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Old 06-05-2007, 09:45 PM
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Default Mayflies

There's a big swarm of mayflies hanging out on one of the bridges over the river hereabouts. There are so many of them that they're actually something of a traffic hazard, because so many of them get squashed by automobile tires that they make the road slippery.

Anyway, a reporter from the local newspaper called the college this morning looking for an "expert" to talk with about the critters, and they directed him to me. So, I spent 20 minutes or so explaining mayfly biology, why they're attracted to asphalt, why they gather in such huge swarms, that they're actually very good indicators of stream quality and so we should be glad that there are so many of 'em about, etc.

It was kind of an interesting experience. I guess I'll have to make sure to check the paper over the next couple of days ...

Cheers,

Michael
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Old 06-05-2007, 09:53 PM
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Default Re: Mayflies

Wow. It's great to see reporters actually getting good sources for science writing. :thumbup:
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Old 06-05-2007, 10:17 PM
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Default Re: Mayflies

I wonder if the U.S. Mayfly nymphs have a wiggle like the U.K. ones?
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Old 06-06-2007, 01:02 AM
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Default Re: Mayflies

Quote:
Originally Posted by livius drusus View Post
Wow. It's great to see reporters actually getting good sources for science writing. :thumbup:
It was an interesting experience, and it gave me some insights, I think. Mostly, it reminded me that scientists and reporters are evidently taught to approach things from quite different perspectives. Not that this was really that great a revelation.

After I got off the phone, I consulted the newspaper's website. Turns out that the reporter who interviewed me is their Sports writer. So, I wonder what his angle will be on the story. Maybe he's looking at it from a fisherman's perspective? I dunno. I guess I'll find out soon enough.


One of the things that I was reminded of is that there's apparently little tolerance for ambiguity. After several good (from my perspective) questions about the critters' biology, he asked me if, in my opinion, the swarms of mayflies were a "good thing". I'm sure I must have paused for some time to consider that, because the thought that ran through my head was, "What a strange question -- it's a biological phenomenon; it's neither good nor bad."

After a moment's thought, I think I got a decent handle on what he was angling for, so I pointed out that the swarms of mayflies are perhaps bad from a motorist's perspective, since there are so many of the animals that their crushed bodies can make the roads slick. On the other hand, I pointed out, since the larvae are aquatic and can survive only in oxygen-rich, pollution-free water, and since the adults are very important food for game fish such as trout, if you're concerned about the quality of the local streams and/or you're a fisherman, then the large swarms of mayflies are definitely good news.

Still, he seemed to want a definite "Yes it's a great thing" or "No it's a terrible thing" kind of answer. That was as close as I could get.


He latched on to my comment that they were almost surely coming from local streams for the most part, and not the river. He seemed to want me to tell him what fraction were from the river and what fraction were from local streams. Now how the heck could I possibly know that? All I could tell him was that the larvae depend upon clean, highly-oxygenated water, so they're much more likely to be found in streams than in the river.


Based on my comment that there are literally dozens of mayfly species in this area, he wanted to know which one was swarming down by the bridge. I pointed out that it could any or all of a dozen different species, which didn't seem to entirely please him. [What? You want me to run down there, collect a few hundred specimens and key them out for you? Hope you aren't on a deadline!]


I mentioned that mayflies often swarm over asphalt, and that studies have shown that the polarized light reflected by asphalt closely resembles the polarized light reflected by water. In other words, if you're an insect that can see polarized light, asphalt actually looks a lot like water. That's probably why they're swarming around the bridge right now.

He seemed to think this quite interesting, but then I wondered after I hung up if he knew what "polarized light" is, and I debated calling him back -- but, as it happened, I was on my way to a class anyway. Considering he'd been surprised by my offhand reference to the fact that the adults only live a day or so, which I'd thought was common knowledge, it occurred to me that he might not know what polarized light is. Oh well, it's not like it's hard to find out.


Anyway, it was an interesting experience. Immediately after hanging up, I thought of about half-a-dozen things I could have told him, and perhaps should have. But perhaps my strongest impression was that whereas I was saying things like, "most likely," and "studies suggest" and whatnot, what he seemed to really want were definitive yes/no answers. Which, of course, I couldn't give him.


Probably the entire thing will be whittled down to "Professor X says that it's a bad thing for drivers, but a good thing for fishermen." I guess we'll see ...


Cheers,

Michael
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Old 06-07-2007, 01:38 PM
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Default Re: Mayflies

Quote:
He seemed to want me to tell him what fraction were from the river and what fraction were from local streams.
He wanted you to have this information near to hand. But I bet his paper would have happily carried a Proxmire sneer job about research on the proportion of mayflies that come from various sources, when they're gathered over a bridge.
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Old 06-07-2007, 02:39 PM
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Default Re: Mayflies

This was bizarre...I read your thread yesterday and last night I had a dream I was being attacked and surrounded by swarming clouds of mayflies as well being covered in crushed bodies and dripping insect fluids :shudder:

No idea why I dreamed that, I'm not even particularly repelled by mayflies.
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Old 06-07-2007, 05:41 PM
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Default Re: Mayflies

I was driving to Quinton yesterday and got into a swarm of them. Splattered all over the windsheild and couldn't see a thing. I would say 50 or 60 of them and they were good sized bugs. Luckly there was a truckstop over the hill and I cleaned up the windshield when I got there. The windshield wiperfluid and wipers smeared them. It was just nasty....
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Old 06-08-2007, 01:55 AM
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Default Re: Mayflies

Lucky it wasn't in our Trailblazer, it's windshield washer isn't working right now.
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Old 06-13-2007, 05:55 PM
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Default Re: Mayflies

The article's in today's paper. It's not a bad article, insofar as it points out (quite correctly) that though the mayfly swarms may be a nuisance, their presence means that the local water quality is good. I think the reporter messed up a quote from me just a bit, as I'm sure I didn't say (and wouldn't have said) exactly what he quoted me as saying, but it's no big deal.

Evidently, the reporter and/or the editor don't know how to properly format the Latin names of animals, alas.

Still, a pretty good article, I think.

Cheers,

Michael
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Old 06-13-2007, 10:34 PM
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Default Re: Mayflies

Cool! Nice to know they can get it right sometimes. Now if only they could do that for issues that are a bit more controversial...
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