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Ruth Hufbauer will speak on “The Roles of Demography and Genetics in the Founding of New Populations” from 12:10 to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 7 in 122 Briggs Hall. |
DAVIS---The Department of Entomology’s fall seminars will cover a wide range of insects, including honey bees, butterflies, mosquitoes and wasps.
The seminars will be held from 12:10 to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, beginning Sept. 28 and continuing through Dec. 7 in 122 Briggs Hall.
Coordinating the seminars are assistant professors Louie Yang and Joanna Chiu. All will be webcast, except as indicated.
The next speaker is Ruth Hufbauer, associate professor, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. She will speak on “The Roles of Demography and Genetics in the Founding of New Populations” on Wednesday, Dec. 7 from 12:10 to 1 p.m. in 122 Briggs Hall. Host is Louie Yang, assistant professor of entomology.
Abstract
The fate of populations establishing in a new environment rests on their demographic and genetic composition. Establishment success increases with the number of founders as well as with their genetic diversity. However, because more individuals typically harbor more genetic variation, demography and genetics are linked. To disentangle them requires factorial experiments manipulating numbers of founders of different genetic backgrounds (inbred to outbred). I will present data from two such factorial experiments. In both systems, demography and genetic background interact to determine the success of founders. Inbreeding led to reduced success, and those effects depended upon the species and the environment. Inbreeding and genetic drift can, however, have positive effects as well, particularly in the case of purging of deleterious mutations. A third data set supports the idea that purging can happen in natural populations, and may influence subsequent population dynamics.--Ruth Hufbauer.
Biosketch:
I grew up in California, earned a bachelor of arts degree at UC Berkeley and worked for a year in Steve Welter’s lab. I then did a Ph.D. at Cornell with Sara Via and Dick Root focused on the evolutionary ecology of aphid-parasitoid interactions. I stayed on for a postdoc examining the population genetics of an introduced biological control agent in Rick Harrison’s lab. In 2000 I started my current job at Colorado State University, having convinced my colleagues (who were hiring for a position on invasive plants and biological control) that I could ask interesting questions about plant-insect interactions, not just about insect-parasitoid interactions. I earned tenure, had kids, and then did a year’s sabbatical in Montpellier, France. I can attest that the French excel at bread, wine, cheese as well as evolutionary ecology! With my students, I currently work on a wide variety of topics ranging from applied ecological studies in plant invasions to more fundamental research using model systems.--Ruth Hufbauer.
The list of speakers, in chronological order:
Wednesday, Sept. 28: Jacklyn Wong, postdoctoral fellow, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga., will speak on “Oviposition Site Selection by Aedes aegypti and its Implications for Dengue Control.” Due to unpublished research, this seminar will not be recorded.
Host: Tom Scott, professor of entomology. Site: 12:10 to 1 p.m., 122 Briggs Hall.
Wednesday, Oct. 5: Judith Becerra, associate research professor, University of Arizona, Tucson, will speak on “Coevolution between Bursera and its Herbivores.”
Host: Ian Pearse, graduate student, Rick Karban lab. Site: 12:10 to 1 p.m., 122 Briggs Hall.
Talk videotaped. See webcastlinks.com page
Wednesday, Oct. 12: Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and professor of entomology at UC Davis, will speak on “The International Cooperative Biodiversity Group Program (ICBG) Rain Forest Expedition to Sulawesi Rainforest.” Site: 12:10 to 1 p.m., 122 Briggs Hall.
Host: None
Talk videotaped. See webcastlinks.com page
Wednesday, Oct. 19: Frances Sivakoff, UC Davis doctoral candidate in entomology, Jay Rosenheim lab, will speak on “Pest Management from a Landscape Perspective: Understanding the Factors that Influence the Distribution of Lygus Hesperus.” Site: 12:10 to 1 p.m., 122 Briggs Hall.
Host: Jay Rosenheim, professor of entomology
Wednesday, Oct. 26: Alex Wild, research scholar and insect photographer, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (he received his doctorate in entomology from UC Davis with major professor Phil Ward), will speak on “How to Take Better Insect Photographs.” Site: 12:10 to 1 p.m., 122 Briggs Hall.
Host: Phil Ward, professor of entomology. Watch on UCTV
Wednesday, Nov. 2: Todd Holmes, professor and vice chair, UC Irvine School of Medicine, will speak on “Drosophila Cryptochrome Mediates a Novel Non-Opsin Phototransduction Mechanism.” Will not be webcast, includes unpublished data. Site: 12:10 to 1 p.m., 122 Briggs Hall.
Host: Joanna Chiu, assistant professor of entomology
 Thomas and Nina Leigh Distinguished Alumni Center, Evening of Nov. 9, 2011 at Recreation Pool Lodge
Brian Fisher, chair and curator of entomology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, will deliver the Thomas and Nina Leigh Distinguished Alumni Seminar. He will speak on “How Many Ants Can an Island Hold? Exploring Ant Diversity in Madagascar” from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. in the Recreation Pool Lodge on LaRue Road. Prior to the lecture, a reception will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. in the lodge. Host is Phil Ward, professor of entomology. A dinner will follow his seminar.
Fisher received his doctorate degree in entomology from UC Davis in 1997. Often found hip-deep in Madagascar mud, Fisher is a modern day explorer who has devoted his life to the study and conservation of ants and biodiversity around the world. His research sends him through the last remote rainforests and deserts of Madagascar and Africa in search of ants. Although his subjects may be small in stature, they make a huge impact on their ecosystems.
See more information on Fisher and his work.
Talk videotaped. See webcastlinks.com page |
Wednesday, Nov. 16: Martha Weiss, associate professor, Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., will speak on "Lepidopteran Learning and Memory: Caterpillars, Butterflies, and the Mysterious In-Between." Site: 12:10 to 1 p.m., 122 Briggs Hall.
Host: Meredith Cenzer, graduate student, Louie Yang lab
Friday, Nov. 18 (Special seminar from 2 to 3 p.m. in 122 Briggs Hall): David Ben-Yakir, researcher, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Israel, will speak on “Colored Shading Nets Reduce Insect-Borne Viral Diseases in Vegetable Crops.” Site: 122 Briggs Hall.
Host: Diane Ullman, professor of entomology and associate dean for undergraduate academic programs in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Nov. 23: Thanksgiving Week, no seminars
Wednesday, Nov. 30: Kathryn “Kathy” Hanley, associate professor, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, will speak on “Fevers from the Forest: Dynamics of Sylvatic Dengue Virus and Chikungunya Virus in their Primate Hosts and Mosquito Vectors in Southeastern Senegal.” Site: 12:10 to 1 p.m., 122 Briggs Hall.
Host: Tom Scott, professor of entomology
Wednesday, Dec. 7: Ruth Hufbauer, associate professor, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, will speak on “The Roles of Demography and Genetics in the Founding of New Populations.” Site: 12:10 to 1 p.m., 122 Briggs Hall.
Host: Louie Yang, assistant professor of entomology
Contact information:
Louie Yang: (530) 754-3261 or lhyang@ucdavis.edu
Joanna Chiu: (530) 752-1839 or jcchiu@ucdavis.edu
--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894
