Floods and Plagues, Ticks vs. Tides

Episode 10 of the Fledgling Theories podcast, hosted by Ellie Roark & Willson Gaul, titled "Floods and Plagues, Ticks vs. Tides" was published on November 1, 2018 and runs 32 minutes.

November 1, 2018 ·32m · Fledgling Theories

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Summary

For the endangered Saltmarsh Sparrow, nesting is a pick-your-battles endeavour. Nest too far below the high tide line, and you could lose your babies to flooding. Nest too far above the high tide line, and parasites may invade the nest, spreading disease and robbing parents and juveniles of valuable body mass. What's a bird to do?! This month we're talking about evolutionary trade-offs and the article, "Tidal flooding is associated with lower ectoparasite intensity in nests of the Saltmarsh Sparrow" (Nightingale & Elphick, 2017).

Episode Description

For the endangered Saltmarsh Sparrow, nesting is a pick-your-battles endeavour. Nest too far below the high tide line, and you could lose your babies to flooding. Nest too far above the high tide line, and parasites may invade the nest, spreading disease and robbing parents and juveniles of valuable body mass. What's a bird to do?! This month we're talking about evolutionary trade-offs and the article, "Tidal flooding is associated with lower ectoparasite intensity in nests of the Saltmarsh Sparrow" (Nightingale & Elphick, 2017).

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