"If we turned to the sea, or a fresh-water pond, or the inside of a horse, we should find similar communities of animals,
and in every case we should notice that food is the factor which plays the biggest part in their lives,
and that it forms the connecting link between members of the communities"
Charles Elton, 1927
and in every case we should notice that food is the factor which plays the biggest part in their lives,
and that it forms the connecting link between members of the communities"
Charles Elton, 1927
My perfect road-to-science story would involve a lot of time outdoors and a transformative experience in my childhood that sparked a deep appreciation for nature that set my path for research. But to tell you the truth, my passion for science started in the kitchen.
I’m a second generation Filipino American (my parents immigrated to the US). I learned from an early age that food was the bond that brought my family together and served as my connection to our culture. Family gatherings revolved around food and we came up with any excuse to be together. Major life events, new karaoke system, pay-per-view boxing matches - every gathering always included a feast. My family's reverence for food fostered my inquisitive mind, which led me to the field of ecology.
I watched a lot of science programming as a child. I clearly remember a tv special on the deep sea and seeing an angler fish for the first time. I asked myself, "how does something that lives so far deep in the ocean, without any light, looking like that, find any food?" This is my earliest memory of thinking like an ecologist, with special interest in the relationships between predators and their prey. What excites me most about studying food webs is that every living thing needs energy to survive, and such a simplistic need can create highly complex interactions.
And like every living creature, we also need food to survive. Below are recipes for species that I or my fellow researchers have studied, along with some notes from the field. Eat well and learn something new.
And like every living creature, we also need food to survive. Below are recipes for species that I or my fellow researchers have studied, along with some notes from the field. Eat well and learn something new.
Recipes
Decapods
Bivalves
Fish
Assorted inverts