral studies at the University of Missouri. “But if you eat a younger one, it’s much more pleasant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a taste test he carried out, Lynn said dandelion leaves were described as similar to romaine lettuce or arugula.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both dandelion and catsear blooms transform into fluffy globes called “clocks,” full of seeds. The dandelion’s clock is like a head of wispy gray hairs that just came from the salon, while the catsear’s featherlike globe looks like a dandelion that let its mane dry in the wind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969313\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969313\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Both catsears and dandelions create globes full of seeds, called “clocks.” Catsears’ clocks (left) look like a messier version of dandelions’. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969321\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969321\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catsear (left) and dandelion dried, ribbed fruits waiting to be carried away by the wind. A tiny seed is hiding inside each fruit. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One other way to tell them apart is that each stem of catsears branches into multiple blooms, while dandelions have only one bloom per stem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for all their differences, dandelions and catsears are closely related and pollinator favorites. That’s because of a tiny secret up in their petals: What we think of as a dandelion or a catsear flower is actually a cluster of dozens of tiny flowers called ray florets. Each floret makes its own pollen and nectar, which attract a host of different bees, butterflies and other insects. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Catsears serve all customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They have generalists as their pollinators,” said DiTomaso. “There are not specific insects that are required to pollinate them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969311\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Umber_skipper_butterfly_on_catsear.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969311\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Umber_skipper_butterfly_on_catsear.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An umber skipper butterfly sips nectar from a catsear in Berkeley. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The dandelions in your backyard, called common dandelions and hailing from Europe, don’t even need pollinators to reproduce — they just clone themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If one dandelion makes it to a new habitat, it can colonize that new habitat with just one individual,” said Lynn. “These dandelions don’t need to have a mate; that’s one of the big advantages.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969308\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_pappi_fly_off_wide-shot.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969308\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_pappi_fly_off_wide-shot.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Make a wish! Dandelion pappi fly away. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Wind disperses both dandelions’ and catsears’ seeds, another reason for their success. Each floret produces a fruit with a tiny seed inside, and each fruit floats away hanging from an umbrella-shaped structure called a pappus. These tiny pappi (PAP-eye) are what children blow on after making a wish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re very good at catching wind to detach,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/n.nakayama\">Naomi Nakayama\u003c/a>, a researcher at Imperial College London who has studied dandelion flight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969309\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_pappus_flies_off.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969309\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_pappus_flies_off.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dandelion pappus catches the wind and carries away a dry, ribbed fruit. A tiny seed is nestled inside the fruit. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The pappus acts very much like an open umbrella that lifts easily on the wind, even though it’s mainly empty space. Because of its small size, a trick of physics makes it so that the air in between the bristles of the pappi behaves like a solid — sort of like a viscous honey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They have an invisible wall they create,” said Nakayama. This helps pappi lift off when the wind hits them. The wall effect also helps the pappus stay adrift. Some air sifts through the bristles and a lot of air swirls around and above the pappus, forming a whirlwind that sucks the pappus up and keeps it afloat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vast majority of pappi don’t carry their seed very far — just enough for it to germinate in your backyard. How far they can travel is an open question, Nakayama said, since attaching a GPS onto them would impede their flight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969324\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Pappi_fly_off_dandelion.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969324\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Pappi_fly_off_dandelion.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Most dandelion fruit will likely fall to the ground nearby. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“A lot of people feel comfortable saying they can travel a couple of miles,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if most pappi end up landing right in your backyard, at least you might be able to get a good salad or some bee-watching out of the next generation.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Not every yellow bloom — or fluffy white globe — taking over your backyard is a dandelion. Some of them are the most prolific plant you've never heard of: catsears.",
