We ain't lion. Lion prides are some of the most unique social structures among terrestrial mammals. Listen to Emily show Clara the wonderful world of Africa's most iconic animal, the purpose of manes, and some female lions whose new look shocked scientists.

Palmer, Meredith S., Natalia Borrego, and Craig Packer. (2023) "Social Strategies of the African Lion." Social Strategies of Carnivorous Mammalian Predators: Hunting and Surviving as Families. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 7-45.

West, P. M., and Packer, C. (2002). Sexual selection, temperature, and the lion’s mane. Science 297, 1339–1343.

University of Minnesota (2024). Social Behaviour, Lion Research Center.

Emily P. Mitchell, Adrian Tordiffe, Peter Caldwell, A case for ovarian transdifferentiation in six adult captive masculinized lionesses (Panthera leo) in South Africa: Pathological evidence, Theriogenology Wild, Volume 1, 2022, 100012, ISSN 2773-093X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.therwi.2022.100012

Blanchard, D. Caroline. "Of lion manes and human beards: some unusual effects of the interaction between aggression and sociality." Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience 3 (2010): 945.

Sogbohossou, E. A., Bauer, H., Loveridge, A., Funston, P. J., De Snoo, G. R., Sinsin, B., & De Iongh, H. H. (2014). Social structure of lions (Panthera leo) is affected by management in Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, Benin. PLoS One, 9(1), e84674.

Gilfillan, G. D., McNutt, J. W., Vitale, J. D. T., Iongh, H. H., & Golabek, K. (2017). Rare observation of the existence and masculine behaviour of maned lionesses in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. African Journal of Ecology, 55(3), 383–385. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12360

In today's episode, we will look at the story of Alexandra Morton, a whale researcher whose career took an unexpected turn when the whales all left. Join Clara and Emily on a journey up to British Columbia and learn about what might be causing the collapse of the wild salmon stocks. We explore the life story of a woman who persevered and made tremendous strides in research.

References:

Bartlett, S. (Host). (2022-Present). The Salmon People [Audio or Video podcast]. Canada's National Observer. The Salmon People podcast | Canada's National Observer: Climate News

Morton, A. (2021). Not on my watch: How a renegade whale biologist took on governments and industry to save wild salmon. Random House Canada.

Celebrity Wiki. (2020). Alexandra Morton. CelebsAgeWiki. Alexandra Morton Biography, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, Family (celebsagewiki.com)

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). (2018, October 26). Atlantic salmon... a remarkable life cycle. Government of Canada. Atlantic salmon... a remarkable life cycle (dfo-mpo.gc.ca)

Pacific Salmon Foundation (2024). Species & lifecycle. Species & Lifecycle | Pacific Salmon Foundation (psf.ca)

PacificWild (2024). Pacific salmon species spotlight. Pacific Salmon Species Spotlight - Pacific Wild

Dean, C. (2008, November 3). Saving wild salmon, in hopes of saving the orca. The New York Times. Saving Wild Salmon, in Hopes of Saving the Orca - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Morton, A., Routledge, R., Peet, C., & Ladwig, A. (2004). Sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) infection rates on juvenile pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and chum (Oncorhynchus keta) salmon in the nearshore marine environment of British Columbia, Canada. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 61 (2), 147-157.

Kibenge, M.J.T., Wang, Y., Gayeski, N., Morton, A., Beardslee, K., McMillan, B., & Kibenge, F. S. B. (2019). Piscine orthoreovirus sequences in escaped farmed Atlantic salmon in Washington and British Columbia. Virology Journal, 16(41). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-019-1148-2

Emily is talking about whales again. Listen in to learn about one of the most endangered species on earth, what is being done, and some controversies surrounding it. The North Atlantic Right Whale is a struggling species, this episode dives into the reasons for their status, and the most recent information on this year's calves.

Endangered North Atlantic right whale injured by Canadian tracking tag, scientists say: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/north-atlantic-right-whale-injured-by-canadian-tag-1.7006911

NOAA North Atlantic Right Whale: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/north-atlantic-right-whale

NOAA North Atlantic Right Whale Updates: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/north-atlantic-right-whale-updates#:~:text=On%20April%209%2C%202024%2C%20a,Cod%20Bay%20in%20March%202024.

Action Plan: https://wildlife-species.az.ec.gc.ca/species-risk-registry/virtual_sara/files//plans/Ap-Bnan-Narw-v01-2021Mar-Eng.pdf

Population comparison of right whale body condition reveals poor state of the North Atlantic right whale: https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v640/p1-16/

Fishermen allowed to fish close to shore in Gulf of St. Lawrence after right whale sighting: https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/fishermen-allowed-to-fish-close-to-shore-in-gulf-of-st-lawrence-after-right-whale-sighting-1.6897724

Let us close this ever-important month off with a spotlight on black conservationists that inspire us. This episode gives a short history of black people's place in North American and African conservation and hopes to give recognition to some incredible people who are helping change the world.

