AT24-112 Not Just Bird Food: An Appreciation of Insects with a Comparison to Birds, Austin

Event Title: Not Just Bird Food: An Appreciation of Insects with a Comparison to Birds, Austin

AT-VMS: AT: Hill Country Chapter Other Approved Training (Enter AT#, Class Title as posted, Location, and Presenter)

Comments: AT24-112 Not Just Bird Food: An Appreciation of Insects with a Comparison to Birds, Austin, Presenter: Dr. Donald Feener (AT=1.0h)

Event Date: 3/21/2024
Event Time: 7:00p-8:00p

Event Summary:
A comparison of the evolution, ecology and behavior of insects with that of birds, and what we can do to encourage healthy and diverse insect populations

Event Description:
Insects are the most diverse group of organisms on the planet, exceeding more than 50% of all described species of animals, plants, fungi and protists. They are abundant in virtually all ecosystems where they play essential roles as decomposers, pollinators, herbivores, predators and parasitoids, and as an important food source for birds and other vertebrates. In his talk Dr. Feener will compare the evolution, ecology and behavior of insects with that of birds. Topics he will address include how wings evolved in insects and birds, how specialized diets promoted diversity in insects and birds, why insects and birds are so colorful, and how insects and birds produce and hear sounds. He will also discuss the role of insects in ecosystems, evidence for the “insect apocalypse”, its causes and consequences, and what we can do to encourage healthy and diverse insect populations.

About the Speaker: Dr. Donald Feener is Professor Emeritus in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Utah. He is an insect ecologist whose research areas include the evolution and ecology of species interactions between ants and other insects, ant-plant mutualisms, and the behavior and physiology of food collection in ants. He has taught the Entomology course at the University of Utah for over 30 years, along with a variety of other courses, including Rain Forest Ecology and Conservation, and Evolution and Diversity of Life. In last two years he has become an avid birdwatcher and photographer.

Dr. Feener earned his Ph.D. at the University of Texas where he conducted field research at Brackenridge Field Laboratory (BFL) on interactions between native ants and ant-decapitating flies. He was the first to compile a list of ants at BFL, now at 70 species. Several of the species of ant-decapitating flies he found at BFL were new species, and one of them is now named after him (Apocephalus feeneri). His Ph.D. research was the first to show how the presence of these specialized flies can alter the outcome of competition between ant species, which established the foundation for using them to control pest ant species such as the red imported fire ant. Dr. Feener has continued to work on these ant-fly interactions over years, showing in tropical rainforests that parasitoids of bullet ants are attracted to chemical signals produced by injured ants and that leaf-cutters ants use tiny hitchhikers to defend their big sisters from parasitoid attack. Among many other projects, he has also studied the energetics of foraging in ants by running individual ants on tiny treadmills to figure out how much oxygen they use while foraging.

Cost: No cost

Register @: No preregistration required

Event Location:

Baker School,

3908 Avenue B,

Austin, TX 78751

Parking: There is ample lot and street parking available at the Baker School (3908 Ave. B). Please use Door #6 (doors are marked) on the south side of the building to enter – other entrances will be locked.

Presenter: Dr. Donald Feener

Contact Information:
[email protected]
512.300.2473

Organization Website:
https://travisaudubon.org/?event=speaker-series-3&event_date=2024-03-21

Sponsoring Organization:
Travis Audubon Society