Cameo Cinema St Helena, CA
Tyler McFadden
PhD candidate in ecology, Stanford University
The Serengeti Rules— Global warming, extinction, and alteration of the natural world
Program Description
Wildlife ecologist Tyler McFadden explains the scope, power, and enormous value of the Serengeti Rules and what these seemingly universal laws governing ecosystems can tell us about how to navigate and mitigate the dangers of climate change.
Presented At
Cameo Cinema St Helena, CA
Film Synopsis
A band of young scientists discovers a radical new theory of the natural world, one that could help confront some of the biggest environmental challenges of our time.
Beginning in the 1960s, a handful of young scientists headed out into the wilderness, driven to understand how nature works. Immersed in some of the most remote and spectacular places on Earth—from the majestic Serengeti to the Amazon jungle, and from the Arctic Ocean to Pacific tide pools—they discovered a single set of rules that govern life: The Serengeti Rules. Now in the twilight of their eminent careers, these five unsung heroes of modern ecology share their adventures, reveal how their pioneering work flips our view of nature on its head, and give us a chance to reimagine the world as it could and should be.
About the Speaker
Tyler McFadden is an ecologist, wildlife biologist, and science educator currently pursuing a PhD in ecology at Stanford University. Through his Ph.D. research, he seeks to understand the mechanisms by which ecological communities respond to global environmental change and identify actionable strategies for conserving important species interactions in human-dominated landscapes. He hold a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from Oregon State University, where he completed a thesis with Dr. J. Boone Kauffman examining the effects of colonial waterbirds on nutrient cycling in Honduran mangroves. Prior to joining the Dirzo Lab at Stanford, he spent a year in southern Chile, leading mistnetting crews for the Bird Ecology Lab at the Universidad Austral de Chile.
PRESENTED AS PART OF THE FAMILY FILM FESTIVAL OF THE NAPA VALLEY