Feb. 28, 2013
This is a fundraiser for the Partners for Sustainable Pollination and will take place from 8:30 am. to 4:30 p.m. in the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, located in the Veterans' Building, 282 South High St., Sebastopol. The theme is "Pollinator Habitat and Forage."
Williams will speak on "Development of Wildflower Mixes to Promote Native Pollination in Agriculture."
A core faculty member in the UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute, Williams focuses his research on pollination that spans the disciplines of conservation biology, behavioral ecology and evolution. One of his primary research foci is on sustainable pollination strategies for agriculture. This work is critical given ongoing pressures facing managed honey bees and reported declines in important native pollinators such as bumble bees.
He and his colleagues explore the role of wild native bees, honey bees and other managed species as crop pollinators and the effects of landscape composition and local habitat quality on their persistence.
They explore:
- Under what contexts can native pollinators provide sufficient pollination for different crop? The answer to this question helps alleviate the stress placed on honeybees and also informs ways to more sustainably manage agricultural systems to promote biodiversity and production.
- How can we enhance habitat and diversify agricultural systems to promote managed and wild bees?
- Do pollinators interact in ways to increase the overall effectiveness of crop pollination?
A continuing goal is to provide practical information that can be used to improve the long term stability of pollination for agriculture in California, as well as promote pollinator conservation and management.
Other speakers at the symposium will include bee industry expert Peter Borst of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University. He will give two talks: "A Short History of Pollination" and "Pollinator Panorama." Borst is a regular contributor to the American Bee Journal.
Professor Gordon Frankie of UC Berkeley will discuss "Bees and Flowers: A Selective Love Affair.”
Master Gardener Cheryl Verettto will share “Plant 4 Bees: Help The Bees by Planting All 4 Seasons”
Farmer Paul Kaiser of the Singing Frogs Farm will cover “Farming For Pollinators: How Can We Humans Produce Nutrient Dense Food While Improving the health, Vitality and Resiliency of Mother Nature?”
Coffee, tea, water and assorted treats will be available. The lunch break is from noon to 1:30 on site (Fork Truck Catering, fresh organic food) or participants may dine at local restaurants within walking distance, a spokesperson said.
Tickets are $35 pre-sale or $45 at the door. Members receive a $5 discount. For more information or to purchase tickets, access http:// www.pfspbees.org/store or cash tickets may be purchased at Beekind, 921 Gravenstein Highway South., Sebastopol.
For general information, contact Jeanine Robbins at jeaninepfsp@gmail.com or (707) 824-2905.
--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894
Feb. 26, 2013
Hoover will speak from noon to 1 p.m. in 122 Briggs Hall (this was initially set for 366 Briggs.) She will be in California in conjunction with her trip to Ventura to participate in the Gordon Research Conference, an international forum for the presentation and discussion of frontier research in the biological, chemical, and physical sciences, and their related technologies.
“The gypsy moth has a long co-evolutionary history with its host specific baculovirus, Lymantria dispar NPV,” Hoover said. “As a result, the gypsy moth has evolved counter-defenses against the virus, while in return the virus has strategies for increasing its own fitness at the expense of the host. For example, anti-viral defenses include apoptosis of infected cells (despite viral inhibitor of apoptosis genes), while the virus manipulates host behavior to enhance transmission to new hosts, which is an example of the extended phenotype.”
Hosts are Bruce Hammock, distinguished professor of entomology; Michael Parrella, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology; and researcher George Kamita of the Hammock lab.
Hoover received her doctorate in entomology from UC Davis in 1997 and as a graduate student, was co-advised by major professors Bruce Hammock and Sean Duffey (1943-1997). After a one-year postdoctoral position at UC Berkeley, she joined the faculty of the Penn State University Department of Entomology in 1998.