Black Myths Podcast

PBS podcasts

Meet the Black Mambas, South Africa’s all-female anti-poaching unit: https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2021/03/meet-the-black-mambas-south-africas-all-female-anti-poaching-unit

Black Mambas Anti-Poaching Unit: https://www.helpingrhinos.org/black-mambas/

Painted Dog Conservation: https://www.tusk.org/projects/painted-dog-conservation/

Conservation and wildlife: https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199846733/obo-9780199846733-0022.xml

Conserving while black: https://www.fws.gov/story/conserving-while-black-breaking-down-barriers-conservation-community

Brown Girl Outdoor World: https://browngirloutdoorworld.com/partners-2/

The Manatee Man: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/podcast/meet-the-manatee-man/

In this week's episode, Emily and Clara look at some recent discoveries in the science world. Learn about topics ranging from mining waste to White Rhino IVF practices to why it seems like birds don't want you to sleep in.

Follow us on Instagram @rightupyouralgaepodcast

Email us with any recommendations @ ruyapodcast@outlook.com

Find our resources:

 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00264-9#ref-CR1

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/12/18/opinion/digging-deep-healthy-soil-farming

https://www.edenseven.co.uk/what-does-a-tonne-of-co2-look-like#:~:text=Translating%20CO2%20into%20activities&text=For%20example%2C%20one%20tonne%20of,500%20litres%20of%20Diesel%20consumed

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00071-2#ref-CR4

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2745.14145?_ga=2.238070528.14054478.1707235110-2080811654.1707235110

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68064432

This week Clara and Emily travel to the lush nation of Columbia! In this beautiful country you'll find ugly river dolphins, condors, manatees and... cocaine hippos? Introduced by Pablo Escobar is the Columbian hippo, the worlds largest invasive species. Listen along to learn the difficulties of castrating a hippo, a strange take on rewilding, and why you shouldn't eat hippo meat.

A Case for Hippos in Columbia: file:///C:/Users/emily/Downloads/TheCaseForHipposinColombia.pdf

Colombian Hippos and Species Management: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-471X/12/2/29#B30-laws-12-00029

Removing Pablo Escobar’s hippos from Colombia to cost $3.5m: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/30/removing-pablo-escobars-hippos-from-colombia-to-cost-3-5m#:~:text=Scientists%20warn%20the%20hippos%20do,animals%20a%20toxic%20invasive%20species.

Pablo Escobar: Why scientists want to kill Colombia's hippos: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-56011594

In Colombia, Escobar’s hippos spawn another problem: Wildlife trafficking: https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/in-colombia-escobars-hippos-spawn-another-problem-wildlife-trafficking/

Animalista, Narco-Cultural, Conservacionista. Visions of Nature Around the Case of Hippos in Colombia: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12304-023-09541-y

Pablo Escobar's "cocaine hippos" won't stop multiplying. Colombia wants to move dozens of them out of the country: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pablo-escobar-cocaine-hippos-colombia-wants-to-transfer-dozens-populaion-control/

Pablo Escobar's feral hippos face cull in Colombia: https://www.bbc.com/news/67306304

Rapid population growth and high management costs have created a narrow window for control of introduced hippos in Colombia: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10106455/

Clara and Emily are taking root this year on new and interesting topics. Your favourite podcasters are back and here to share the wonders of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF), their fascinating punishment-reward relationship with plants, and how the agricultural industry can benefit from these fungi.

Mechanisms underlying beneficial plant-fungus interactions in mycorrhizal symbiosis - Scientific Figure on ResearchGate. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Hyphopodium-adhesion-to-the-root-epidermis-in-arbuscular-mycorrhizas-A-top-view-of-the_fig2_47545096 [accessed 13 Jan, 2024]

https://www.nature.com/articles/nrmicro1987

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.02904#:~:text=For%20hyphal%20length%20in%20soil,strain%20with%200.8%20%CE%BCm2.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227672792_Brundrett_M_C_-_Coevolution_of_roots_and_mycorrhizas_of_land_plants_New_Phytologist?enrichId=rgreq-cb7693a731a3aa68d3bf2396eafc2e93-XXX&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzIyNzY3Mjc5MjtBUzo1NTQyNjM4NzgwOTQ4NDhAMTUwOTE1ODIxNDU4MQ%3D%3D&el=1_x_2&_esc=publicationCoverPdf

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00344-014-9414-4

Shalaby AM and Hanna MM (1998). Preliminary studies on interactions between VA mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae, Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Pseudomonas syringae in soybean plants. Acta Microbiol Pol 47:385 – 391.

The November 2023 edition of Biosphere Bulletin! Your trusty hosts discuss carbon neutrality, an elephant mystery being solved, and so much more in this week's episode of Right up your Algae. To let us know your thoughts or to suggest an episode topic email ruyapodcast@outlook.com

A singular shark bitter taste receptor provides insights into the evolution of bitter taste perception. 10.1073/pnas.2310347120

Evolution of taste: Early sharks were able to perceive bitter substances: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231113155215.htm

Conservation successes and challenges for wide-ranging sharks and rays: https://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.2216891120

B.C., Ottawa, First Nations announce conservation agreement: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/nature-agreement-bc-ottawa-1-billion-conservation-1.7017562

One solution to the plastic crisis may lie in bugs' bellies: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/11/17/plastic-eating-bugs-recycling-pollution/

Africa’s first carbon-removal plant stokes questions about responsible climate solutions: https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/africas-first-carbon-removal-plant-stokes-questions-responsible-climat-rcna117590