Podcasting Biodiversity with the Tree of Life Web Project
How can I watch ToL podcasts? What are ToL podcasts?
You don't need an iPod! You can use your computer, a projector or speakers connected to your computer, an MP3 player or an iPod to watch or listen in the classroom, at home, or on the go! ToL podcasts are audio and video materials to guide your exploration of Life on Earth. Podcasts in this series feature research conducted by University of Arizona faculty and students, the work of Arizona citizens, teachers and learners, the flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert, and biologist interviews. Read more about this project...
Exploring Arizona Life Science Research and Biodiversity
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To view on the web, click "play now" next to each episode's title, or click "play at YouTube". Read more about accessing and watching podcasts.
Episodes
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- Dr. Mike Rosenzweig Lecture for Science & Math Teachers
- Part 1: Dr. Mike Rosenzweig Lecture for Science & Math Teachers subscribe above | play now Ecologist Mike Rosenzweig, Professor and founder of the UA Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, lectures to middle and high school teachers from Tucson, AZ on reconciliation ecology and loss of species diversity. Due to the length of the lecture, it is broken into two parts.
- Part 2: Dr. Mike Rosenzweig Lecture for Science & Math Teachers subscribe above | play now
- Related learning material: An Introduction to Reconciliation Ecology
Episodes
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- An Interview with Ecologist Mike Rosenzweig: Exploring Reconciliation Ecology
- Exploring Concepts of Reconciliation Ecology subscribe above | play now Join biologist Kim Franklin in an interview with Ecologist Mike Rosenzweig, Professor and founder of the UA Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, author of Win-Win Ecology and Director of the Tumamoc Hill Research Station. This episode explores reconciliation ecology (how humans can live with and support biodiversity) and the species-area relationship (how to deal with the idea that as area increases, the number of species present, the diversity, also increases). You will also learn about how citizens can help to support biodiversity.
- Related learning material: An Introduction to Reconciliation Ecology
Episodes
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- Mushroom Hunting on Mt. Lemmon
- Part 1: Mushroom Hunting on Mt. Lemmon subscribe above | play now Join entomologist and amateur mycologist Katja Schulz, ToL Managing Editor, and Lisa Schwartz, ToL Learning Materials Editor, for a foray on Mt. Lemmon during the monsoon season.
- Part 2: Mushroom Hunting on Mt. Lemmon: How to do a Spore Print. subscribe above | play now Join entomologist and amateur mycologist Katja Schulz, ToL Managing Editor, to learn how to take a spore print. Spore prints are used for identifying mushrooms.
- Related learning material: Sonoran Desert Mushroom Hunting
Episodes
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- Dr. Melanie Culver on Conservation Genetics
- Dr. Melanie Culver on Conservation Genetics subscribe above | play now Dr. Melanie Culver discusses her own research on pumas, research on the Madagascar fish-eagle, as well as "sky island" bears of Arizona. She illustrates how conservation genetics can help to keep viable populations of organisms, such as the puma (mountain lion, cougar) in the wild.
- Related learning material: Get the power point presentation to view with this podcast
Episodes
- Part 1: Creating Pitfall Traps subscribe above | play now Join Lisa Schwartz, ToL Learning Materials Editor, and Kim Franklin, biologist and PhD student in the Interdisciplinary Program in Insect Science to learn how to create pitfall traps for capturing and then documenting local arthropod diversity.
- Part 2: Collecting Arthropods from Pitfall Traps subscribe above | play now Learn how to collect, record, identify, and label arthropods that have fallen into a pitfall trap
- Related learning material: Arthropod Investigation, Common Backyard Insects of Tucson, Arizona
Episodes
Tracking Urban Bird Diversity with the Tucson Bird Count subscribe above | play now
- Join Lisa Schwartz, ToL Learning Materials Editor, and Vivian and Aleck MacKinnon, Tucson Bird Count volunteers, as they track bird diversity in Arroyo Chico wash in the heart of central Tucson, AZ. The Tucson Bird Count (TBC) is a cooperative project begun by members of Tucson's science, conservation, and birding communities. Each year, TBC volunteers collect data on the abundances and distributions of bird species from hundreds of sites in and around the Tucson area.
