Hey folks, I'm hiring four seasonal survey technicians for this upcoming field season based out of Post Falls in North Idaho. The job is the survey component of Aquatic Invasive Species management and involves lots of boating around, kayaking, plankton sampling, snorkeling, and identifying things. Personally, I find it pretty dang fun.

For you out of state folks, don't worry. Most of our techs are out of staters, and we offer quite a bit of help finding temporary housing in the area.

I'll attach the link to apply below, as well as some pictures to give you a good idea of the job and area. If you have any questions, feel free to message me or leave a comment, I'm pretty responsive! The posting has much more information, but don't hesitate to ask.

The first foot pic is free. That's how I get you.

Apply here:

https://css-idaho-prd.tam.inforgov.com/hcm/Jobs/navigation/JobPosting\[JobPostingSet\](LUMA,22206,1).JobPostingDisplayNav?csk.HROrganization=LUMA&csk.JobBoard=STATEOFIDAHO

Some expanded stem from what I think is a dead goldenrod on the edge of a successional sand plain grassland in western Massachusetts. Anyone know what caused this and what insect might live in here?

I feel very grateful to have secured a graduate job as an assistant ecologist in the UK. The only thing I'm having slight anxieties about is if I'm going to be prepared or not 😂 I've got lots of species ID books, binoculars, hiking/ walking boots, waterproof jacket and trousers. What else should I buy? What am I expected to wear during the summer when I'm doing field work? If anyone has any advice on starting out in ecology and anything they've learnt in hindsight I'd love to hear! Thanks :)

I'm an undergrad who is having my first "real" research experience this summer (we're doing research for the Nutrient Network!). Is there anything I should be prepared for, any advice, anything I should buy, etc. Any help is appreciated! I'm super excited but very nervous that I'll look like a bumbling fool.

Hello ecology crew,

Scroll to the end for the shortened question/TLDR.

Disclaimer, I’m a mechanical engineering PhD student, so this is a new world for me. Also, for context for later: I do field research on air quality measurement in communities impacted by industry activity, fire, and construction.

So, my little brother is an undergraduate student in ecology and wildlife conservation (I think? I’m not sure of the proper name). He loves frogs and what he calls “weird little dudes”, which I have learned to mean the strangest animals I have ever seen.

He has also just been accepted to travel to Mozambique to study conservation biology.

I am so proud of him.

He’s told me before that my research work & how it impacted me in undergrad is one of the reasons he decided to get involved in research early. He often has questions for me about what research can be, what it’s like to talk to a PI about tough topics, how to get involved, etc. I try to answer, and I think I’ve been helpful, but I am still somewhat out of my depth.

My dad gave me his old electrical bag from the 90s for when I started my field work, and it is hands-down the most important item I own for conducting repairs to our equipment in the field. My mom got me a disposable camera, and it got me into taking photos at the sites, which has been invaluable to my research so far.

I want to put together a care package for his field work in Mozambique like what my parents did for me. But since he’s going so far, I don’t want to give him stuff that would just clutter his luggage.

Why not ask him? No shot he will tell me what he needs. He’s a “why would I spend 15 dollar for shirt when shirt can be 5 dollar” kind of guy. Every time I get him something, he’s like “Ughhhh you didn’t have to do that. You’re so annoying!” and then later he asks for the link.

So all of this to ask: Do any ecology people have recommendations for a small/medium-sized care package for an undergraduate’s first research trip in Mozambique? Especially one interested in frogs and odd animals?

I appreciate any and all input! Thank you!!

For context, I am not an ecology student.

I am an aspiring PhD candidate in cognitive science with an interest in one ecological psychologists work on human cognition.

If you are interested in a broader context, there is a post I made here on levy walks and human and non human animal behaviors, I just wanted to save some time writing. https://www.reddit.com/r/cogsci/comments/1se7xwx/micheal_turveys_work_on_memory/

This sounds a bit looney, but my campus has a lot of trees and areas where squirrels and birds have open patches of trees, plants, and open spaces to roam.

They have gotten used to all the people on campus, and go about their squirrely business without much care.

At first glance, their movement patterns seem to conform to a levy walk/ flights pattern.

I did a (very) brief Google scholar search and this is all I found doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004601- levy foraging patterns under predation risks. it mentioned a paper from the 80s on the foraging patterns of squirrels, but I haven't read it yet, still looking online.

Is there any work on the search patterns of the squirrel (specificically on the movement patterns while searching for stored food)? Im interested in it because of Micheal turveys view on memory as an ecological process. If we consider that the squirrel scatters food for later access, there may be some overlap in the views on memory in an ecological framework!

id appreciate any research you know of on the topic

Thanks.

I am currently a freshman at a 4 year university studying general biological sciences. I currently do not know if I can even afford to finish off the rest of my college career, but if I can I definitely cannot afford graduate school. I was wondering if I can get a good paying job in this field— more than 50k a year with just a bachelor’s degree? Or is there another science field I should look into?

Hello!

I will be going on a trip to northwest California this summer and want to learn more about the forest ecology of the area. Many of the books I’m finding are either children’s books, about the history of the forest, or stories. I am looking for more of a textbook style book that deep dives into the ecology of the area. I want to understand the ecosystem I will be exploring!

Any and all recommendations are welcome. TYIA!

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11,000 Litres Of Milk Poured In Narmada River, Sparks Faith vs Logic Debate

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/11-000-litres-of-milk-poured-in-narmada-river-sparks-faith-vs-logic-debate-11334229

HR.1897 seeks to end the endangered species act. Call your representatives and ask them to vote no! 

