Plant Kingdom

Biologist Dr Leonora Bittleston takes us into the mysterious world of the phyllosphere – the micro world upon leaf and plant surfaces. We discuss her research on plant-microbe interactions, looking at case studies of the sage brush steppe ecosystem and the fascinating miniature worlds of carnivorous pitcher plants. She shares how even the smallest organisms on our planet can be a force of nature. Bio: Leonora Bittleston is an Associate Professor at Boise State University. She is fascinated by the complex interactions that form between very different kinds of organisms, and among microbes and plants in particular. Her research aims to learn more about life on our planet, taking into account the interconnectedness of ecosystem processes, communities, and species. Previously, Leonora was a James S. McDonnell Postdoctoral Fellow in Complex Systems at MIT. She earned her PhD from the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and her BS from U.C. Berkeley. Hosted and produced by Catherine Polcz with music by Carl Didur.

Palaeontologist and curator of the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum Dr Emily Bamforth uses fossils to recreate ancient worlds, painting a vivid picture of Alberta's polar dinosaurs of 65 million years ago. She shares her philosophy of deep time, her interest in evolutionary 'failed experiments', and how the study of ancient life has shaped her unique perspective. Bio: Dr Emily Bamforth is the Curator of the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum in Alberta, Canada. She completed a BSc with Specialisation in Evolutionary Biology at the University of Alberta, which sparked a fascination in the origins of multicellular life on Earth. She went on to do a MSc degree at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario under Dr Guy Narbonne. Her fieldwork in Mistaken Point, Newfoundland explored fossils of the oldest complex multicellular life on the planet, from which she described three new species. Returning to her first love (dinosaurs), Dr Bamforth completed a PhD at McGill University in Montreal under Dr Hans Larsson, with a thesis based on the dinosaur mass extinction in Saskatchewan. After graduating in 2014, she went on to work as a palaeontologist with the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, where her research focused on Late Cretaceous and early Cenozoic paleoecology and paleobotany, as well as mass extinction. She began as Curator of the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum in 2022, where her work focuses on late Cretaceous paleoecosystems with an emphasis on understanding the relationships between paleoclimate, paleobotany and dinosaur ecology. Dr Bamforth is an adjunct professor in the University of Alberta's Department of Biological Sciences and the University of Saskatchewan's Geological Sciences Department. In her free time, Dr Bamforth enjoys hiking, photography and singing in choirs. Plant Kingdom is hosted and produced by Catherine Polcz with music by Carl Didur.

Entomologist and author Dr Barrett Klein discusses cultural entomology – the study of how insects have shaped and influenced human culture and society. Taking us through the archaeological record, Klein discusses curious objects including a 3700 year old lice comb; ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics depicting apiculture; and a small paleolithic carving of a cave cricket. He also shares his research into honeybee society, insect sleep and what future insect industries may look like. Bio: Dr Barrett Klein is the author of The Insect Epiphany: How our six legged allies shape human culture [https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/barrett-klein/the-insect-epiphany/9781643263908/?lens=timber-press]. His research investigates mysteries of sleep in societies of insects, creates entomo-art, and is ever on the search for curious connections that bind our lives with our six-legged allies. Barrett studied entomology at Cornell University and the University of Arizona, fabricated natural history exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History, worked with honey bees for his PhD at the University of Texas at Austin, and spearheaded the Pupating Lab at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. He celebrates biodiversity and the intersection of science and art, and believes fully that embracing the beauty of insects can transform our lives and our world. Hosted and produced by Catherine Polcz with music by Carl Didur.

Dr Eddie Game is the Lead Scientist & Director of Conservation for The Nature Conservancy's Asia Pacific region. In our conversation, he discusses conservation as a collaboration with community, and his pioneering works into acoustic ecology – the study of the biology of natural soundscapes. He shares his field work in Papua New Guinea and Borneo, what a healthy jungle sounds like, and what it's like waking up to the calls of gibbons. Bio: Eddie Game is the Lead Scientist & Director of Conservation for The Nature Conservancy's Asia Pacific region, responsible for ensuring that the Conservancy remains a world leader in making science-based conservation decisions. He has had the privilege of working on conservation in over 20 countries. Eddie and his team have been enthusiastic adopters of ecoacoustics, developing partnerships that bring together cutting-edge academic research with real-world applications in countries including, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Myanmar, Australia, and Gabon. He has published more than 75 papers on aspects of conservation science and climate change, alongside his book Conservation Planning: Informed Decisions for a Healthier Planet [http://www.amazon.com/Conservation-Planning-Informed-Decisions-Healthier/dp/1936221519], co-authored with Craig Groves. Hosted and produced by Catherine Polcz with music by Carl Didur. Additional Sound Credits: Borneo Jungle - Day by RTB45 -- https://freesound.org/s/253291/ -- License: Attribution 4.0; Gibbons-Kao Yai National Park.wav by RTB45 -- https://freesound.org/s/147958/ -- License: Attribution 4.0; bat.wav by tomschuetz -- https://freesound.org/s/635147/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 ; 210504 American Robin, dawn song close, roof, urban residential, TORONTO 5am.wav by TRP -- https://freesound.org/s/616969/ -- License: Creative Commons 0; Scpsea (Scp Xqy18) Blowing by ShangASDFGuy123 -- https://freesound.org/s/712560/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Climate change biologist Dr Sharon Robinson takes us thousands of kilometres across the Southern Ocean to Casey Station, Antarctica. She is an expert on Antarctica's ancient moss beds, which she describes as 'miniature old growth forests'. In our conversation, we spoke about the adaptations that enable moss to thrive in some of the harshest environments on earth, and the impact of historic ozone depletion and climate change on these fragile ecosystems. Bio: Dr Sharon Robinson is a Climate Change Biologist at the University of Wollongong, Australia. An expert on Antarctic moss, she first visited East Antarctica in 1996 and has been on 12 expeditions to Antarctica with the Australian and Chilean National Antarctic Programs. Her research characterizes the impact of anthropogenic change including ozone depletion and climate change on fragile moss ecosystems. She is a member and lead author of the UN Environment Programme, Environmental Effects Assessment Panel; and a Faculty Member of Homeward Bound, helping to create a global network of women with a background in STEMM leading and solving our world's greatest challenges. She is a 2024 Australian Laureate Fellow and Deputy Director of Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future. Plant Kingdom is hosted and produced by Catherine Polcz with music by Carl Didur.