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"title": "This is NOT a Dandelion. | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Gardeners cursing as they yank out yellow blooms from the ground might be misplacing their anger. Not everything that looks like a dandelion is one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969312\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969312\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DEEP_713_This-is-Not_a-Dandelion_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is not a dandelion. To tell this catsear from its better-known relative you need to look under its petals. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dandelions have many doppelgangers, among them the most successful plant you’ve never heard of: catsears. Their claim to fame is that they were recently \u003ca href=\"https://nytimesanswers.com/dandelion-look-alike-crossword-clue-2/\">a clue in the New York Times crossword puzzle\u003c/a> (“Dandelion look-alike”), but the plant is so prolific — it has spread from its native Morocco all around the world — that it doesn’t really need any press.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chances are you’ll run across both dandelions and catsears in your backyard or at the park this fall, especially if they’re getting watered. Catsears also proliferate in pastures, where cows keep the grasses that compete with them at bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969310\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Lesser_goldfinch_eats_catsear_seeds.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1969310 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Lesser_goldfinch_eats_catsear_seeds.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A lesser goldfinch munches on catsear seeds in Berkeley.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Bees and butterflies love the nectar and pollen provided by dandelions and catsears, and little songbirds like lesser goldfinches feed on their seeds. But it’s hard to convince some gardeners of their virtues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most people who have a nice turf want only grasses,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/people/joseph-ditomaso\">Joe DiTomaso\u003c/a>, a weed researcher who retired from UC Davis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969317\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1921px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969317\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1921\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920.jpg 1921w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-1020x573.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsears_many_in_backyard_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1921px) 100vw, 1921px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catsears in bloom in a backyard in Berkeley in June. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Frustratingly for lawn lovers, efforts to keep the turf looking good sometimes help dandelions and catsears. Their leaves grow close to the ground, so when the lawnmower chops down any blades of grass towering over them, they can more easily soak up the rays they need to grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether you’re a friend or a foe, telling dandelions and catsears apart could be useful — if only to know thine enemy — and a fun way to ponder what makes these yellow blooms so successful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re looking down at them, you’ll miss their differences. You need to get on your knees and take a close look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below their petals you’ll see green structures that hold the bloom. They’re called phyllaries. In catsears, they all point up. In dandelions, some phyllaries curl down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969316\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969316\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_inflorescence_fm_below_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catsear or dandelion? The green structures called phyllaries that hug the bloom all point up in catsears. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969318\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969318\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_phyllaries_no_label_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dandelions’ curly phyllaries are one way to tell them apart from catsears. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dandelion and catsear leaves have a similar shape, with toothed edges that give dandelions their name — an adaptation from the French dent-de-lion, or lion’s tooth. The leaves of the common catsear are more lobed than pointy and they’re furry, while dandelions’ are smooth. Both leaves are edible, prepared in salads or sauteed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969315\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969315\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_leaves_no_label_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catsears’ leaves are furry (left); dandelions’ are smooth. Both are edible. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“If you eat an old dandelion leaf, it’s going to be extremely bitter,” said \u003ca href=\"https://eggert.biology.missouri.edu/visiting-scholars/austin-lynn/\">Austin Lynn\u003c/a>, who studied the plants for his recently completed doctoral studies at the University of Missouri. “But if you eat a younger one, it’s much more pleasant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a taste test he carried out, Lynn said dandelion leaves were described as similar to romaine lettuce or arugula.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both dandelion and catsear blooms transform into fluffy globes called “clocks,” full of seeds. The dandelion’s clock is like a head of wispy gray hairs that just came from the salon, while the catsear’s featherlike globe looks like a dandelion that let its mane dry in the wind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969313\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969313\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_and_dandelion_clocks_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Both catsears and dandelions create globes full of seeds, called “clocks.” Catsears’ clocks (left) look like a messier version of dandelions’. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969321\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969321\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Catsear_dandelion_fruits_no_label-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catsear (left) and dandelion dried, ribbed fruits waiting to be carried away by the wind. A tiny seed is hiding inside each fruit. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One other way to tell them apart is that each stem of catsears branches into multiple blooms, while dandelions have only one bloom per stem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for all their differences, dandelions and catsears are closely related and pollinator favorites. That’s because of a tiny secret up in their petals: What we think of as a dandelion or a catsear flower is actually a cluster of dozens of tiny flowers called ray florets. Each floret makes its own pollen and nectar, which attract a host of different bees, butterflies and other insects. