Animals as the Arteries of the Biosphere with Joe Roman | TGS 131

(Conversation recorded on June 14th, 2024) Show Summary: If plants are considered the lungs of the Earth, cycling CO2 into oxygen for animals to breathe, then animals act as the heart and arteries, spreading nutrients across the Earth to where it’s needed most. This is the metaphor that today’s guest, conservation biologist Joe Roman, uses when describing his work studying how animals such as whales, otters, salmon, and midges provide vital ecosystem services, and how destruction of their populations – caused by modern industrial systems – affects the livability of the entire planet. How has human activity drastically altered the balance and mass of species, and subsequently their ability to spread nutrients across the biosphere? What consequences must we face when biodiversity is diminished and nutrients are no longer dispersed as equally, leaving ecosystems with either extreme concentrations or scarcity of essential minerals, such as nitrogen and phosphorus? If we could “re-wild” diminishing species into their native habitats and aim for zero human-caused extinctions, how would this support a more resilient Earth for future generations of humans and animals alike? About Joe Roman: Joe Roman is a conservation biologist, marine ecologist, and “editor ’n’ chef” of eattheinvaders.org. Winner of the Rachel Carson Environment Book Award for Listed: Dispatches from America’s Endangered Species Act, Roman has written for The New York Times, Science, Slate, and other publications. Coverage of his research has appeared in the New Yorker, Washington Post, NPR, BBC, and many other outlets. He is a fellow and writer in residence at the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont. His latest book is Eat, Poop, Die: How Animals Make Our World. For Show Notes and More visit: https://www.thegreatsimplification.co... 00:00:00 - Introduction and Joe's Background 00:03:54 - Eat, Poop, Die 00:08:55 - Historical Nutrient Flows and Megafauna 00:12:18 - Phosphorus, Nitrogen, and Ecosystem Impact 00:14:15 - The Guano Revolution and Global Impact 00:20:52 - The Story of Surtsey Island 00:25:45 - Implications 00:28:49 - Importance of Biodiversity 00:31:33 - Decline in Animal Populations and Biodiversity 00:36:27 - Whale Pump and Nutrient Cycling 00:46:33 - Salmon and Sea Otters 00:52:27 - Climate Change and Nutrient Flows 00:58:07 - Addressing the Biodiversity Crisis 01:06:30 - Animals and the Economy 01:09:43 - The Ecological Perspective 01:12:59 - What Can We Do Locally? 01:23:01 - Closing Questions ------ Image Credits: 08:08 - Image from The Guardian, 2018 09:55 - Illustration by Jared T. Williams 15:42 - Image by Monika from Pixabay 21:59 - Image under U.S. Public Domain 24:18 - Image provided by Joe Roman 24:59 - Image under U.S. Public Domain 38:20 - Image Provided by Joe Roman 49:01 - Image Provided by Joe Roman 50:58 - Image Provided by Joe Roman Music: Frontiers by Revo Licensed through Music Vine License ID: S549586-16003