|  OCTOBER 14 2010, 7:30pm Laura Dugan UT Integrative Biology | Aliens Among Us: Invasive Species - What are they, what do they do and what can we do about them?
Invasive alien species (IAS) are recognized as one of the greatest
threats to global biodiversity. In today's modern world, species are
moved all over the globe via intentional and unintentional means. Many
of these species are never able to establish and spread in their new
environments, but those that do can wreak havoc on native communities
via a variety of interactions including predation, competition and
hybridization. In this talk, I will discuss a few of the effects of
invasive species and introduce some of the major Texas invaders. I will
also discuss some of the methods that are currently being used to
combat invasive species as well as genetic biocontrol technologies that
are being investigated as potential amelioration techniques, some of
which have already been put into practice in Australia.
| ;)
| 7:30 pm Wednesday, April 14, 2010 Taylor Sultan Quedensley Graduate Student Plant Biology, UT Austin | Lichenized-fungi of Texas: Biology,
Ecology, and Distribution of a Diverse Group of Understudied Organisms
Lichens
are a diverse group of organisms in Texas, occupying many different
types of habitats throughout the state. There are over 500 species
reported for the state, and the number is undoubtedly greater
considering the relatively low amount of collecting that has been
conducted. With a diverse flora and fauna well-reported for Texas,
lichens also need to be included in the discussion of the state's high
biodiversity levels, and also towards developing conservation strategies
for threatened ecosystems. | |
7:30 pm Wednesday, Feb 10, 2010
L.E. Gilbert
Faculty member,
Integrative Biology, UT Austin
|
Organisms across a dynamic landscape: Reflections on the natural and unnatural history of Central and Southern Texas
This lecture is focused on the southern Texas ecosystem where the
speaker grew up. Much of the region lacks permanent streams and has a
highly unpredictable climate. These factors shaped the ecology and
natural history of organisms (including people) in the area known as
the brush country. Explorer's accounts from the early 16th century to
the early 19th century allow interpretation of certain myths about the
vegetation that have shaped management tactics from the 1950s.
Conservation of diversity in this region will rely on a certain amount of myth busting along with private initiatives to recognize
and retain remaining tracts of native landscape matching earliest
accounts. Economic incentives to conserve natural landscapes in the
region include hunting and holistic range management for cattle
production. Fragmentation of large private ranches is encouraged by
inheritance taxes. Tax "write-offs" for "range improvement" encourage
removal of natural vegetation. Legal mechanisms to reverse such trends
would indirectly promote conservation of remaining tracts of quality
habitat.
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| | 7:30 pm Wednesday, Feb 10, 2010
Samuel V. Scarpino
Graduate Student,
Ecology, Evolution Behavior, UT Austin
| Influenza Dynamics and Vaccination in Texas
From
reductions in productivity to severe illness and death, Influenza has a
profound impact on our state, country and world. In addition, recent
concerns surrounding Avian Influenza and Swine Origin H1N1 have only
served to heighten our sense of insecurity about the emergence of a
highly virulent, pandemic flu strain. Can we predict the spread of flu
in Texas? How are modern vaccines produced and are they safe? Can the
effect of a pandemic flu be mitigated? In this talk I will discuss
these questions and present research on the dynamics of flu in Texas,
our response to emerging pandemic strains, and the development/safety
of vaccines.
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 | Wednesday, Dec 9th,2009
Barrett Klein
Graduate Student, UT Austin
 | SLEEP and the plight of a weary honey bee
Sleep is something we can all relate to, but are hard pressed to
define. We spend a third of our lives asleep and we have little
understanding why. Why do you sleep? Is it for the same reason an
insect sleeps? Join me for a foray into the realm of dreams, of
different electrophysiological states, and of sleeping insect
societies. (some of my work with honey bee and paper wasp sleep: www.pupating.org |  | Wednesday, Nov 11th, 2009
Hayley Gillespie
Graduate Student, UT Austin
 | Texas Salamander Extravaganza
Hayley is a graduate student studying the ecology and behavior of the
endangered Barton Springs Salamander (Eurycea sosorum) that lives right
here in Austin, Texas. Texas is home to many species of salamanders
including the giant black & yellow tiger salamanders, two-legged
Sirens, waterdogs, spotted newts, slimy salamanders and a diverse group
of permanently aquatic salamanders in the genus Eurycea, all very
closely related to our Barton Springs Salamander. Come and learn about
their incredible biology, how they survive in all kinds of habitats,
and what’s being done to conserve and protect these fascinating
amphibians!
Pictures: Image credit on the salamander drawing is to Adam Espelee Cohen ©2007. |  | Wednesday, Oct 14, 2009
John Abbott
Curator of Entomology, Texas Natural Science Center,
Brackenridge Field Laboratory Insect Collection
 | The Art and Science of High-speed Flash Photography
Have you ever wondered what you could see in nature by stopping the
motion of a fast moving event? With high-speed flash photography, you
can achieve exposures as fast as 1/50,000 sec and see exactly how a
wing might be used in flight or a beetle might dive into the water. I
will talk about what high-speed flash photography is and the techniques
involved in carrying it out along with the implications for scientific
inquiry.
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Eli Sarnat
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Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Evan Economo
Graduate Student, UT
| The Ways of the Ant
Ants
have evolved ingenious solutions to nature's problems.
They are farmers, trappers, builders, herders, gliders, water-walkers,
and much more. Perhaps most interesting of all - like humans, they
form complex societies that function with no central control. We
explore the many oddities of the ant world. | 
Barrett Klein
| Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Eben Gering
Graduate Student, UT | Sexual conflict and female revolution in damselflies
Among
the ponds of the Brackenridge Field Laboratory lurks the living
evidence of a multi-million year struggle between males and females.
Find out how the battle between the sexes contributes to evolution, and
why some female damselflies at Brackenridge look suspiciously like
males... |  |
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Sahotra Sarkar
Professor, UT
| The Balcones Canyonlands
We
will talk about the Hill County and the remarkable animals and plants
that make up its biotic community. How well are we preserving this
biodiversity? What is its future? What will climate change do to it? |  | Wednesday March 25, 2009
Misha Matz
Assistant Professor, UT
 | Deep Sea Exploration
People
seeking challenges have a tendency to look up into the sky more than
below their feet. This is perhaps why the deep ocean largely remains a
mystery. I will review the methods currently used for deep-sea
research, tell some stories from my personal experience, and tell about
our recent discovery at 3000 ft depth that is perhaps the best
illustration of the unexpected things that can be found down there. |
 | Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Eric Miller
Graduate Student, UT
 | Seeing it as it happens: Witnessing, controlling, and understanding evolution
How
do scientists discover how evolution affects a group of organisms? By
doing what scientists do best -- experimenting and recording the
results! Join us as we talk about how scientists control the
environment of bacteria, viruses, and insects to learn more about
evolution. We will also talk about how people use evolution to improve
computers, crops, pets, and clean up the environment. |
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Mike Singer
Professor, UT
| Humans, from the Perspective of a Californian Butterfly
Back in 1953 my grandmother said: “Butterflies...
HAH! Very pretty, but what are they FOR?” I had no
answer. In this talk I will turn the question around
and ask from the butterfly’s perspective: “Humans...
very big and clumsy.... but what are they FOR?”
We might think that the answer is just that humans
are BAD, but no, it’s more complicated than that.
Without thinking about it, we humans create puzzles
for butterflies to solve. Sometimes they succeed
and sometimes they don’t. |
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