The Women in Ecology and Evolution Podcast Dr Kirsty MacLeod

We're back for a short special this January - I talk to Dr Cassandra Raby about a paper she led evaluating the first Animal Behaviour Twitter conference back in 2021. What perfect timing to discuss this, as the Animal Behaviour Society/Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour joint Twitter conference is running again this week! (18th-19th Jan) So, consider this a perfect pairing if you are planning to check out that completely free and totally online conference ! Or, if you're listening in *the future* and already followed the conference, consider having a listen to hear more in depth what the metrics say about the value and impact of this sort of conference.

I'll be back to regular programming soon, so stay tuned for more great science in 2023!
Cass' paper: An inclusive venue to discuss behavioural biology research: the first global Animal Behaviour Twitter ConferenceCass on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cassie_RabyFollow the ABS/ASAB conference using #AnimBehav2023 on Twitter. Full program available here.As always, your host is Dr Kirsty MacLeod; find me on Twitter/Insta @the_wee_podcast

In this episode I'm talking to Professor Nokwanda (Nox) Makunga about her fascinating research on medicinal plants and indigenous knowledge in the Cape region of South Africa. Today's paper in focus comes from Elisa Fernández Fueyo - an insightful comparative study looking at behaviour after infant loss in primates (content warning: if infant loss is a topic you'd rather skip, after my conversation with Nox, skip to 26:00). Lastly, I'm joined by two of the authors of a new study showing how colonial history and its effect on global economics influences our understanding of biodiversity through the fossil record - fascinating stuff! That's with returning guest Nussaïbah Raja Schoob, and Dr Devapriya Chattopadhyay.
Remember that I've dropped the dedicated email address - you can still contact me via the socials @the_wee_podcast.

Links and resources:
Twitter handles: @noxthelion @elisaffueyo @mauritiantales @Devapriya_ChatPaper: Colonial history and global economics distort our understanding of deep-time biodiversityPaper in Focus: Why do some primate mothers carry their infant's corpse? A cross-species comparative study

Happy midsummer! Bringing you a cheerful episode - honest! - even though we broach a tough topic that we're all familiar with: rejection with a capital R. It seems like an unavoidable part of the academic and scientific life (and beyond), so I brought together a great group to talk through how we deal with it when it inevitably comes. My main guest today is Dr Elizabeth Carlen - as well as rejection, we talked about her work on urbanisation ecology! The two amazing guests joining Liz and I in the discussion are Dr Megan Petersdorf and Alexus Roberts. And the paper in focus this episode is such a cool one: everything you ever wanted to know about sperm morphology with Dr Ariel Karl (and possibly a little bit more 😂). Please note I'm dropping the dedicated email address at the end of this month! You can still contact me via the socials @the_wee_podcast.

Links and resources:
Le Twitter handles: @E_Carlen @meganpetersdorf @Alexuss_Symone @arielkahrlDatabase of Sperm Morphology: https://spermtree.orgPaper in Focus: Fertilization mode drives sperm length evolution across the animal tree of life. 

Welcome back folks! My guest today is Dr Kate Laskowski, a behavioural ecologist and Amazon molly enthusiast - you will be the same once you've listened to our conversation about her research on individual differences in behaviour, and their consequences in ecology and evolution! We're joined by Dr Rebekah Oomen and Dr Hollie Marshall, who you'll recognise from S1 (always a pleasure!), to talk about open science - what it means to us, and how and why we practise it. The Paper in Focus this episode is from Dr Kristin Barker, on lost migrations.

Paper in Focus: Toward a new framework for restoring lost wildlife migrations

Links and Resources:
British Ecological Society guide to producing reproducible codePaper feat Rebekah, "Preprinting is positively associated with early career researcher status in ecology and evolution"Twitter handles: @kristinjbarker, @KateLaskowski, @rebekahoomen, @MooHollGet in touch with me! Kirsty MacLeod, hello[at]theweepodcast.org

This month we are celebrating the 10th annual March Mammal Madness tournament! This fantastic and super fun initiative is a model for great science communication - and it was great to talk with founder Dr Katie Hinde and longtime participant Dr Alyson Brokaw about the history of the tournament and what makes it so special. Katie and I also talked about her other research projects - and we also have a great Paper in Focus this episode! Soil microbes and heavy metal accumulation in plants - fascinating stuff from Dr Priyanka Kushwaha. Link below!

Paper in Focus: Soil microbial community and abiotic soil properties influence Zn and Cd hyperaccumulation differently in Arabidopsis halleri

Links and resources:
Everything you'll need to play March Mammal Madness! Follow hashtag #2022MMM and @2022MMMletsgo on TwitterE Life article by Katie, Alyson et al about narrative in scicommAlyson's websiteKatie's website and blogGet in touch with me! Kirsty MacLeod, hello[at]theweepodcast.org

The Women in Ecology and Evolution Podcast is back for season 2! Kicking off 2022 (belatedly) with a super fun episode, so strap in for more great guests and conversations about science and academia, and beyond. My guest today is Sneha Dharwadkar, a wildlife biologist and herpetologist from India, and currently a PhD candidate - we talk about her journey into research, parachute science, and starting a PhD in your thirties, and during a pandemic. We're joined by Lucy Harding and Dagmar der Weduwen to recap the highs and lows of 2021 with the Rant and Rave Wheel! The first Paper in Focus of the year is from Kelly Wuthrich, on facultative crypsis in a lizard.

Paper in Focus: Rapid body color change provides lizards with facultative crypsis in the eyes of their avian predators

Links and Resources:
Sneha's article on Women in Herpetology (with S1E2 guest Dr Ashwini Mohan)Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises of India organisationScience and Sorcery on TwitchTwitter handles: @herpomania, @luce_harding, @DJWeduwen, @KellyLWuthrichGet in touch with me! Kirsty MacLeod, hello[at]theweepodcast.org