Botanist and curator Åsa Krüger discusses her practice in connecting audiences with plants and shares behind the scenes stories from the Gothenburg Botanical Garden, Sweden. Investigating the role of botanical gardens in the modern world, she shares how the living collection is engaged in active research and conservation, and the importance of putting names to the living world around us. Bio: Dr Åsa Krüger is a curator at the Gothenburg Botanical Garden, Sweden. During her PhD, Åsa studied the phylogeny, biogeography and evolutionary history of plants in the coffee family (Rubiaceae), focusing on species in Madagascar. During her PhD, she was introduced to the world of botanical gardens and she divided her time between research and the Bergius Botanical Garden in Stockholm, Sweden. Since moving to the Gothenburg Botanical Garden, her focus has been on outreach, teaching and curating the tropical collections. She is the host of the podcast Botaniska trädgårds podden and in 2024 she was the recipient of the Marsh Award for Education in Botanic Gardens. Plant Kingdom is hosted and produced by Catherine Polcz with music by Carl Didur.

Plant biologist Dr Grace Fleming dissects the secret life of seeds. In a conversation covering everything from seed vaults to space seed trials, she examines the mechanisms of seed dormancy and how seeds sense and interact with their environment. Bio: Dr Grace Fleming is an Assistant Professor in Plant Biology at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Her work examines the physiological underpinning of seed dormancy and responses to varying environmental conditions, with a high priority placed on identifying and validating genetic and physiological factors contributing to seed longevity in the soil seed bank. Her research on the underlying mechanisms of seed death, viability and germination has applications in diverse areas including crop cultivation, weed management, and gene bank storage. This conversation is hosted and produced by Catherine Polcz with music by Carl Didur.

Micronesian marine botanist and ocean advocate Dr Nicole Yamase meditates on the Pacific with a conversation spanning Hawaiian seaweeds, snorkelling across the Federated States of Micronesia and her submersible expedition to the Mariana trench. She generously shares her cultural perspective as a Micronesian scientist and discusses what lessons she's learned from the sea. Bio: Dr. Nicole Yamase is from the islands of Pohnpei and Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Although she is from the FSM, she spent parts of her childhood in the Republic of Palau and Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. She obtained her Ph.D. in Marine Biology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa focusing on the ecophysiology of native Hawaiian macroalgae. Nicole is the Director of Impact for OneReef [https://onereef.org/about-us/about/], a non-profit organization that supports community-led ocean management. Through her job, she works closely with local communities and scientists to define, measure, and communicate impact in a meaningful way that interweaves both science and traditional knowledge. This conversation is hosted and produced by Catherine Polcz with music by Carl Didur.

Partners in life and work, herbalist Deatra Cohen and reference librarian and researcher Adam Siegel are the authors of the incredible resource Ashkenazi Herbalism. Together they spent years researching little known texts, translating ethnobotanical surveys and cross-referencing cultural databases to unearth lost Ashkenazi plant practices from the pale of settlement region. They share the stories and traditions of a few of their favourite plants along with Deatra's own journey to plant healing work. Bio: Deatra Cohen is a former reference librarian and herbalist who trained with the Berkeley Herbal Center. She also belongs to a clinical herbal collective and is a Master Gardener at the University of California. Adam Siegel is a research librarian at the University of California, Davis, and a historian of Central and eastern Europe, studying issues around cultural contact and plant knowledge in the region. Adam is also a literary translator, focusing on works in Russian, Czech, German, Croatian, Serbian, French, Italian, Swedish, and Norwegian. In 2014, he was awarded a Literary Translation Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. This conversation is produced by Catherine Polcz and music by Carl Didur.

Urban ecologist Manuel Esperon-Rodriguez in conversation with Catherine Polcz. He shares his journey from researching plant physiology in the Mexican Veracruz Montane Forests to future-proofing diverse urban forests of Western Sydney. His work is driven by understanding our relationship to the urban environment where people and plants are reliant on one another. Bio: Manuel Esperon-Rodriguez is a Sydney-based, Mexican ecologist who studies the effects of climate on plant function in urban ecosystems. He completed his PhD in Eastern Mexico assessing the vulnerability of the lush Veracruz cloud forest to climate change. In 2015 he joined Macquarie University with a project identifying climate refugia and plant migration corridors in Australia. In 2017 he joined the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment at Western Sydney University where he continues his research on urban forests. This episode is produced by Catherine Polcz with music by Carl Didur.