Tuesday January 14
7:30 PM
A Heads-up View of Urban Stream Ecology
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
Human activities in the watershed and direct alterations to the stream channel can alter the habitat and water quality experienced by fauna living in a stream. Thus, studies examining stream communities along an urbanization gradient typically focus on the links between watershed land-use and in-stream conditions. However, stream organisms are not confined to a single stretch of stream throughout their life. Fish have the ability to disperse long distance through the stream network, and flying insects can disperse long distances across the landscape, unconstrained by the stream network.
Using a combination of field studies and GIS, Dr Smith, from University of Massachusetts Amherst, investigated how dispersal (a regional process) affects patterns of stream biodiversity along a gradient of human influence. His research suggests that human land use across the landscape may impede dispersal and both local (watershed based) and regional (dispersal based) processes are important for controlling community structure in urbanized streams. The mechanisms for how human activities alter regional processes differ between taxa and are related to species life history traits. These findings have important implications for conservation and restoration strategies as well as developing land-use development plans that promote the sustainability of stream ecosystems.
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 6:00 PM) at the Cambridge Common, at 1667 Massachusetts Ave.
CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (6:00 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 14, 2013
7:30 PM
Reviving the Endangered Art of Faunistics: Revising the Ants of North America
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
Stefan Cover, Harvard University
Many disciplines claim to be foundational to the rest of biology: systematics and genetics are two obvious examples. A good case can be made, however, that faunistics (the study of faunas), and its botanical equivalent (floristics), are basal to all other biological disciplines. Unfortunately, faunistics is a dying art. Good faunistic studies are uncommon and training in the field is not available. Faunistics combines alpha-taxonomy, biogeography, life-history studies, and natural history to produce a comprehensive, practical, useful portrait of a fauna. Come and see how these various elements are being used to assemble a new, more comprehensive monograph of the ants of North America.
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 PM) at the Cambridge Common restaurant.
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, April 9, 2013
07:30 PM
Backyard bugs: the life and times of local insects
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
Patrick Gorring, CEC President and Harvard University
Over 4000 insect species were recorded from one 2 acre yard in Maryland. Other studies reveal great species diversity in small land area. Your backyard or local park has a constant stream of insects emerging and passing through, and the life histories of these insects can be as amazing as in the tropics. This talk will present methods of getting a snapshot of your local diversity and how to contribute this information to entomological research. You will also learn how to have fun with some of the insects you encounter.
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 6:00 PM) at the Cambridge Commons restaurant.
CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (6:00 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, December 11, 2012
7:30 PM
Exploring insect biodiversity in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
Gary Alpert
Gary Alpert and Piotr Naskrecki, Harvard University
Gary and Piotr will present a photo essay of a recent field expedition to Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique for the purpose of collecting ants and katydids. We will hear about field trips by helicopter, protection by armed national park guards and other adventures.
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 PM) at the Cambridge Common restaurant.
CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (6:00 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, November 13, 2012
7:30 PM
Insects on the edge of America: exploration and discovery on the southern border of the USA
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
Josh worked for three and a half years as head biologist of the World Birding Center in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of extreme southern Texas. During that time he met entomologists collecting and describing species new to science, naturalists exploring the biology of little-known insects, and photographers hoping to document rare tropical vagrants that had wandered across the border from Mexico. He will share some of what they have been discovering down there.
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 PM) at the West Side Lounge restaurant.
CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (6:00 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, April 10, 2012
7:30 PM
Consequences of multiple species invasions: a native butterfly confronts exotic plants and parasitoids
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
Dr. Frances Chew
Frances Chew, Professor of Ecology, Tufts University
Exotic invasive species pose challenges to native species encountering them
for the first time. In the 1800s, the native mustard white butterfly flew
in Harvard Yard. Since then it has been affected by serial invasions of
garlic mustard, parasitoid biological control agents for the related
cabbage white butterfly, and other exotic plant species. Despite its
current threatened status in Massachusetts, the ecological stage is now set
for recovery and population growth of this butterfly – an unintended
consequence of recent species introductions.
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 6:00 PM) at Cambridge Common restaurant.
CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (6:00 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.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
7:30 PM
Amateur entomologists and digital photography
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
Tom Murray
Now that nearly everyone owns a digital camera, many nature lovers have taken to photographing insects. Through their photography, amateurs are documenting range extensions, newly arriving exotics and interesting behaviors. Online media has created a worldwide forum for sharing this information with professionals and the interested public. Contributions of amateurs will be shown through photos and some of the interesting winter insects from the area will also be presented. Tom will also mention his forthcoming field guide on the insects of New England and New York.
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.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
7:30 PM
The Natural History Gap
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
Sam Droege, US Geological Survey
Why does the average age of specimens in the ever declining set of remaining insect collections run to pre-WWII? Why does NASA spend $1.5 billion a year on climate change satellites yet we are unclear as to even the names of over 10% of North American bees and know nothing of even their regional status? Can natural history collections be mated with inventory and monitoring work and, (OMG!) statistics to create our own insect satellite systems?
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.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
7:40 PM*
Boston Harbor Islands All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory: discovering the microwilderness of an urban island park.
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
*Please note the meeting will begin 10 minutes later than our normal time.
Dr. Jessica Rykken, Harvard University
The Boston Harbor Islands All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) began five years ago. Its major goals include inventorying and educating the public about arthropod biodiversity in the park. Jessica Rykken, a Harvard based researcher, has played a vital role in coordinating both the inventory and educational efforts. She first addressed the club shortly after the project was underway. Dr. Rykken is now returning to report on what has been discovered from the more than 1700 species and 65,000 specimens the ATBI has captured and cataloged.
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.
Human activities in the watershed and direct alterations to the stream channel can alter the habitat and water quality experienced by fauna living in a stream. Thus, studies examining stream communities along an urbanization gradient typically focus on the links between watershed land-use and in-stream conditions. However, stream organisms are not confined to a single stretch of stream throughout their life. Fish have the ability to disperse long distance through the stream network, and flying insects can disperse long distances across the landscape, unconstrained by the stream network. 
