Tuesday December 11th
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
07:30 PM
Deceiving the superorganism:
Infiltration of ant societies by stealth beetles
Joseph Parker
Asst. Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering
Cal Tech
Rove beetles (Staphylinidae) comprise a hugely species-rich clade in which many independent lineages have evolved phenotypically elaborate symbioses with ants. These striking and intimate relationships involve radical changes in behavior and interspecies communication, allowing the beetles to assimilate into ant societies where they live as “social parasites”—stealth intruders that hijack social nest cues to exploit colony resources. Professor Parker will discuss his laboratory’s efforts to transform rove beetles into a model system for exploring molecular and cellular phenomena underlying the emergence of social behavior and interspecies interactions in the animal kingdom.
The talk is free and open to the public. The meeting is readily accessible via public transportation. Parking is available in the Oxford Street Garage with advance arrangement, as described here, or (usually but not always) at spaces on nearby streets. Everyone is also welcome to join us for dinner before the talk (beginning at 5:45 PM) at the Cambridge Common, 1667 Mass Ave., Cambridge.
CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (5:45 to 7:15 PM) followed by our formal meeting (7:30 – 9:00 PM). The latter begins with club business and is followed by a 60 minute entomology related presentation. Membership is open to amateur and professional entomologists.