Her research program focuses on invasive species, including development of trapping techniques for the Asian longhorned beetle; gut microbial symbionts of the Asian longhorned beetle and hemlock woolly adelgid; functions of key viral genes in transmission of the gypsy moth baculovirus and anti-viral defenses; and biological control of hemlock woolly adelgid.
Hoover is the lead author of the highly acclaimed research, “A Gene for an Extended Phenotype,” published Sept. 9 in Science. It was selected for the Faculty of 1000 (F1000), which places her work in its library of the top 2 percent of published articles in biology and medicine.
The abstract:
"Manipulation of host behavior by parasites and pathogens has been widely observed, but the basis for these behaviors has remained elusive. Gypsy moths infected by a baculovirus climb to the top of trees to die, liquefy, and 'rain' virus on the foliage below to infect new hosts. The viral gene that manipulates climbing behavior of the host was identified, providing evidence of a genetic basis for the extended phenotype." The research was co-authored by Michael Grove, Matthew Gardner, David Hughes, James McNeil and James Slavicek.
Hoover received her bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley in 1979 and her master’s degree in 1992 from San Jose State University.
--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894
DAVIS--Paramjit Kaur of India who was a visiting scholar in the Frank Zalom lab last summer and fall, won “Best Poster Presentation” at the fourth International Conference on Insect Science, held in Bangalore, India.
She titled her poster--research co-authored by Zalom--“Prey Preference of the Predatory Mite, Neoseiulus californicus McGregor for Tetranychus urticae Koch and Eotetranychus lewisi (McGregor) on Strawberry at Different Temperatures.”
Kaur is an assistant professor of acarology at Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, India. The Indian Society for the Advancement of Insect Science sponsored the conference.
The two-spotted mite, Tetranychus urticae, is a key pest of strawberries in California. The Lewis mite, Eotetranychus lewisi, is an emerging problem in southern California strawberry production, Kaur wrote.
In a note to integrated pest management specialist Zalom, professor of entomology, Kaur credited him for his support and guidance. She wrote: “I am so happy for this valuable achievement. This all happened due to your support and guidance. I am really thankful to you for providing me best opportunity to work with you. Again, I am thankful to you for providing me space in your lab. The time spent in Davis was the best time in my life. Thanks a lot.”
--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894
Feb. 20, 2013
Assistant professor Joanna Chiu will host the seminar, which is scheduled to be recorded for later viewing on UCTV.
About her research and her upcoming seminar, Dahanukar says: "We are interested in the molecular neurobiology of feeding behavior. Insects use highly diverse groups of gustatory receptors (Grs) to taste the chemical world and determine the palatability of potential food sources. In Drosophila melanogaster, the 68 receptors of this family are expressed in complex combinatorial patterns in taste neurons. In previous studies we and others identified a highly conserved clade of eight Gr genes that encode sugar receptors. Although some of these have been linked to detection of sweet compounds by genetic analysis, their precise functions are still poorly understood. Little is also known about how stimuli that are typically not rich in sugars trigger highly attractive gustatory responses in Drosophila."
"We have also obtained functional expression of a taste receptor from the mosquito Anopheles gambiae in Drosophila. We are now poised to further investigate taste detection and Gr function in Drosophila and other insects."
Among her honors, Dahanukar received a National Science Foundation Career Award in 2012; the Whitehall Foundation Award in 2011; the 2000 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award. She was awarded a Government of India National Merit Scholarship in 1990.
She holds a bachelor of science degree in life sciences in 1990 from the Bombay University, India; a master's degree in environmental management from Duke University; and a doctorate in genetics in 1999 from Duke University, where she studied patterning along the anterior-posterior axis in Drosophila embryos. In 1999, she joined the laboratory of John Carlson at Yale University to pursue post-doctoral training in the molecular neurobiology of insect chemosensory systems. Dahanukar joined the faculty of the UC Riverside Department of Entomology in 2009.
