Tuesday Oct 11th
07:30 PM
Benthic macroinvertebrates serve as biological indicators of water quality and aquatic habitat health
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
Katie Friedman and Elisabeth Cianciola
Charles River Watershed Association
**We will be meeting for dinner at Changsho, 1712 Mass Ave.**
Biological monitoring uses the biological condition of a reach in a stream as an indicator of the habitat and ecological health of a waterway. Benthic macroinvertebrates are effective for water quality biomonitoring, as they have limited ability to relocate out of polluted areas, have appropriate life-cycles to reflect impacts, and their relationship with physical water conditions is well established. Direct studies of physical and chemical properties provide an accurate picture of very specific traits of an aquatic system, but are highly influenced by the conditions at the time of sample collection. Macroinvertebrates, on the other hand, act as a general indicator of water quality, as certain groups are capable of tolerating higher loads of pollutants than others. Using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Stream Biotic Index, the Charles River Watershed Association coordinates biological monitoring through citizen science research in tributaries of the Charles River.
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 Changsho, 1712 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 50 minute entomology related presentation. Membership is open to amateur and professional entomologists.
Tuesday May 10
07:30 PM
Coevolution in a Bee-Orchid Mutualism
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
Santiago Ramirez
University of California, Davis
**NOTE: DINNER LOCATION CHANGE TO CAMBRIDGE COMMON**
Evolutionary biologists have long recognized the central role that species interactions play in the origin and maintenance of biological diversity. However, the ecological conditions and the genetic mechanisms whereby interacting lineages coevolve and adapt to one other remain poorly understood. My work investigates the genetic bases of coadaptation in a highly specialized plant-pollinator mutualism. Unlike the majority of insects, male euglossine bees do not produce their own pheromones, but instead gather and accumulate perfume compounds (terpenes) from the environment to present subsequently to females during courtship display. Male-gathered perfumes are species-specific, and thus likely mediate reproductive isolation among related bee lineages. A large diversity of orchid species from the American tropics has evolved the production of terpene-rich floral scents to attract male euglossine bees in exchange for pollination services. My research explores the mechanisms of coadaptation and reproductive isolation on both sides of this fascinating mutualism. On the bee side, my research aims to (1) characterize the diversity of perfume phenotypes across the phylogeny of euglossine bees, (2) investigate whether and how male perfume phenotypes mediate reproductive isolation among lineages, and (3) characterize the genetic and functional bases of sensory (olfactory) perception that control perfume specificity. On the orchid side, my work aims to (4) elucidate the ecological and chemical mechanisms of scent-mediated pollinator specificity, (5) determine whether and how divergent floral scent phenotypes promoted the evolution of reproductive isolation, and (6) characterize the genetic mechanisms that regulate scent production and differentiation among related orchid lineages. My research integrates approaches from multiple disciplines including evolutionary biology, genomics, molecular biology, chemistry and physiology to investigate how genetic toolkits are coopted to generate the intricate associations we observe between species in nature.
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 Massachussetts Avenue, 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 50 minute entomology related presentation. Membership is open to amateur and professional entomologists.
**We will be meeting for dinner at Changsho, 1712 Mass Ave.**
