The Essential Rhythm

Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley

This episode describes some key anatomical features of Limulus polyphemus, American horseshoe crabs and explains the mating behaviors that can be seen when the animals visit the intertidal zone.

About the host:
Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine.

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Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley

This episode summarizes the findings of Johnston et al (2023) showing that commercial rockweed harvest as practiced in Maine results in on average reduced height but pre harvest levels of biomass one year post harvest. Different implications based on management perspectives are noted. 

Johnston, Elliot et al 2023 Bed-scale impact and recovery of a commercially important intertidal seaweed, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 561:151869

About the host:
Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine.

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Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley

This episode describes the process of using environmental DNA (eDNA) to investigate the presence or absence of organisms in the environment. 

About the host:
Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine.

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Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley

This episode describes the concept of life history strategy, and highlights findings from a paper that investigated the impact of introduced intertidal crabs (Carcinus maenus, European green crabs and Hemigrapsus sanguineus, Asian shore crabs) on Atlantic rock crabs (Cancer irroratus). The study demonstrated that the rock crab life history strategy of living in the intertidal zone for the first two years of its life is no longer adaptive in areas with introduced crabs, as green crabs and shore crab readily prey on young rock crabs.

Griffen, B. Riley, M. 2015 Potential impacts of invasive crabs on one life history strategy of native rock crabs in the gulf of maine Biol invasions 17: 2533-2544

About the host:
Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine.

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Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley

This episode summarizes a 2019 study on the interactions of European green crabs and Asian shore crabs. Researchers found that in rocky intertidal habitats on the southern New England, when shore crabs and green crabs overlap, green crab density goes down significantly. They identified key behavioral differences between juveniles of the two crab species that likely explain this observed effect. 

About the host:
Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine.

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Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley

This episode highlights Calanus finmarchicus, a tiny crustacean that serves as a keystone species in north Atlantic food webs. North Atlantic Right Whales, commercially important fish and virtually all other predators in the north Atlantic feed on it because of its high nutrient content. C. finmarchicus likewise feeds heavily on phytoplankton and is a major conduit for moving primary productivity into the greater food web.

About the host:
Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine.

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Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley

This episode describes a little known intertidal snail that feeds on kelp, the Lacuna snail (Lacuna vincta). The snail can also be found by searching out its doughnut shaped egg masses on kelp fronds. Its hard times dispersal strategy involves creating a mucous parachute which enables it to drift away on water currents.

About the host:
Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine.

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Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley

This episode discusses misconceptions about early animal evolution, including the notion that resolving early animal evolution will settle the debate as to whether our earliest ancestors were sponges or comb jellies. Both groups of animals display a suite of undervalued traits, referred to as hidden biology, that demonstrate their evolutionary complexity.

Reference: Dunn et al 2015 The hidden biology of sponges and ctenophores, Trends in Ecology and Evolution Vol 30 No 5

About the host:
Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download