Exploring Arizona Life Science Research and Biodiversity with the Tree of Life Web Project: Recent Episodes
Tree of Life Web Project
Exploring Arizona Life Science Research and Biodiversity with the Tree of Life Web Project. The series focuses on Sonoran Desert biodiversity and research at the University of Arizona. The Bugs of the Month sub-series features entomologist Carl Olson. The work of the general community, teachers and learners is also showcased, and we welcome contributors from all walks of life, as well as features that highlight the connections between cultural and biological diversity.
Learn how to collect, record, identify, and label arthropods that have fallen into a pitfall trap
Learn how to collect, record, identify, and label arthropods that have fallen into a pitfall trap
Learn how to collect, record, identify, and label arthropods that have fallen into a pitfall trap
Learn how to create pitfall traps for capturing and then documenting local arthropod diversity
Arizona has the most ant diversity in the USA, with over 300 known species. This video profiles Pogonomyremex, or "pogos" commonly found in the Sonoran Desert of the Southwestern United States. Entomologists and UA Phd Students Kim Franklin and Chris Schmidt, and ToL Learning Materials Editor and Educator Lisa Schwartz spent some time in Chris's backyard observing, discussing and questioning Pogonomyremex behavior.
Join Brad Lancaster and volunteers planting native Sonoran Desert plants to re-vegetate an urban landscape in Tucson, Arizona. Curb cutting and terraced and mulched basins are two permaculture techniques explored in this episode.
University of Arizona Students, UA peace corps fellows and volunteers joined Brad Lancaster, Tucson permaculture expert, for a workshop on water harvesting on the grounds of the Nature Conservancy Headquarters in Tucson, Arizona.
Jeff Hartman and students in his 9th grade class at City High School in Tucson, Arizona share the fun challenges and opportunities of building and observing ecobottles. The class also helped to create this podcast!
The amazing Odontomachus is a groups of ants with mandbiles that can move faster than the blink of an eye!
Kim Franklin, entomologist at University of Arizona, is interviewed by 5th grade students at Santa Cruz School. Episode 2 is on questions about all sorts of bugs!
Kim Franklin, Entomologist at the University of Arizona is interviewed by 5th graders as Santa Cruz School. First episode focuses on ants.
Graduate students studying systematic entomology, the study of insect diversity, accompany professor Goggy Davidowitz on a nightime field trip to collect insects using a technique called blacklighting.
Bugs of the Month: Manduca rustica Learn about the large and beautiful Manduca rustica, or the Rustic sphinx moth, from larva to pupa and adult. Manduca rustica is often referred to as a hawk of sphinx moth. The Manduca rustica has very large larva(caterpillars) and adults, and are important desert pollinators. Look out for them on your Desert Willow after the monsoon season!