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Get Involved in Sonoran Desert Birding
subscribe above | play now
- Join Lisa Schwartz, ToL Learning Materials Editor, and Vivian and Aleck MacKinnon, Tucson Bird Count volunteers, as they talk about the three things you need to become a birder (hint, you have most of them already!) as well as how to get involved with the Tucson Bird Count (TBC). The TBC is a cooperative project begun by members of Tucson's science, conservation, and birding communities. Each year, TBC volunteers collect data on the abundances and distributions of bird species from hundreds of sites in and around the Tucson area.
- Related learning material: Habitant Investigation, Working with Data from Tucson Bird Count, Common Backyard Birds of Tucson, Arizona.
Episode
An
Interview with Russ Buhrow, Plant Curator of Tohono Chul Park, in
Tucson, AZ: Special Places
subscribe above | play
now
- Russ talks about creating habitat for biodiversity, especially for butterflies, bees, and birds. Find out what you can do to record information about special places!
- Related learning materials: Weeds in Rylan's Yard, Rylan Higgins, a graduate student at the University of Arizona explores the plants in his special place.
Episode
Exploring Backyard Ant Diversity in the Sonoran Desert: Pogonomyrmex.
- Join Lisa Schwartz, ToL Learning Materials Editor, and Chris Schmidt and Kim Franklin, both entomologists and PhD students at the University of Arizona. This episode features an exploration of the life and behavior of Pogonomyremex, a common ant of the Sonoran Desert that is frequently found in our own backyards! This episode focuses on Pogonomyremex, or "pogos". subscribe above | play now
- Related learning materials: Arthropod Investigation, Common Backyard Insects of Tucson, Arizona, Morphological and Functional Diversity of Ant Mandibles
Episodes
Water Harvesting and Biodiversity: - Part 1: Sustainably Revegetating the Urban Landscape. This episode features Brad Lancaster, author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands. Part 1 presents an overview of permaculture techniques coupled with University of Arizona students and volunteers talking about their interest in and knowledge of water harvesting. subscribe above | play now
- Part 2: Water Harvesting and Biodiversity: Sustainably Revegetating the Urban Landscape. This episode features Brad Lancaster, author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands. Episode 2 focuses on the types of native plants used for landscaping. subscribe above | play now
Episode
Ecobottle Exploration at City High School (audio) subscribe above | play now- City High School 9th graders in Tucson, Arizona built ecobottles to explore ecosystems on a small scale. Each ecobottle contained three sections: a terrestrial section, an aquatic section and a decomposition section. Students devised plans for each section and researched the type of organisms they could add to each zone; then they collected all of the materials themselves.
- Related learning materials:
- Ecobottle Portfolio: View students work
- How to Create an Ecobottle and do this project with a class
Episode
Odontomachus: Amazing Mandibles! subscribe above | play now
| play at YouTube - Ants are spectacularly diverse. We currently know of about 12,000 ant species worldwide, and this is likely to be only half of the true number of ant species in the world. Each of these thousands of ant species is unique in how it looks, where it lives, and what it does. Perhaps the most fascinating adaptations for hunting are found in the trapjaw ants, which use extremely powerful and fast mandibular strikes to stun or skewer their prey.
- Related learning materials: Odontomachus: Amazing Mandibles! Treehouse
Episodes
- Kim Franklin, University of Arizona Entomologist, interviewed by 5th Graders at Santa Cruz School, Tucson, AZ
- Part 1: Focus on Ants! 5th Graders at Santa Cruz School, Tucson, AZ subscribe above | play now | play at YouTube
- Part 2: Questions About Bugs! Kim Franklin, Entomologist, interviewed by 5th Graders at Santa Cruz School, Tucson, AZ subscribe above | play now | play at YouTube
- Related learning materials: Check out these treehouse to learn more about insects and their kin: Common Backyard Insects of Tucson, Arizona, The Arthropod Story, The Beetle Treehouse, Bugs, Bodies, and Crime Scene Investigation
Episode
Blacklighting in Box Canyon subscribe above | play now | play at YouTube
- University of Arizona students studying systematic entomology, the study of insect diversity, are on a nighttime field trip to collect insects using a technique called blacklighting.