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Catsears serve all customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They have generalists as their pollinators,” said DiTomaso. “There are not specific insects that are required to pollinate them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969311\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Umber_skipper_butterfly_on_catsear.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969311\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Umber_skipper_butterfly_on_catsear.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An umber skipper butterfly sips nectar from a catsear in Berkeley. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The dandelions in your backyard, called common dandelions and hailing from Europe, don’t even need pollinators to reproduce — they just clone themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If one dandelion makes it to a new habitat, it can colonize that new habitat with just one individual,” said Lynn. “These dandelions don’t need to have a mate; that’s one of the big advantages.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969308\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_pappi_fly_off_wide-shot.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969308\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_pappi_fly_off_wide-shot.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Make a wish! Dandelion pappi fly away. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Wind disperses both dandelions’ and catsears’ seeds, another reason for their success. Each floret produces a fruit with a tiny seed inside, and each fruit floats away hanging from an umbrella-shaped structure called a pappus. These tiny pappi (PAP-eye) are what children blow on after making a wish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re very good at catching wind to detach,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/n.nakayama\">Naomi Nakayama\u003c/a>, a researcher at Imperial College London who has studied dandelion flight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969309\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_pappus_flies_off.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969309\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Dandelion_pappus_flies_off.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A dandelion pappus catches the wind and carries away a dry, ribbed fruit. A tiny seed is nestled inside the fruit. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The pappus acts very much like an open umbrella that lifts easily on the wind, even though it’s mainly empty space. Because of its small size, a trick of physics makes it so that the air in between the bristles of the pappi behaves like a solid — sort of like a viscous honey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They have an invisible wall they create,” said Nakayama. This helps pappi lift off when the wind hits them. The wall effect also helps the pappus stay adrift. Some air sifts through the bristles and a lot of air swirls around and above the pappus, forming a whirlwind that sucks the pappus up and keeps it afloat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vast majority of pappi don’t carry their seed very far — just enough for it to germinate in your backyard. How far they can travel is an open question, Nakayama said, since attaching a GPS onto them would impede their flight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1969324\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Pappi_fly_off_dandelion.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1969324\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/DL713_Pappi_fly_off_dandelion.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Most dandelion fruit will likely fall to the ground nearby. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“A lot of people feel comfortable saying they can travel a couple of miles,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if most pappi end up landing right in your backyard, at least you might be able to get a good salad or some bee-watching out of the next generation.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "What Actually Makes Water Roll Off a Duck's Back?",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]Video by Josh Cassidy\u003cbr>\nArticle by Annie Roth\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Summer is a great time to be a bird watcher in California. Ducks, geese, and many other species of aquatic birds come to California to breed, build nests and raise broods. If you go to your local pond right now, chances are good that you will see a mallard or Canada goose paddling along with a gaggle of its offspring in tow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But watch for too long and you might find yourself wondering “how do these birds stay warm and dry in the water?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a question that \u003ca href=\"https://www.calacademy.org/learn-explore/science-heroes/jack-dumbacher\">Jack Dumbacher\u003c/a>, curator of ornithology and mammalogy at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco has been asked many times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The secret to waterproof waterfowl, it turns out, lies in their feathers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Aquatic bird feathers are really different than those of other birds,” Dumbacher said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All birds have feathers. Their size, shape, and structure vary widely, but all feathers fit into one of two categories: down or contour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contour feathers, which include flight and tail feathers, are the long, rigid feathers that give birds their shape and color. As the outermost layer, contour feathers serve as a bird’s first line of defense against the elements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1968283\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714_vaned_down.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1968283 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714_vaned_down.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vaned feathers help birds fly, provide the contour to their bodies, and keep water out. Down feathers are fuzzier and hold a layer of warm air next to the bird’s skin below the vaned feathers. Some vaned feathers have some down feathers at their base. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Down feathers, by contrast, are the soft, fluffy feathers that sit closest to the bird’s skin. These keep birds warm by trapping a layer of air next to their skin and are used to make comforters, pillows, jackets, and other products.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every feather has a central hollow shaft, known as the rachis, and a flat area known as the vane. The vane is made up of hundreds of branches known as barbs. Branching from these barbs are structures known as barbules, some of which are tapered with tiny hooks known as barbibcles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1968301\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714_duck_rachis_barbs.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1968301 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714_duck_rachis_barbs.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbs extend out from the central rachis on this vaned duck feather. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Unlike down feathers, contour feathers are loaded with barbicels that interlock the neighboring barbs together like Velcro to form a wind and water-resistant barrier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1968303\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1968303\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-1020x574.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Some barbules have hooked barbicels at their tips allowing them to hook onto the barbules of the neighboring barbs. \u003ccite>(Christopher Gilpin/Purdue University)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The strain of flight and locomotion can sometimes force barbules out of alignment. When this happens, the vane of the feather splits, allowing air and water to pass through. To prevent this from happening, birds tend to their feathers regularly, in a process known as preening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Birds preen by brushing their feathers with their bill. This process allows birds to keep their feathers clean, smooth, and free of parasites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1968307\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714_duck_preen.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1968307\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714_duck_preen.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A domestic duck preens its feathers to reconnect the barbs and spread wax on the surfaces. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Having well-groomed feathers grants all birds some degree of water resistance, but aquatic birds take it to another level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a 2016 \u003ca href=\"https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2435.12820\">study\u003c/a> by scientists at the University of Debrecen in Hungary, aquatic birds like ducks and geese not only have feathers with denser, more tightly knit microstructures than their terrestrial counterparts, but they also have more of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In aquatic species, the density of the feathers is much, much greater than in terrestrial species of similar body size,” said \u003ca href=\"https://avianimmunoecology.wordpress.com/orsolya-vincze/\">Orsolya Vincze\u003c/a>, a research fellow at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences who helped conduct the study. “The barbule density is also much higher.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having super-dense plumage makes aquatic birds far more water-resistant than their terrestrial cousins, but it doesn’t make them waterproof.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To achieve that, aquatic birds coat their feathers with an oily substance known as preen oil, which is secreted from a gland on their rumps, above their tail feathers. This gland, known as the uropygial or preen gland, is present in nearly all birds, but its shape and size varies among species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Dumbacher, aquatic birds tend to have much larger and more developed preen glands than terrestrial birds, which isn’t surprising because “they have to apply oil more regularly,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1968308\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714_preen_gland_white.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1968308\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714_preen_gland_white.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Most birds have a preen gland on their rump right above their tail feathers. It’s usually covered in stubby feathers that soak up the greasy wax that the gland produces. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When preening, birds rub their beaks against their preen gland to collect oil and then rub it over their feathers. The oil from their preen gland coats the interlocking barbules of their feathers, rendering them waterproof.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s hard work. Some species will spend up to \u003ca href=\"https://www.jstor.org/stable/4535237?seq=1\">25% of their waking hours preening\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, preening isn’t just about waterproofing. Preening also rids birds of parasites and moisturizes their feathers so they can stay flexible, strong, and ready for flight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the dense microstructure of their feathers and applying copious amounts of preen oil each help insulate aquatic birds from the elements, “it’s really the combination of the two,” that allows them to stay warm and dry even in the chilliest of ponds, said Dumbacher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you want to see the wonder of waterproof feathers in person, Dumbacher recommends heading down to your local pond to watch some ducks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s fun to see how water just flips off the back of a duck,” Dumbacher said.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Ducks and geese spend *a lot* of time preening their all-weather feathers. This obsessive grooming – and a little styling wax from a hidden spot on their back side – maintains the microscopic feather structure that keeps them warm and dry in frigid waters. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Video by Josh Cassidy\u003cbr>\nArticle by Annie Roth\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Summer is a great time to be a bird watcher in California. Ducks, geese, and many other species of aquatic birds come to California to breed, build nests and raise broods. If you go to your local pond right now, chances are good that you will see a mallard or Canada goose paddling along with a gaggle of its offspring in tow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But watch for too long and you might find yourself wondering “how do these birds stay warm and dry in the water?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a question that \u003ca href=\"https://www.calacademy.org/learn-explore/science-heroes/jack-dumbacher\">Jack Dumbacher\u003c/a>, curator of ornithology and mammalogy at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco has been asked many times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The secret to waterproof waterfowl, it turns out, lies in their feathers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Aquatic bird feathers are really different than those of other birds,” Dumbacher said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All birds have feathers. Their size, shape, and structure vary widely, but all feathers fit into one of two categories: down or contour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contour feathers, which include flight and tail feathers, are the long, rigid feathers that give birds their shape and color. As the outermost layer, contour feathers serve as a bird’s first line of defense against the elements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1968283\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714_vaned_down.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1968283 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714_vaned_down.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vaned feathers help birds fly, provide the contour to their bodies, and keep water out. Down feathers are fuzzier and hold a layer of warm air next to the bird’s skin below the vaned feathers. Some vaned feathers have some down feathers at their base. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Down feathers, by contrast, are the soft, fluffy feathers that sit closest to the bird’s skin. These keep birds warm by trapping a layer of air next to their skin and are used to make comforters, pillows, jackets, and other products.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every feather has a central hollow shaft, known as the rachis, and a flat area known as the vane. The vane is made up of hundreds of branches known as barbs. Branching from these barbs are structures known as barbules, some of which are tapered with tiny hooks known as barbibcles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1968301\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714_duck_rachis_barbs.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1968301 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714_duck_rachis_barbs.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbs extend out from the central rachis on this vaned duck feather. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Unlike down feathers, contour feathers are loaded with barbicels that interlock the neighboring barbs together like Velcro to form a wind and water-resistant barrier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1968303\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1968303\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-1020x574.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714__duck_feather_barbicles_SEM_labeled-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Some barbules have hooked barbicels at their tips allowing them to hook onto the barbules of the neighboring barbs. \u003ccite>(Christopher Gilpin/Purdue University)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The strain of flight and locomotion can sometimes force barbules out of alignment. When this happens, the vane of the feather splits, allowing air and water to pass through. To prevent this from happening, birds tend to their feathers regularly, in a process known as preening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Birds preen by brushing their feathers with their bill. This process allows birds to keep their feathers clean, smooth, and free of parasites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1968307\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714_duck_preen.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1968307\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714_duck_preen.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A domestic duck preens its feathers to reconnect the barbs and spread wax on the surfaces. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Having well-groomed feathers grants all birds some degree of water resistance, but aquatic birds take it to another level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a 2016 \u003ca href=\"https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2435.12820\">study\u003c/a> by scientists at the University of Debrecen in Hungary, aquatic birds like ducks and geese not only have feathers with denser, more tightly knit microstructures than their terrestrial counterparts, but they also have more of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In aquatic species, the density of the feathers is much, much greater than in terrestrial species of similar body size,” said \u003ca href=\"https://avianimmunoecology.wordpress.com/orsolya-vincze/\">Orsolya Vincze\u003c/a>, a research fellow at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences who helped conduct the study. “The barbule density is also much higher.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having super-dense plumage makes aquatic birds far more water-resistant than their terrestrial cousins, but it doesn’t make them waterproof.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To achieve that, aquatic birds coat their feathers with an oily substance known as preen oil, which is secreted from a gland on their rumps, above their tail feathers. This gland, known as the uropygial or preen gland, is present in nearly all birds, but its shape and size varies among species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Dumbacher, aquatic birds tend to have much larger and more developed preen glands than terrestrial birds, which isn’t surprising because “they have to apply oil more regularly,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1968308\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714_preen_gland_white.gif\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1968308\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/08/DL714_preen_gland_white.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Most birds have a preen gland on their rump right above their tail feathers. It’s usually covered in stubby feathers that soak up the greasy wax that the gland produces. