Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't

Casey Williams is an botanist and plant ecologist specializing in aquatic plants - both plants that grow completely submerged and which can emerge above the water surface. In this episode, we discuss :-the stresses facing plants that grow underwater, -being limited by CO2 availability instead of water availability, -the endangered Texas Wild Rice, -how limestone geology influences aquatic plant growth by making CO2 more abundant, -utilizing aquatic plants and the fungi that grow on them for bioremediation and treating sewage at the local shitplant -how some aquatic plants have adapted to a paucity of dissolved carbon dioxide by supplementing with bicarbonate,-aquatic plants in deserts, and-how one plant in particular has utilized an evolutionary strategy more frequently employed by desert plants  (CAM) as a way to cope with fluctuations in CO2 availability. Books referenced which can be downloaded off libgen.is : Wetland Plants by CronkAquatic Photosynthesis by Falkowski

Vernonia lettermannii and other cool plants of Western Arkansas Novaculite, Ouachita Mountain Orogeny, Chert Glades of Western Missouri, the most obnoxious cicada species in the world, Detroit Rustic, Pittsburgh Museums, Shared Mountain Ranges of Appalachia and Morocco from the times of Pangaea, Northern Pennsylvania Glaciation, and more.

Alan Rockefeller is a mycologist and educator who has been studying mushrooms all over the world for the past 20 years and recently helped described two new species of Psilocybin mushroom from South Africa. He has helped numerous "citizen scientists" learn to DNA barcode fungi and led hundreds of free mushroom identification walks throughout North America. Alan encourages community science, free education and in addition is one of the kindest human beings I know. Also, one time in Mexico we almost both got trapped on top of a freezing mesa together.Website on Alan's DNA Barcoding Basics:https://wiki.counterculturelabs.org/wiki/DNA_sequencing

Dr. Daniela Cristina Zappi is a Brazilian botanist, plant collector, and research scientist at the herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew noted for studying and describing Neotropical flora, Rubiaceae, and Cactaceae. She has described over 90 species, most recently a new species in the cactus genus Uebelmannia (U.nuda). In this episode of Crime Pays, we discuss the different biomes and plant communities of Brazil, what "ecological islands" are, the biogeography of the cactus family, bat pollination in Pilosocereus, edaphic endemism in "ironstone" habitats of Northern Brazil and how iron-rich soils affect the evolution of the plants that grow on them, and why truckstop food in Brazil is not only tasty but also so damn healthy.

Zoe Schlanger is the author of newly released book "The Light Eaters", which shines a new light on researchers studying plant "intelligence" and behavior.

The state of Texas is one of the most diverse states for plants (and geology) in the US, and contains a large number of plant species that can't be found anywhere else in the United States, yet at the same time an enormous amount of land and plant habitat is being destroyed every day (240,000 acres a year) ,pushing more than a few plant species towards population decline.This episode is a conversation with botanist and author Michael Eason from San Antonio Botanic Garden about plant conservation in Texas, why the Edwards Plateau is so special, walking the sometimes tenuous line between conservation and coordinating with private property owners in a state where 96% of the land is private, Texas Native Plant Landscaping, and a bunch more.

In this we talk with Andrew Conboy about street trees, urban forestry, habitat restoration, getting stoked on native plant life and how it's practical more than puritanical, Philly, botanic gardens, and more.

Two hours of rants about wonderful plants in Central Mexico. A follow-up to the previous episode and a description of plant species, taxonomic affinities and habitats encountered in the mountains of Querétaro and Guanajuato States, Mexico. Also a brief gear list and explanation of the various tools used when botanizing desert mountains.Why the genus Garrya (the silktassels) is so cool,A new Astrolepis sp. (Undescribed)Stevia pyrolifolia (Asteraceae) - it's waxy-as$ leaves at 10,000 feetDyscritothamnus filifolius (Asteraceae) and the limestone cliffs and sketchy roads it inhabitsVallesia glabra (Apocynaceae)Spondias purpurea (Anacardiaceae)Strombocactus disciformis (Cactaceae)Lophophora diffusa (Cactaceae)Mammillaria perezdelarosa ssp andersoniana Arctostaphylos pungens (Ericaceae)Comarostaphylis polifolia (Ericaceae)and a ton more

This episode sponsored by Fiberpad, where you can glue duct-taped wheatgrass and fiberglass to your face in order to clear up any blemishes nice. What can limestone do for you and how does it form?A long, winding rant through the mountains of Querétaro about habitats and species encountered at elevations between 6,000' and 10,000' including:Karwinskia humboldtiana (Rhamnaceae)Baccharis conferta (Asteraceae)Penstemon campanulatus (Plantaginaceae) Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus (Cactaceae)Kadenicarpus pseudomacrochele (Cactaceae)Isolatocereus dumortieri (Cactaceae)Opuntia stenopetala (Cactaceae)Pinguicula moranensis (Lentibulariaceae)Quercus crassipes (Fagaceae)Agave salmiana subsp. crassispina (Asparagaceae, Agavoideae)Dasylirion longissimum (Asparagaceae, Nolinoideae)Various Stevia sp.  (Asteraceae)featuring mountains made out of marble, seafloors made out of calcium-rich muck, and much more.

Jeff Ollerton is a pollination biologist and researcher based out of the EU and currently working in KunMing, Yunnan Province, China. He has written two excellent books - one entitled "Pollinators and Pollination" and another entitled "Birds and Flowers" about birds as pollinators. In this nearly two hour long conversation we talk about a variety of taxa as well as ecological phenomena. I am still kicking myself for forgetting to bring up the topic of the South African monocot genus Strelitzia (Order Zingiberales) which has a weighted-lever-mechanism that allows only birds to access the stamens.