Tuesday, February 14, 2012
7:30 PM
Of Martian ants and their asexual sisters
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
Christian Rabeling
Dr. Christian Rabeling, Harvard University Junior Fellow
Since the Mesozoic, ants evolved to become the most diverse, abundant and ecologically dominant group of social insects on earth. Recent advances in molecular and computational biology allowed for reconstructing the phylogenetic history of this fascinating group of organisms and for understanding their evolutionary biology. In this presentation, I will describe how the discovery of a single new species from the Amazon rainforest changed our understanding of ant evolution and what an asexually reproducing fungus-growing ant can teach us about the universality of sexual reproduction.
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 6:15 PM) at the Harvard Law School cafeteria, on the second floor of the Caspersen Student Center.
CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (6:15 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, January 10, 2012
7:30 PM
The 18 year effort to establish the American Burying Beetle to Nantucket Island, Massachusetts
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
Louis Perrotti
Lou Perrotti, Director of Conservation Programs at Roger Williams Park Zoo
The American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus Olivier) is a federally listed endangered species once common throughout the eastern and mid-western United States and now surviving in limited habitats in seven states. From 1994-2011 an initiative to re-establish the beetle on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts has been carried out by a partnership of public and private conservation agencies. During the 18 year period, nearly 3,000 captive raised beetles were released at two sites on the 31,000 acre island. This talk will outline this 18 year effort and show how current post-release monitoring has confirmed that substantial numbers of beetles are reproducing and surviving over winter.
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 6:15 PM) at the Harvard Law School cafeteria, on the second floor of Harkness Commons.
CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (6:15 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.