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When preening, birds rub their beaks against their preen gland to collect oil and then rub it over their feathers. The oil from their preen gland coats the interlocking barbules of their feathers, rendering them waterproof.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s hard work. Some species will spend up to \u003ca href=\"https://www.jstor.org/stable/4535237?seq=1\">25% of their waking hours preening\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, preening isn’t just about waterproofing. Preening also rids birds of parasites and moisturizes their feathers so they can stay flexible, strong, and ready for flight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the dense microstructure of their feathers and applying copious amounts of preen oil each help insulate aquatic birds from the elements, “it’s really the combination of the two,” that allows them to stay warm and dry even in the chilliest of ponds, said Dumbacher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you want to see the wonder of waterproof feathers in person, Dumbacher recommends heading down to your local pond to watch some ducks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s fun to see how water just flips off the back of a duck,” Dumbacher said.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]If you have houseplants, most of the time there’s not a lot of visible activity. They just quietly add some outdoor beauty to your indoor surroundings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1966546\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1966546\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_fly_trapped-1020x569.jpg\" alt=\"fly sundew\" width=\"640\" height=\"357\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_fly_trapped-1020x569.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_fly_trapped-800x446.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_fly_trapped-160x89.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_fly_trapped-768x428.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_fly_trapped-1536x856.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_fly_trapped-2048x1142.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_fly_trapped-1920x1070.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A trapped insect is slowly digested by a Cape sundew plant. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But then there are carnivorous plants, like \u003ca href=\"https://carnivorousplantresource.com/the-plants/sundews/\">sundews\u003c/a>. They aren’t content to just sit still. Typically found in habitats where other plants usually can’t thrive — like bogs with nutrient-poor soil — they often need to supplement their diet with nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. Carnivorous plants have developed a way to obtain these key nutrients from another source: insects. Specifically, by consuming them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Growing carnivorous plants at home has become more popular over the years, and some species of sundews are easy to maintain for beginners, like the \u003ca href=\"https://carnivorousplantresource.com/the-plants/drosera-capensis-narrow-leaf/?portfolioCats=86%2C180%2C91%2C162%2C179%2C173%2C83%2C10%2C324%2C729%2C34\">Cape sundew\u003c/a>. Several years ago, 33-year-old David Fefferman realized there wasn’t a comprehensive clearinghouse of information for other passionate hobbyists like himself, so he launched \u003ca href=\"https://carnivorousplantresource.com/\">Carnivorous Plants Resource\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1966548\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 476px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1966548\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/David_cropped.jpg\" alt=\"David Fefferman\" width=\"476\" height=\"431\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/David_cropped.jpg 476w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/David_cropped-160x145.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 476px) 100vw, 476px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Fefferman of Carnivorous Plants Resource holds one of the “Dichotoma Giant” forked sundews from his enormous personal collection. \u003ccite>(David Fefferman / CPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The site is a thrill ride for lovers of carnivorous plants, with everything from growing tips for \u003ca href=\"https://carnivorousplantresource.com/the-plants/venus-flytrap/\">Venus flytraps\u003c/a> to group events to a marketplace where people can sell the plants and other items, like carnivorous plant-related art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Without doubt, it’s the most feature-rich carnivorous plant website around,” Fefferman said. “We’re definitely the most thorough and up-to-date site for the hobby.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fefferman, an Orange County resident, has been enamored with these unique plants from a very young age.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I picked up my first carnivorous plant in elementary school after a friend brought in a Venus flytrap as part of his science fair project,” he said. “I was already primed for plant-learning since my own project was focused on photosynthesis, and I just fell in love with his weird little insect-eating plant. I asked my mom to take me to a ‘plant store’ to find one for myself, and the passion grew from there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His parents helped nurture his growing interest when they took him to the The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in Los Angeles County to see the Amorphophallus titanum — one of the world’s largest flowers, commonly known as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycUNj_Hv4_Y\">corpse flower\u003c/a> — in bloom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1966549\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1966549\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-1020x567.jpg\" alt=\"weevil\" width=\"640\" height=\"356\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-1020x567.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-800x445.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-160x89.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-768x427.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-1536x855.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-2048x1139.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-1038x576.jpg 1038w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-1920x1068.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A hairy starthistle weevil is stuck on the sticky tentacles of a Cape sundew. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The flower was incredible,” he said. “While at the gardens, I made a friend who had a huge collection of carnivores and really pushed me further into the hobby. Plants started showing up in the mail regularly, and my parents helped me pot them up and keep them happy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His appreciation for carnivorous plants hasn’t waned over the years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even today, I’m just completely fascinated with their forms and trapping mechanisms,” he said. “They’re just so cool. I’ve also grown to love them as beautiful objects.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When he’s not developing apps or building other websites for a living, Fefferman also maintains a huge personal collection of more than 10,000 plants, which he keeps indoors and outdoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, even with all of these mouths to feed, all of his outdoor plants and greenhouse plants catch their own food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1966551\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1966551 size-large\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/venusflytrap-1020x561.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"352\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/venusflytrap-1020x561.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/venusflytrap-800x440.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/venusflytrap-160x88.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/venusflytrap-768x423.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/venusflytrap-1536x845.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/venusflytrap-2048x1127.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/venusflytrap-1920x1057.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Venus flytrap waits for prey. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The novelty of flytraps snagging prey never wore off, so I love to watch them do their thing,” Fefferman said. “At this point, it’s more thrilling to watch them catch prey naturally rather than hand-feeding them. Indoor seedlings get “fed” carefully-applied fertilizer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While it used to be difficult for people to buy carnivorous plants, they’re now readily available online and at local nurseries. And the plants pretty much take care of themselves once you understand a few basic tips for caretaking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, there still seems to be this perception that the plants are difficult to care for, and that turns people away from getting started with the hobby,” he said. “Fear of killing a plant becomes the biggest challenge or hurdle for beginners, and it shouldn’t be. There are plenty of growing instructions and resources out there to help.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Cape sundews are carnivorous plants that grow in bogs, where they don't have access to many nutrients. So they exude sweet, shimmering droplets from their tentacles to lure in unsuspecting insects. Once their prey is hopelessly stuck, they wrap it up and dissolve it for a tasty meal. ",
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"title": "Cape Sundews Trap Bugs In A Sticky Situation | KQED",
"description": "Cape sundews are carnivorous plants that grow in bogs, where they don't have access to many nutrients. So they exude sweet, shimmering droplets from their tentacles to lure in unsuspecting insects. Once their prey is hopelessly stuck, they wrap it up and dissolve it for a tasty meal.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>If you have houseplants, most of the time there’s not a lot of visible activity. They just quietly add some outdoor beauty to your indoor surroundings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1966546\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1966546\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_fly_trapped-1020x569.jpg\" alt=\"fly sundew\" width=\"640\" height=\"357\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_fly_trapped-1020x569.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_fly_trapped-800x446.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_fly_trapped-160x89.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_fly_trapped-768x428.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_fly_trapped-1536x856.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_fly_trapped-2048x1142.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_fly_trapped-1920x1070.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A trapped insect is slowly digested by a Cape sundew plant. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But then there are carnivorous plants, like \u003ca href=\"https://carnivorousplantresource.com/the-plants/sundews/\">sundews\u003c/a>. They aren’t content to just sit still. Typically found in habitats where other plants usually can’t thrive — like bogs with nutrient-poor soil — they often need to supplement their diet with nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. Carnivorous plants have developed a way to obtain these key nutrients from another source: insects. Specifically, by consuming them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Growing carnivorous plants at home has become more popular over the years, and some species of sundews are easy to maintain for beginners, like the \u003ca href=\"https://carnivorousplantresource.com/the-plants/drosera-capensis-narrow-leaf/?portfolioCats=86%2C180%2C91%2C162%2C179%2C173%2C83%2C10%2C324%2C729%2C34\">Cape sundew\u003c/a>. Several years ago, 33-year-old David Fefferman realized there wasn’t a comprehensive clearinghouse of information for other passionate hobbyists like himself, so he launched \u003ca href=\"https://carnivorousplantresource.com/\">Carnivorous Plants Resource\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1966548\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 476px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1966548\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/David_cropped.jpg\" alt=\"David Fefferman\" width=\"476\" height=\"431\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/David_cropped.jpg 476w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/David_cropped-160x145.