94. Rapid Environmental Change with Dr. Rachel Blakey and Dr. Kasey Fowler-Finn (S10)

Send us a textEpisode 1 Series 10:  Anthropogenic Behavior Change TranscriptThis episode covers the effects of rapid environmental change on animals, urban ecology, adaptation challenges, and conservation efforts and emphasizes the significance of understanding animal communication and sounds in urban areas.Guests: Rachel is an Assistant Professor at Cal Poly Pomona. She is an ecologist who is intrigued by how dynamic disturbances (like fire and human disturbance) impact animal behavior and community assembly. Her work is often inspired by conservation problems faced by her natural resource management collaborators. Rachel is also committed to working towards equity and inclusion in science, via her involvement in community science as well as experiential learning and representation for underserved students and scholars. Outside of science, she enjoys snowboarding, surfing, and going on adventures with her wife and chihuahua. Kasey is an evolutionary biologist interested in how animal communities are coping with a rapidly-changing world. Her lab researches how human-induced changes in temperature, water availability and noise affect insect and arachnid communication, mating behavior, and predator-prey interactions. Outside of science, she is an avid rock climber, a hobby stain-glass worker, and mom to two little kids.Book Recommendations: An Immense World by Ed Yong and The Animals in That Country by  Laura Jean McKayOther Links: Rex Cocroft's TreeHopper noises!www.jonathanbalcombe.comWhat a Fish Knows (NYTimes bestseller)Super Fly (National Outdoor Book Award winner)Jake and Ava: A Boy and a Fish (illustrated children's book)Support the showShow Credits⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Read the Blog! (Guest profiles, book recommendations, trailers and more!) What to start your own podcast in he Animal Advocacy or Animal Welfare Space? Check out my ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast Mentoring Services⁠⁠⁠⁠! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a Patron! ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for the NewsletterMentioned in this episode:PHAIR Conference CoverageNew Miniseries begins Summer 2026