Meeting 1164 Minutes

Minutes from the 1164th Meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club

President Jack Boyle called the 1164th meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club to order at 7:45 pm on Tuesday, February 10th in MCZ 101, 26 Oxford St. Approximately 22 members and guests were in attendance.

Old business:

David Goldberg, Dennis Zhang, and Nathaniel Edelman were confirmed for membership.

Dr. Tanya Renner from the University of Arizona was our speaker.

Her talk was entitled “Genomic insights into multi-species interactions: Molecular evolution, form, and function.”

Dr. Renner’s research examines the patterns and processes of evolution and how multi-species interactions shape biodiversity at the microevolutionary scale and influence form and function.

She gave examples of evolution’s role in the co-option of preexisting genes, and discussed the emergence of new functions. She shared her work on carnivorous plants and their ability to digest insect exoskeletons, the chemosensory system in paussine ant nest beetles, and data on the enzyme precursors that are responsible for the bombardier beetle’s explosive blast.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 for discussion and refreshments.

Respectfully submitted,

Andrea Golden, CEC Secretary