- Many insects are attracted to light. You don’t need to go out to the desert or the mountains to observe insects at night. Many species live in the city, so you can make great observations around any light source.
- Related learning materials: Nighttime Bug Watching authored by University of Arizona Entomologist Katja Schulz.
Episodes:
Farmers Markets: Growing Community Around Local Food and Conservation Issues (audio) subscribe above | play now
- Farmers markets are great places to get connected to your local natural environment and other people in your community. On almost any day of the week you can visit a Tucson area farmers market to pick up some delicious produce, learn about cultural and biological diversity as well as meet some inspiring people working for environmental and human health!
- Related learning materials: Farmers Markets Treehouse. We suggest you peruse this treehouse as you listen to view the organisms and people featured in the podcast.
Episode
Manduca rustica subscribe above | play now
| play at YouTube
- Carl Olson, Associate Curator at the Department of Entomology of the University of Arizona, talks about the rustic sphinx moth, an important desert pollinator with a very large caterpillar, pupa and adult moth.
- Related learning materials: Common Backyard Insects of Tucson, Arizona authored by Chris Schmidt, a graduate student in Insect Science at the University of Arizona.
Accessing and Watching Podcasts
How to access and watch on your own, or if you are a teacher how make this work for your classroom:
- Subscribe to the general series feed. Note that all Tree of Life resources are always free.
- If you subscribe to the series, each episode will be downloaded to your computer when you open iTunes or another service.
- From iTunes or whatever subscription service you use, you can then watch the podcasts yourself or show your class from your computer via a projector (we also recommend plugging in speakers). Note that you do not have to be online to watch, only to download recent episodes. You can also burn the podcast's audio or video files onto a disc and have students load the discs on different computers.
- View on the Web:
- Just click play now next to the title of the podcast. We have an "embedded viewer" so you can view the videos right on the page, no matter what type of computer and software you have (just like on YouTube).
- You can also click play at YouTube next to the title of the podcast, to view from YouTube (may be a good idea if you have a problem with the ToL viewing option. You can also do a search for "linquiry" in YouTube to see all of the movies.
Give Feedback / Contribute to ToL Podcasts
How can I give feedback?
- Use our blog (improved ToL blog coming soon!)
- Take our podcast survey (link will open in a new window).
Instructions for teachers (and their students) who attended the AzTea conferences
What can I contribute?
- See How to Become a ToL Contributor below.
You can contribute:
- Image(s) that illustrate a particular organism, habitat, etc.
- Audio: information about an organism, on organism sound, a song, poem, scientist interview, interviews with community members...you can also use our call in line to create audio files by leaving us a message!
- Video: information about an organism (like a slide show), organism behavior, a research activity, a role playing piece...
- Information on use/experiences with creating media/what you want to see: Tell us through the blog, our podcast survey (links will open in a new window).
- See also Planning for a Podcast for assistance with finding out how to contribute audio/video.
How to become a ToL contributor
- Become a ToL Contributor: In order to contribute a media file for consideration in a ToL podcast you must become a ToL contributor. Those over 18 can become media contributors. Those who would like to also contribute ToL learning materials should become Treehouse Builders. Teachers and parents who are registered treehouse builders can register learners who are under 18 by creating classroom projects. See Start Class Treehouse Building Projects for information on how to sign up kids who are under 18.
- Use the Contributor System: Once you have become a ToL Contributor you can login and choose the Media Manager to upload media files, be they images, audio or video. At the very bottom of the media editing forms there is a field for Notes. Right below the Notes field, click the check box that says "consider for ToL Podcast series".
In the Notes field let us know all the details that will help us use your media file in a podcast. - See the Multimedia Reference for assistance with hardware and software to capture audio, video and images.
About the ToL Podcasting Project
ToL
podcasts are developed
as part of the project "New Strategies for Life Sciences Outreach in
Arizona: Developing a Digital Library of Audio and Video Features in the
Context of the Tree of Life Web Project" funded by the “Anyplace
Access for Arizonans” Initiative under the University
of Arizona Technology and Research Initiative Fund.
If you have any questions or comments please contact us at: