Category Archives: Ecology

Oceans as Barren Deserts

Posted on November 19, 2021 by mikethemadbiologist

Many moons ago, I noted this about Boston’s annual display of a fish weir, which is a glorified fence used to catch fish–yes, a fence: Every year, a fishweir is reconstructed on the Boston Common (more information is available here). … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Environment, Fish | Comments Off on Oceans as Barren Deserts

Our Biomass Crisis: The Avian Edition

Posted on September 26, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

Long before the Cool Kidz were saying it, I’ve been warning that we have a biomass crisis: When is the last time, in those habitats, you have seen enough fish (and minnow-sized fish don’t count) to justify this strategy? What … Continue reading →

Posted in Aves, Ecology, Environment | 2 Comments

Biodiversity, Biomass, And Defaunation

Posted on December 4, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

Oh shit. For years, I’ve been trying to hammer the point that we have depopulated our oceans: When is the last time, in those habitats, you have seen enough fish (and minnow-sized fish don’t count) to justify this strategy? What … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Environment | Comments Off on Biodiversity, Biomass, And Defaunation

The Oceans Might Not Be Suffering A Mass Extinction But The Carnage Is Awful

Posted on June 29, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

Before I get to the oceans, I’ll describe something that Boston builds every year on the Boston Common: a fishweir. A fishweir is a fence used to catch fish. Believe it or not, it used to work: During the excavation … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Environment, Fish, Food | Comments Off on The Oceans Might Not Be Suffering A Mass Extinction But The Carnage Is Awful

Clear-Cut Fishing

Posted on September 30, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

A few years ago, in a post about a reconstructed fish weir–a fence used to trap fish–I noted that, historically, this was a good strategy: Every year, a fishweir is reconstructed on the Boston Common (more information is available here). … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Fish, Food | 1 Comment

The Need to Characterize ‘Near’ Missing Diversity: A Comment on the Subway Microbiome Paper

Posted on March 4, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

I’m a few weeks late to the subway microbiome paper which, in internet time is decades, but I’ve noticed two things are missing in the commentary. Before I get to those issues, one of the advantages of being behind the … Continue reading →

Posted in E. coli, Ecology, Microbiome | 3 Comments

Passenger Pigeons: Speculation on Humans and Ecological Release

Posted on January 9, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

There’s a review of A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon’s Flight to Extinction that’s worth reading. I’ll probably end up getting a copy of the book at some point, but, according to the review, the book doesn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Aves, Ecology | 4 Comments

Reconsidering the Easter Island Collapse (and the Irony of Jared Diamond’s Interpretation of It)

Posted on January 24, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Barbara King recently asked “Why Does Jared Diamond Make Anthropologists So Mad?” It’s not my place to speak for anthropologists (I’m not Mike the Mad Anthropologist), but I do know what has made me very skeptical of Diamond’s claims: his … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Easter Island, Ecology, Environment | 3 Comments

I Know Beavers Are Important Ecosystem Engineers…

Posted on January 14, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

…but, based on the below specimen, I’m having a hard time believing it. You see, beavers can have massive effects on ecosystems: Beavers are famously busy, and they turn their talents to reengineering the landscape as few other animals can. … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Rodents | Comments Off on I Know Beavers Are Important Ecosystem Engineers…

On Boston’s Fishweirs and the Demise of Coral Reefs

Posted on July 16, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Andrew Revkin, in response to a NY Times op-ed claiming that the coral reefs are doomed, finds some other marine ecologists who disagree. Frank Bruno states: It is scary, but is it true? I don’t think so. I have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, Ecology, Environment, Fish, Food, Lobstah! | 2 Comments