I can’t find much information about this species outside of aquariums and that it gets cut down a lot

Hi folks, I recently graduated with my degree in Fisheries Ecology and Aquaculture. I’m finishing up a second degree program I’ve been pursuing this Fall, but I’ve been pondering what I’ve wanted to do after this summer. I know I want to go to grad school, but I’m not sure whether or not to jump in immediately or get some seasonal positions first. Commercial fishing is something I find very interesting (most of my research interests lie in the marine side). I’ve been looking at fisheries observer positions, and I’m curious - has anyone here been a fisheries observer, and if so, what was your experience?

I'm looking to start grad school in Fall 2025, that's around when my current job will end and I'll be in a good place financially. I've heard that you should start the process 1.5 years before you actually attend, so I started looking for programs back in February.

But most schools/programs didn't have any information about their Fall 2025 sessions yet. Similarly, I've been watching the Texas A&M and ECOLOG-L job boards very closely, but it seems like professors are only now posting positions for Fall 2024.

Should I just wait for a few months before researching programs again? I've already been getting my other requirements ready (References, Updating resume, etc.)

hi! i’m currently working as an engineer at a chemical plant with a chemical engineering degree. i’ve realized that this career path is not for me and that my main interest is conservation/ecology/herpetology. are there any career paths which would work with such a background and interests or should i consider going back to school? my largest interests are herps, particularly snakes

https://youtu.be/EfNgW-On6hw?si=oMjgPFZ6zLDsTfGa

I’ve been seeing some similar posts here, but I have a bit of a different background compared to others.

I have an undergraduate degree in conservation biology and a masters in agricultural education/extension. I was an environmental educator/naturalist before COVID, then did property management for 2 years (had to pay the bills somehow!!!) then I was an elementary science teacher for the last two years. I have always wanted to work as a biologist in some capacity and I decided to take the leap and switch directions in my career.

I am interested in a lot of things… restoration, community ecology, entomology, wetlands….

I’m considering going for a masters assistantship in conservation biology/ecology. Or perhaps going for some seasonal jobs? In all honesty, I’m freaking overwhelmed.

Have you ever did a career transition like this? What advice can you provide? Anything would be appreciated:’)

I happen to know these elk. I've lived in the Colorado plateau all my life. They didn't get to A1 tank lake this year. The cows are out there, in their summerly rotation by the cowfolk. This time last summer the elk were out there with them. And I know these elk, and they can't get to ponderosa shade in the summer as of now, 2024. I'm out there looking at it.

What the title says. I need help finding an internship related to ecology. I've tried Indeed, government sites for my state (Maryland) as well as the USDA and found nothing. I'm going to graduate from college this coming spring and I want some experience so I can get a job out of college easier.

Hello! I’m curious about why the population of Lynx rufus is the way it is. Is there a geographical reason they avoid the big blank spot near the Great Lakes? (Map cred: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobcat?wprov=sfti1#)

Hi everyone. I'm looking for some advice on switching careers to ecology.

At the moment I work as a veterinary nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Nursing & a post graduate certificate in advanced veterinary anaesthetic nursing which have both given me skills in academic writing, research etc. I recently met an ecologist while they were carrying out a bat survey on bays living in my roof and realised this is actually a viable career path. I've always had a huge interest in biology, animals, plants, nature etc but didn't realise there were actually real careers to be made in the area.

What I am considering is applying for a MSc in Enviornmental Science. I'm wondering if this would be enought to get me into the field. I realise I would need field experience & would plan on volunteering with some conservation programmes that I've looked into in my area to gain experience there.

What I wanted to ask is whether most jobs would require a primary bachelors degree in ecology/enviornmental science or if a masters alone would be enough to allow me to pivot into the field (if I am accepted).

I also wanted to ask about your thoughts on ecology as a career. What are the pros / cons. Would you reccomend entwring the field?

Thanks so much!

I am buying a pound of Glue Grama grass seed, Mad River cultivar, which is described as a selected class release. Is this just an ecology term that means the same as "cultivar" or is it a wider or narrower meaning?