Among her latest publications:
2011
Wisotsky, Z., Medina, A., Freeman, E. & Dahanukar, A. Evolutionary
differences in food preferences rely on Gr64e, a receptor for glycerol. Nat
Neurosci 14(12): 1534-1541.
Kwon, J.Y., Dahanukar, A., Weiss, L.A. & Carlson, J.R. Molecular and cellular
organization of the taste system in the Drosophila larva. J Neurosci 31(43):
15300-15309.
Weiss, L.A., Dahanukar, A., Kwon, J.Y., Banerjee, D. & Carlson, J.R. The
molecular and cellular basis of bitter taste in Drosophila. Neuron 69(2): 258-
272.
Dahanukar, A. & Ray, A. Courtship, aggression and avoidance: Pheromones,
receptors and neurons for social behaviors in Drosophila. Fly 5(1): 58-63.
2010
Benton, R. and Dahanukar, A. Chemosensory coding in single sensilla. In
“Drosophila neurobiology methods: A companion to the Cold Spring Harbor
Neurobiology of Drosophila course,” Scott Waddell, Bing Zhang and Marc
Freeman (ed.), CSHL press. pp.247-276.
2007
Dahanukar, A., Lei, Y-T., Kwon, J. Y. and Carlson, J.R. Two Gr genes
underlie sugar reception in Drosophila. Neuron 56(3):503-516.
Kwon, J.Y., Dahanukar, A., Weiss, L.A. & Carlson, J.R. The molecular basis
of CO2 reception in Drosophila. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 104(9):3574-3578.
2006 Hallem, E. A., Dahanukar, A., and Carlson, J. R. Insect odor and taste
receptors. Annu Rev Entomol 51: 113-135.
2005
Coelho, C. M., Kolevski, B., Bunn, C., Walker, C., Dahanukar, A., and
Leevers, S. J. Growth and cell survival are unevenly impaired in pixie mutant
wing discs. Development 132(24): 5411-5424.
Dahanukar, A., Hallem, E. A., and Carlson, J. R. Insect chemoreception. Curr
Opin Neurobiol 15(4): 423-430.
--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894
Feb. 20, 2013
They previously filed a petition to save Franklin's bumble bee, a bumble bee known to inhabit a small area of southern Oregon and northern California. Thorp has been monitoring Franklin's bumble bee (Bombus franklini) since 1998 but hasn't seen it since August 2006 when he detected one at Mt. Ashland.
In a recent press release, the Xerces Society related that the rusty-patched bumble bee, (Bombus affinis), "has disappeared from 87 percent of its historic range (which once included 25 states). Where it is still found, this bee is much less abundant than it was in the past."
“The charismatic and once common rusty patched bumble bee has suffered severe and widespread declines throughout its range in the eastern U.S. since 1997," Thorp said. "The few scattered recent sightings thanks to intensive searches are encouraging, but the species is in critical need of federal protection.”
Researchers at the University of Illinois recently found "higher levels of a fungal pathogen and lower levels of genetic diversity," wrote Sarina Jepsen, the Xerces Society's endangered species program director, in a press release. "Notably, the rusty-patched bumble bee was too scarce in the landscape to be included in these analyses."
"The leading hypothesis suggests that this fungal pathogen was introduced from Europe by the commercial bumble bee industry in the early 1990s, and then spread to wild pollinators," Jepson noted. "Although it has not been proven, the hypothesis is supported by the timing, speed and severity of the decline—a crash in laboratory populations of bumble bees occurred shortly before researchers noticed a number of species of formerly common bumble bees disappearing from the wild."
The Xerces Society, an international organization founded in 1971 and headquartered in Portland, Ore., is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat and is at the forefront of invertebrate protection worldwide, harnessing the knowledge of scientists and the enthusiasm of citizens to implement conservation programs.
Related links:
Rusty-patched bumble bee, Xerces Society website
Declining bumble bee population, UC Davis Entomology website
Franklin's bumble bee, UC Davis Entomology website
--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894