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 476px) 100vw, 476px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Fefferman of Carnivorous Plants Resource holds one of the “Dichotoma Giant” forked sundews from his enormous personal collection. \u003ccite>(David Fefferman / CPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The site is a thrill ride for lovers of carnivorous plants, with everything from growing tips for \u003ca href=\"https://carnivorousplantresource.com/the-plants/venus-flytrap/\">Venus flytraps\u003c/a> to group events to a marketplace where people can sell the plants and other items, like carnivorous plant-related art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Without doubt, it’s the most feature-rich carnivorous plant website around,” Fefferman said. “We’re definitely the most thorough and up-to-date site for the hobby.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fefferman, an Orange County resident, has been enamored with these unique plants from a very young age.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I picked up my first carnivorous plant in elementary school after a friend brought in a Venus flytrap as part of his science fair project,” he said. “I was already primed for plant-learning since my own project was focused on photosynthesis, and I just fell in love with his weird little insect-eating plant. I asked my mom to take me to a ‘plant store’ to find one for myself, and the passion grew from there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His parents helped nurture his growing interest when they took him to the The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in Los Angeles County to see the Amorphophallus titanum — one of the world’s largest flowers, commonly known as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycUNj_Hv4_Y\">corpse flower\u003c/a> — in bloom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1966549\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1966549\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-1020x567.jpg\" alt=\"weevil\" width=\"640\" height=\"356\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-1020x567.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-800x445.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-160x89.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-768x427.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-1536x855.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-2048x1139.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-1038x576.jpg 1038w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/DL715_weevil-1920x1068.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A hairy starthistle weevil is stuck on the sticky tentacles of a Cape sundew. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The flower was incredible,” he said. “While at the gardens, I made a friend who had a huge collection of carnivores and really pushed me further into the hobby. Plants started showing up in the mail regularly, and my parents helped me pot them up and keep them happy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His appreciation for carnivorous plants hasn’t waned over the years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even today, I’m just completely fascinated with their forms and trapping mechanisms,” he said. “They’re just so cool. I’ve also grown to love them as beautiful objects.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When he’s not developing apps or building other websites for a living, Fefferman also maintains a huge personal collection of more than 10,000 plants, which he keeps indoors and outdoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, even with all of these mouths to feed, all of his outdoor plants and greenhouse plants catch their own food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1966551\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1966551 size-large\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/venusflytrap-1020x561.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"352\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/venusflytrap-1020x561.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/venusflytrap-800x440.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/venusflytrap-160x88.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/venusflytrap-768x423.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/venusflytrap-1536x845.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/venusflytrap-2048x1127.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/06/venusflytrap-1920x1057.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Venus flytrap waits for prey. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The novelty of flytraps snagging prey never wore off, so I love to watch them do their thing,” Fefferman said. “At this point, it’s more thrilling to watch them catch prey naturally rather than hand-feeding them. Indoor seedlings get “fed” carefully-applied fertilizer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While it used to be difficult for people to buy carnivorous plants, they’re now readily available online and at local nurseries. And the plants pretty much take care of themselves once you understand a few basic tips for caretaking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, there still seems to be this perception that the plants are difficult to care for, and that turns people away from getting started with the hobby,” he said. “Fear of killing a plant becomes the biggest challenge or hurdle for beginners, and it shouldn’t be. There are plenty of growing instructions and resources out there to help.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
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}
},
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"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
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"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
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"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
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}
},
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"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
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"order": 10
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
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},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
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"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
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"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"meta": {
"site": "radio",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
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},
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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},
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
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"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
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