Hey everyone

Trying to buy a moth trap but having trouble choosing

Based type of trap for the UK

I'm interested in working in a particular state after graduating. Should I try to go to grad school in that region? My state school has a pretty good ecology program, but I don't think they are one of the top schools. Someone advised me that going to grad school where you want to work makes sense because then you have a network in that region.

Hi all! I’m thinking about applying for a reasarch based M.S. this fall after working some years. In my program research, I keep landing on “graduate” programs pages that only seem to have PhD programs but don’t offer an M.S. Where did you get your M.S. and how did you find funding for it? Did the masters help get you where you wanted to be in your career?

Feeling lost in the search and grateful for any insights from this awesome community’

A soil scientist in town tried to make the claim that there would be no adverse impact on a wetlands after the some of the mature forest in its buffer would be removed for housing. Is someone with that degree/certification really qualified to speak on the ecological impact on the wetlands and it's wildlife?

I've seen a lot of posts here saying that a PhD in ecology is unnecessary. But others have told me that I should just get a PhD in case I want to use it later. Another person told me that they felt they had been limited in their options with just a masters, and people they knew with a PhD had had more options and better pay. I would like to work in government, so I don't want to be unable to get a job there due to the PhD. Do PhD level and masters-level jobs usually pay similarly?

Edit: Thank you so much for all your advice! Very much appreciated!

I'm currently considering what to focus further in on in ecology for grad school, but based on job postings and conversations, it sounds like wildlife jobs are more common out west, and I'd really prefer to stay in the mid-atlantic region. While I enjoy the science, I'm open to transitioning into other areas like policy or non-profit work. I have a plant as well as wildlife background, but currently have been interested in ecological restoration work. However I'm also considering coastal or wetland work since I live near the Chesapeake Bay. I'm largely interested in making an environmental impact, but want a useful and applicable background.

Edit: Thanks so much for all your replies!! You've all been super helpful and I really appreciate the advice.

Hello, I'm a laboratory assistant at a research center, and currently my coworkers are stuck on how to extract the leaves(scales). Below you will see the aforementioned branch with leaves attached. We have thought about submerging and then hopefully using tiny tweezers but we don't know. We are planning on measuring leaf area and weight thats why we need to retain the most amount of scale. Thank you for the help anyone who replies.

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fhow-to-extract-leaves-from-the-juniper-virginiana-v0-pzfd57iefybd1.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1152%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Df1c9d250083fa1ed0e0400903408c2c48835a71d

I live by a coastal region and i often see a lot of mangrove forests along the shoreline, however there’s a peculiar mangrove tree that is alone and very far from the other groups of mangrove trees. Is there a reason for this? how come this one tree is alone while all the others are clustered. if there is a name for this phenomenon, i’d want to know.

If Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) were introduced into a bamboo forest, like in northwestern Madagascar, how would they impact the environment and would they thrive? Would Bamboo Lemurs and Pandas dietary niches overlap too much? TL:DR could Giant Pandas be successfully conserved In the wild in habitats that have never been in their historical range without massive disruption of local ecology?

Hey everyone, I am going to be moving in about a month to start a M.S. in Forest Ecology! This sub has been extremely helpful over the past year or so with providing advice on the grad school application process and on the grad school experience.

Now that I am officially going, I wanted to ask what peoples' best advice is for starting an ecology grad program. I obviously know there is a lot of stuff to be critical about when it comes to grad school, but I'd like to keep things positive. Just to add, this will be my first time back in school in the last few years. I have been working professionally since graduating undergrad.

So, what is you best advice for starting an ecology grad program? Thanks!