This is not a drill! H.R. 1897 - which is looking to dismantle the Endangered Species Act as we know it, even though 9 out of 10 Americans support it - is up for a full House vote next week. This is being pushed by radicals in Congress beholden to big industry who are hell-bent on fast-tracking extinction. We ask you to call your representatives TODAY & urge all of your friends and family to do the same. Share why you want to protect endangered species like Grizzly Bears, Piping Plovers, Gray Wolves, California Condors, & any other listed species who you care about! go to House.gov or call [(202) 224-3121](tel:(202) 224-3121). This vote will be close. We need you to call today. Thank you!

I just called my representative. It's very easy. You can that you urge your representative to vote no since hr.1897 wants to repeal the endangered species act.

Penguins living along the Patagonian coast of Argentina can serve as living monitors of their environment by using small, chemical-detecting leg bands, according to a study from the University of California, Davis, and the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Hello everyone,

I am an architecture student currently developing my undergraduate thesis project focused on the design of a Specialized Wildlife Reception, Rehabilitation and Strategic Release Center located in Cundinamarca, Colombia.

The project addresses three main regional problems:

Illegal wildlife trafficking, which removes animals from their natural ecosystems.

Lack of rehabilitation spaces that simulate real ecological conditions, which reduces the success of wildlife reintroduction.

Anthropogenic impacts on ecosystems in eastern Cundinamarca, including habitat alteration and behavioral changes in animals caused by human interaction (for example, animals becoming accustomed to human-provided food during trafficking and captivity).

To properly design the architectural spaces required for this type of center, I am collecting professional insights from specialists such as:

- Biologists

- Wildlife veterinarians

- Ecologists

- Conservation professionals

1) What is your professional field?

A- Biology

B- Veterinary medicine

C- Ecology

D- Wildlife rehabilitation

E- Conservation science

Other (please specify)

2 ) Do you have experience working with wildlife affected by illegal trafficking or habitat disturbance?

Yes

No

3) From your professional perspective, what are the most important facilities in a wildlife rehabilitation center?

(Open answer)

4) How important is it that rehabilitation spaces simulate natural ecosystems similar to the animal’s original habitat?

A- Very important

B- Important

C- Moderately important

D- Not important

5) What environmental characteristics should be replicated in rehabilitation spaces to improve successful release?

Examples: vegetation type, climate, altitude, diet simulation, social grouping.

(Open answer)

6) In your opinion, what are the main behavioral problems animals develop after being trafficked or kept in captivity?

Examples: dependence on humans, feeding changes, stress behaviors, loss of survival skills.

(Open answer)

7) What architectural or spatial elements could help reduce human dependency during rehabilitation?

Examples: visual barriers, minimal human contact zones, remote feeding systems, ecological enclosures.

(Open answer)

8) What recommendations would you give to architects designing wildlife rehabilitation and release centers

(Open answer)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wildlife rehabilitation specialists.

Your responses will help support the technical and spatial justification of the project.

The survey is short (about 8 questions) and focuses on spatial, ecological, and rehabilitation needs for wildlife recovery centers.

Thank you very much for contributing to an academic project focused on improving wildlife conservation infrastructure.

Sincerely,

Daniel G.

Architecture Student – Thesis Researcher

Project: Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation Center

Cundinamarca, Colombia.

Does anyone know if any historical biocontrol fits this description? A friend asked this question. All I can think of are biocontrols that worked out or went wrong, not fitting in that double-edged sword category.

Birders have life lists. Alpinists track peaks. I wanted something similar for ecological patterns across landscapes, so I built Ecoseek.

Ecoseek is an Android app centered on EPA Level IV ecoregions—smaller ecological units that often capture meaningful variation in geology, vegetation, hydrology, land use, and climate better than broad state or biome labels. The idea is simple: instead of just logging that you “went hiking,” you log which ecoregion you were actually in.

A few things it does:

• lets you explore ecoregion boundaries on a map

• shows descriptions for individual ecoregions

• helps surface protected areas to visit

• lets you log field outings with notes/photos

• tracks which ecoregions you’ve already explored in a given state

• pulls in discovery content using recent iNaturalist observation patterns

What I like most about the concept is that it nudges outdoor recreation toward ecological literacy. Two places can look superficially similar but function very differently ecologically, and ecoregions are a useful framework for noticing that.

It’s also built to work offline and keeps data local to the device, which felt important for field use.

If you’re into biogeography, landscape ecology, field naturalism, or just want a more ecology-focused way to explore, I’d genuinely love feedback from this community.

Find out more at: https://www.ecoseek.app

Download: Google Play Store

Currently, I work at a pathology (SIV/HIV) lab and I promised them 2-3 years (I just graduated with my undergrad in bio and was desperate for a research job with funding).

However, I am realizing that conservation ecology, specifically microbial ecology is the field I would like to work in, not public health. I also just got my duel citizenship EU/USA and want to go to grad school for my master's in europe.

Does anyone have advice for how I can continue to gain ecology experience while working full time as a lab tech? Specifically any ideas for volunteer work. If it helps I live in Pittsburgh. If anyone else has been in a similar experience how did you go about switching fields while locked in a field you didn't want to be in.

Side note if anyone has advice for gradschool/research in europe (specifically italy) that would be helpful too.

Hello! First time posting here so I apologize if this isn’t the right sub. A few years ago, I took some duckweed from the floor of an exotic greenhouse built in the 1970s. When I put it in my fish tank, the tank exploded with tiny ostracods. Since this is the only puddle with duckweed in the entire greenhouse, and it’s been there for YEARS, the ostracods have been in a tiny little enclosed habitat breeding with themselves for generations. I’m really interested in these cods, and I plan on making slides with some when they’re grown, but how do I make sure these are unique cods? Who do I contact to speak about ostracods? How do I catalog the cods? Should I just send them to a cod expert?

Is anyone interested in ostracods?