Here’s the seed, cone, and needle reference collection we use to help identify unknown plants for projects like #labreawebs! Those big skulls are casts—a saber tooth and a short-faced bear. #dayofscience
Here’s the paper: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.20... Justin is a collaborator on the #labreawebs project, where we’re reconstructing ice age food webs at @labreatarpits. For this project, my undergrad identified thousands of seeds and plant fragments...
For our #labreawebs project, I've had an undergraduate in my lab for a year working to identify plant fragments in the Project 23 deposits at the @labreatarpits. There's been almost no plat work done there until now, so this is super exciting.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, @jessicablois' lab is working on the small mammals of #LaBreaWebs. Tiny teeth, tiny bones, tiny seeds. I'm so excited for our team to fill in the gaps of this ice age ecosystem!
We're getting a lot of fun plants found in the foothills today -- tons of juniper, some fun oak acorn caps. This is pretty neat, because these plants will tell us about the climate and habitat of the LA basin over the last +40,000 years. #LaBreaWebs.
We've got this rockstar undergrad working on #LaBreaWebs plant IDs, and every time I go by the microscopy lab to check in she's like "HEY LOOK A CALIFORNIA POPPY!" or something neat. Tiny seeds, we will tell your stories!
Undergrad Mikayla is identifying 40,000-year-old seeds from @labreatarpits! Looks like something in the knotweed family. #labreawebs #fossilfriday #beastlab
Wondering what our @labreatarpits ice age food webs team is up to? Check out @gloverkatherine's post about modeling ice age plant communities: labreawebs.wordpress.com/2018/04/10/modeling-plan... #labreawebs
Data from #labreawebs! Undergrad Cassandra has been identifying plant fragments, like juniper seeds, acorn caps, and a mystery fossil! #BEASTLab
Why am I getting stinky old wood in the mail? We're reconstructing ice age food webs! Plants play a key role as food, shade, and shelter. #LaBreaWebs
One of the #BEASTLab undergrads will sort through these plant bits and ID them. Some will be radiocarbon dated. #LaBreaWebs
New #LaBreaWebs post by @libbyellwood, on the #citizenscience aspect of our #nsfunded project: labreawebs.wordpress.com/2017/11/21/microfossil-s...
Our La Brea project includes a classroom fossil sorting program. Today, we’re testing the kits with postdoc @libbyellwood. #labreawebs
These new excavations are so cool because they contain so many parts of the ecosystem, allowing us to build ice age food webs. #labreawebs
These asphalt seeps were active for several thousand years, based on radiocarbon dates--each a window into a past ecosystem. #labreawebs
Boxes to move the ice age deposits were built by a company that moves full-sized trees! It was faster than excavating in place. #labreawebs
The @labreatarpits excavations are largely done with volunteers! Here, they're excavating a new box. #labreawebs
Here's a box being excavated. Large bones get removed first, and the gooey asphaltic soil is kept and cleaned with biodiesel. #labreawebs
These boxes, called Project 23, contain soil with wedges of asphalt-infused soil that is chock-full of bones, bugs, and plants. #labreawebs
What is #labreawebs? We're working on new deposits found when @LACMA built a parking garage. They moved sediment in 📦 to @labreatarpits!
Just how do animals blunder into a tar pit? It's easy to imagine when you see them up close: a sticky mat covered in plants. #labreawebs
The #labreawebs team is at the @labreatarpits for our annual project meeting! Follow the hashtag for ice age tweets!
Up bright and early with @gloverkatherine to head to a #labreawebs meeting at @labreatarpits. Stay tuned for fun ice age updates!
This is for @CaitlinInMaine's postdoc research on alpine plants and climate change. #LaBreaWebs postdoc @gloverkatherine came, too!
So excited to welcome @gloverkatherine to the #BEASTLab this week! She's joining as a postdoc on the #labreawebs project.
We have a new website up for #labreawebs! It's in-progress, but we have two blog posts about our research: https://labreawebs.wordpress.com/
This awesome video explains nature's networks, and how new methods can help predict ecological collapse: players.brightcove.net/679256133001/NkgrDczuol_... #labreawebs
Our #labreawebs project is building ice age food webs using new fossils from @labreatarpits to learn about climate change and extinction.
Libby will head up our classroom project with @labreatarpits fossil kits in classrooms. Katie will help work up ice age plants. #labreawebs
I'm excited to announce that @libbyellwood and @gloverkatherine are joining #labreawebs! Libby in LA, Katie in the #BEASTLab in Maine.