When an invasive species overruns an ecosystem, it is often assumed that the organism recently arrived at its new home and rapidly took over. But a report published in the journal, BioScience, says that many new arrivals aren’t nearly as impatient as this narrative implies. In fact, it is not uncommon for “sleeper populations” of …
We realize we’ve all lost track of time as we continue to flatten the COVID-19 curve but, trust us, it’s Friday. And that means it’s time for Water We Talking About? Kids have questions and we track down a scientist with an answer. Today’s is a first – William and Luke sent a video of …
by Sydney Widell – At the start of every fishing season, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources embarks on the arduous task of setting catch limits on the state’s popular game fish like walleye. In order to estimate how many fish anglers may safely remove from a lake while still keeping the population healthy, the …
Think algae are gross? A new website will make you take a closer look. Dedicated to Lake Mendota’s diatoms – single-celled members of the brown algae classification – the website serves as a field guide of sorts to the beautiful, microscopic organisms in the picture above. Diatoms are quite amazing. They produce around 20% of …
by Mike Spear In September 2015, a single zebra mussel about the size of a fingernail sent alarm through the Center for Limnology. (CFL). It signaled the arrival of one of the world’s most notorious invasive species in our own Lake Mendota, and it was big news. Today, zebra mussels carpet the rocky bottom of …
Somewhere along the way, someone lost a pair of Oakley sunglasses. Maybe they were blown off on a full-throttle boat ride. Or slipped from a shirt pocket while wrestling a fish on board. Whatever the cause, the sleek, black glasses with the reflective lenses sank eight meters (about 24 feet) and settled on top of …