I’m writing my first review paper, and though it’s a lot of work, there are some perks. There’s the obvious perk of not having to worry that there is a 19 foot swell on the ocean today (seriously) and there’s no chance that divers will be out collecting data. The data for this paper has already been collected (mostly) by other people! And the less obvious perks – namely, that I got to spend time with actual books in the actual library last week. Sometimes it’s the small things that get me through a week of dissertation writing 🙂
The review is on pelagic-based trophic subsidies to kelp forest ecosystems. Think juvenile rockfish fresh from the pelagic ocean and recruiting to their adult kelp forest habitat only to be promptly eaten by adults, pelagic red crabs being dive-bombed by nearshore birds from above, and gelatinous zooplankton stranded in the kelp forest and getting sucked up by surfperches at every opportunity. Stay tuned for the paper to come out!
And for those interested in fish and fisheries in California, be sure not to discount information found in California Fish and Game Department bulletins going back to the early 1900s (images below) just because it hasn’t yet been digitized and put online. I found some incredible natural history information in these tomes.
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