Willem Laursen

Tuesday, January 9th

In-Person Meeting
Virtual Zoom Option
7:30 PM EST

Dr. Willem Laursen
Washington University

Up close and personal: Heat and humidity detectors for mosquito host-seeking and egg-laying behaviors

Abstract: Mosquitoes—and the diseases they transmit—are long-standing scourges of humanity. Female mosquitoes utilize multiple host-associated cues to efficiently home in on the sources of the blood they use to nourish their developing eggs. From meters away, they detect elevations in CO2, odors, and visual cues. At close range, increased temperature and humidity associated with the ~3cm “boundary layer” of warm, moist air surrounding the host provide host proximity information and influence landing decisions. Because mosquito larvae are aquatic, humidity cues take on additional significance for post-blood feeding reproductive behaviors by signaling the presence of standing water for egg laying. Although long appreciated as attractive cues, the molecular mechanisms underlying mosquito heat and humidity seeking have remained elusive. In this talk, I will discuss basic mosquito rearing methods as well as the cutting-edge genetic manipulation techniques we recently leveraged together with physiological and behavioral assays to identify and characterize the thermosensory and hygrosensory (humidity detection) systems that support the blood-thirsty behaviors of different subfamilies of vector mosquitoes.

NOTICE: We will be holding hybrid meetings to accommodate audience members from around the world.

For those able to attend, we will have an informal dinner at 6:00 pm at Cambridge Common Restaurant with the speaker, followed by our formal meeting (~7:30 – 9:00 pm) in room MCZ 101 of the Museum of Comparative Zoology (there will be signs to help direct). The meeting will begin with club announcements, followed by a 60-minute presentation by the invited speaker and Q&A. Membership is open to all.

Yui Suzuki

Tuesday, December 12th

In-Person Meeting
Virtual Zoom Option
7:30 PM EST

Dr. Yui Suzuki
Wellesley College

Insects in the Anthropocene

Abstract: How will organisms fare in the 21st century as they face extreme environmental conditions and environmental degradation? Developmental plasticity is the ability of an organism to give rise to two or more distinct phenotypes in the face of environmental changes. Developmental plasticity is thought to offer new ways for evolution to shape an organism’s phenotype, but the mechanism by which this happens remains poorly studied. A classic example of developmental plasticity that evolves through natural selection is called a polyphenism where the same individual develops into two or more alternative phenotypes depending on the environment. In our lab, we have artificially selected for a polyphenism using temperature stress to generate a novel phenotype. My talk will focus on my lab’s latest findings on how our larvae respond to thermal stress and how selection might stabilize new phenotypes. In addition to sharing some of the challenges we have faced while conducting the study and how we solved these issues, I will also share some anecdotal observations of insects in Japan.

NOTICE: We will be holding hybrid meetings to accommodate COVID-19 precautions and audience members from around the world.

For those able to attend, we will have an informal dinner at 6:00 pm at Cambridge Common Restaurant with the speaker, followed by our formal meeting (7:30 – 9:00 pm) in room MCZ 101 of the Museum of Comparative Zoology (there will be signs to help direct). The meeting will begin with club announcements, followed by a 60-minute presentation by the invited speaker and Q&A. Membership is open to amateur and professional entomologists.

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