"As the world is getting hotter, we are now urgently focused on understanding on how climate change affects insect populations and communities. Many insects in tropical rainforests are accustomed to operating at the margins of thermal capabilities. I present a series of experiments conducted on tropical ants to illustrate phenomena that are critical to our understanding of how insects will continue to thrive on this warming planet." 

So says biology professor Terry McGlynn of California State University, Dominguez Hills.

He'll present a seminar, hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology on “Lessons about Thermal Ecology from Rainforest Ants” at 4:10 p.m., Wednesday, April 5 in 122 Briggs Hall. The seminar also will be virtual. The Zoom link:
https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672.

McGlynn, both an ecologist and an entomologist, directs the California Desert Studies Consortium, which operates the Desert Studies Center, a large field station in the Mojave Desert. He is an appointed research associate in the Department of Entomology, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

McGlynn focuses on tropical ecology, biology of detrital food webs; behavioral and community ecology of rainforest ants; and undergraduate natural history education. 

"We do research to learn how insects respond to environmental challenges, he writes on his lab website,  https://leaflitter.org/. "In this era of rapid environmental change, we need scientific knowledge and evidence-based policies to protect human welfare and biodiversity. Our climate crisis is complicated by urbanization, the spread of non-indigenous species, and changes in food web structure. Our research agenda addresses these concerns while preparing the next generation of scientists to solve problems using equitable and just practices within and beyond our academic community."

To increase the accessibility of evidence-based teaching practices, he wrote The Chicago Guide to College Science Teaching (University of Chicago Press, 2020), which emphasizes kind and equitable teaching.

McGlynn has led several National Science Foundation-funded projects to support international research opportunities for undergraduates, and has served as the director of Undergraduate Research at CSUDH. He is a 2022 Fellow of the Earth Leadership Program, and in 2021, received the CSUDH Presidential Outstanding Professor Award. He serves on the editorial board of Biotropica and is an associate editor of Insectes Sociaux.

McGlynn writes a blog, Small Pond Science and tweets at @hormiga.  He holds a bachelor's degree in biology (1993) from Occidental College and a doctorate (1999) in environmental, population and organismic biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. 

Seminar coordinator Emily Meineke, urban landscape entomologist and assistant professor, announced the spring seminars earlier this week. For technical issues (Zoom), she may be reached at ekmeineke@ucdavis.edu.