New research out of the Rubinoff Lab at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is taking a look at all the crawly critters on top of Mauna Kea — and what’s on the menu in this extreme environment.
Graduate student Brad Reil heads the project under the supervision of UH entomologist Dan Rubinoff. The Conversation’s Savannah Harriman-Pote spoke with both of them about their new project to map the food web atop Mauna Kea, a harsh ecosystem in which only bugs and spiders manage to survive.
"It's a really hard place to live and even if you don't like creepy crawlies like spiders, you have to respect the evolutionary accomplishment they've made to survive in such a harsh environment," Rubinoff said.
This segment aired on The Conversation on June 24, 2021.