So I live in Athens, Greece and less than 10 minutes away from my home is a river, though severely degraded. Not that many species present are alien, but most of them are severely invasive like Ailanthus altissima. I won't bother to write more about Ailanthus, everyone knows about it. It was planted in the 1900s and now has spread everywhere along the river. The same is true for both species of Washingtonia palms and Parkinsonia aculeata, which were also planted at the same time period. Other alien species are Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Phoenix dactylifera which are luckily not invasive. Some of the native species still present along the river bed are Pinus halepensis, Arundo donax, Phragmites australis, Cercis siliquastrum, Hedera helix, Olea europaea, Ceratonia siliqua, Ficus carica, Rubus creticus, Daucus carota, Sinapis alba, Acanthus mollis, Capparis sicula and Urtica dioica.

What's bugging me is that this river has SO much potential to become a diverse riparian ecosystem, it already is an important habitat for species of birds, fish and bats, almost unheard of in an urban environment, but nothing is done by the municipality. Even when something is done it further degrades the river. Some places of the stream have been turned into artificial canals, effectively destroying these parts, for "flood control", flood control my ass, meanwhile it gets polluted from houses and industrial activities upstream. In the occasion of storms, the parts of the river that have been made into canals, come very close to floding, whereas the other parts don't. If this is not absurd then I don't know what is.

Anyways, what can I do as an individual, maybe with the help of some friends, to help restore for this river, which you could say, is actively crying for help? I'm thinking of planting some native species and getting rid of as many introduced species I can, at a slow pace, to not displace the birds and bats that depend on the plants now present.

PS if anyone lives in Athens and can help provide more info about Podoniftis stream, contact me.

https://www.reading.ac.uk/news/2024/Research-News/Brain-size-riddle-solved-as-humans-exceed-evolution-trend

I’m 20f and for a few weeks now, I’ve been very interested in getting to learn and gather knowledge about ecology. I’ve been doing some research, and found a few books that people seem to recommend to newbies and I wanted to ask you guys if it’s legit? Here’s my list so far

Marine related

• The sea around us by Rachel Carson
• The Ocean of Life: the fate of man and the sea by Callum Roberts
• Deep: Freediving, Renegade science, and what the ocean tells us about ourselves by James Nestor

Forestry related

• The hidden life of trees: what they feel, how they communicate - discoveries from a secret world by Peter Wohlleben
• A sand county Almanac by Aldo Leopold
• The Overstory by Richard Powers

Environmental related

• Silent spring by Rachel Carson
• The sixth extinction: an unnatural history by Elizabeth Kolbert
• Thinking in systems: a primer by Donella Meadows

Just wanted to know if it’s a good starting-out list. I’m not trying to get a PHD or study in ecology, but I want to learn about it, it seems to be very important and maybe even make some life-style changes based on what I learn.

I just watched the movie, and while it put into perspective the events and human perspective, I was disappointed that there was literally et mention of the ecological toll.

There seem to be a handful of documentaries out there - are any of them particularly focused on the environment?

I had a suicide attempt at the peak of my “career” where I ended up going to inpatient treatment for a month, wasting some grant money because I couldn’t finish my research, dropping some internships… I lost a lot. I now have gotten my BS, built up my resume, and have some achievements and a few references (not all from ecology) but no one with connections to non-fieldwork jobs.

I know this sounds conceited, but if I can just get my foot in the door for one opportunity I KNOW I can be a superstar at it. I’m a fast learner, I’m super sociable, good writer and researcher, and familiar with R and biostatistics. I just don’t have many connections right now.

I am doing much better now but I’m still hesitant to go for a fieldwork position in a remote area because I worry about my nental health if I don’t have consistent access to communication with loved ones and healthcare.

Is it really hopeless to cold-apply to things? I’m open to moving just about anywhere in the USA that is at least a small city. I’m just nervous about not getting my foot in the door. I’m open to doing a non-ecology job with transferable skills so I can transition in, like labwork or nonprofit admin/grant writing/volunteer management. But I’m really nervous about not getting anything and I’m not sure where to look when I’m sure the TAMU and conservationjobboard jobs are inundated with more qualified applicants and I’m not hearing back from many of them.

Edit: I do want to go for an MS and/or PhD eventually but I need a break after undergrad… it was a hard time even though I’m very proud I got my degree.