May 23, 2012
DAVIS--Nathan Muchhalawho discovered and researches a tube-lipped nectar bat with a tongue longer than its body, will speak on “Bats, Birds, and Bellflowers: The Evolution of Specialized Pollination in the Neotropics” at the next UC Davis Department of Entomology seminar, set from 12:10 to 1 p.m., Wednesday, May 30 in 122 Briggs.
Host is Jessica Forrest of the Neal Williams lab.
Muchhala, a postdoctoral fellow in the Stacey D. Smith lab, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, says the two-inch long bat, Anoura fistulata, found in the Equadorian Andes, can extend its tongue 3.3 inches. Proportionately, its tongue is longer than any other mammal in world. It is so long that it stores its tongue in its rib cage.
Muchhala, who discovered the new species several years ago in Ecuador, described it in a 2005 paper. He published his work in 2006 in the journal Nature and was featured in a 2006 article in the New York Times.
The bat nectars Centropogon nigricans, which has a corolla the same length as the bat's tongue. The genus is found in Mexico and much of South America, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru.
Abstract: "Animal pollination is thought to have played a central role in angiosperm diversification, especially in the tropics, where more than 98 percent of plants are animal-pollinated. My research combines experiments and theory to explore the ecology and evolution of plant-pollinator interactions, with a focus on vertebrate pollination in the Neotropics. In this talk I begin by discussing research on a recently discovered species of nectar bat which can launch its tongue 1.5 times its body length, an extension more than double that of other bats and longer than any other mammal. Unique adaptations allow it to store its tongue in its rib cage.
"Experiments suggest that this bat is involved in a coevolutionary race with the long-tubed flowers; tongue elongation allows bats to reach more nectar, while flower elongation maximizes pollen transfer. In the second part of the talk, I present evidence for character displacement among Burmeistera flowers. In response to competition for pollination, co-occuring Burmeistera place their pollen in different regions of bats heads’, thus maximizing conspecific pollen transfer despite sharing bats as pollinators. In the final part of the talk, I discuss why bat-flowers produce so much pollen, a little-understood aspect of chiropterophily that was previously ascribed to poor pollination by bats. Experiments instead demonstrate that bats’ fur can successfully transfer larger amounts of pollen than birds’ feathers. This leads to a more linear male-fitness gain curve for bat-flowers, and selection for increased pollen production."
Biosketch: Muchhala first traveled to the Neotropics with a Fulbright Fellowship in 1999, and has been returning for fieldwork on bat and bird pollination ever since. He received his doctorate in biology in 2007 from the University of Miami, was a postdoctoral fellow with the University of Toronto from 2007 to 2010, and is currently a postdoctoral fellow with the University of Nebraska. He has authored 24 scientific papers. Some representative publications include:
Muchhala, N., and J. D. Thomson. 2012. Interspecific competition in pollination systems: costs to male fitness via pollen misplacement. Functional Ecology 26(2):476-482.
Muchhala, N., and J.D. Thomson. 2010. Fur versus feathers: Pollen delivery by bats and hummingbirds, and consequences for pollen production. American Naturalist 175(6):717-726
* Featured in Science Podcast and ScienceNOW
Muchhala, N., and J.D. Thomson. 2009. Going to great lengths: selection for long corolla tubes in an extremely specialized bat-flower mutualism. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 276:2147-2152
* Featured in Nature's Research Highlights, Nature 458:388
Muchhala, N. and M.D. Potts. 2007. Character displacement among bat-pollinated flowers of the genus Burmeistera: analysis of mechanism, process, and pattern. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 274:2731-2737
* Featured in Science Daily News
Muchhala, N. 2006. Nectar bat stows huge tongue in rib cage. Nature 444:701-702
* Featured in The New York Times, Quirks & Quarks, Nature Podcast, New Scientist
Related links:
Podcast interview with Nathan Muchhala (pollinators.info)
How to Share a Bat (Science Daily)
Flowers ShapeThemselves to Guide Their Pollinators to the Pollen (Science Daily)
For an Andean Nectar Feeder, a Tongue That Wags the Bat (New York Times)
Botany Photo of the Day
Seminar Coordinators:
Coordinators of the spring seminars are Louie Yang and Joanna Chiu, assistant professors. All lectures will take place on Wednesdays from 12:10 to 1 p.m. in 122 Briggs Hall. The series, launched April 4, will continue through May 23.
In a webcast project coordinated by professor James R. Carey, most of the seminars will be videotaped and can be accessed at a later date on UCTV.
The complete list of speakers for the April 4-June 6 seminars:
April 4: Ian Pearse, who just finished his doctorate, working with major professor Rick Karban lab, UC Davis, will speak on "The Use of Non-Native Plants by Native Herbivores."
Host: Rick Karban, professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology
April 11: James Harwood, graduate student, James R. Carey lab, UC Davis,"Biodemography of Reproductive Senescence in Fruit Flies (Tephritidae): The Influence of External Conditions on Age Specific Reproduction and Lifespan"
Host: James R. Carey, professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology
April 18: Bryony C. Bonning, professor, Iowa State University, "Novel Toxin Delivery Strategies for Management of Pestiferous Aphids"
Host: Bruce Hammock, distinguished professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology
April 25: Vince Jones, professor, Washington State University. "How a 'Perfect Storm' of Technology, Legislation, and Applied Ecology Is Finally Leading to IPM in Western Orchards"
Host: Michael Parrella, professor and chair, UC Davis Department of Entomology
May 2: Susan Cobey, bee breeder-geneticist at UC Davis and Washington State University, "Importation of Honey Bee Germplasm to Increase Genetic Diversity in Domestic Breeding Stocks"
Host: Eric Mussen, Extension apiculturist, UC Davis Department of Entomology
May 9: Cancelled. Sonia Altizer's talk will now be June 6
May 16: James C. Nieh, professor of biology, University of California, San Diego, "Role of Negative Signaling in a Superorganism: the Honey Bee Stop Signal"
Host: Brian Johnson, assistant professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology
May 23: Tara Thiemann, postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis, William Reisen lab, "Survey of Culex Bloodfeeding Patterns in California"
Host: William Reisen, research entomologist, Center for Vectorborne Diseases, and adjunct professor, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology (PMI), School of Veterinary Medicine
May 30: Nathan Muchhala, postdoctoral fellow, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb., “Bats, Birds, and Bellflowers: The Evolution of Specialized Pollination in the Neotropics”
Host: Jessica Forrest, Neal Williams lab
June 6: Sonia Altizer, professor, University of Georgia, "Infection and Immunity in Migratory Species: Monarchs as a Global Case Study" (Rescheduled from May 9)
Host: Louie Yang, assistant professor, UC Davis Department 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
May 21, 2012
DAVIS--Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis, will lead a Tahoe National Forest Service tour of native plants and pollinators in the Loney Meadow, near Nevada City, Nevada County, on Friday, June 22.
The tour, free and open to the public, will take place from 10 a.m. to approximately 2 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Yuba River Ranger District of the Tahoe National Forest.
Kathy Van Zuuk, Yuba River Ranger District botanist and forest level non-native invasive plant coordinator, said participants can expect "to learn more about the importance of native plants and pollinators."
The walk is provided as part of the Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region’s 2012 Pollinator Special Emphasis Area "which has been developed to call attention to the importance of butterflies and native bees in providing important services for food production and ecosystem health," Van Zuuk said.
Van Zuuk and Karen Wiese, both botanists, will identify native plants.
Thorp said the tour participants may encounter such pollinators as bumble bees, mining bees, digger bees, leafcutting bees, mason bees and cuckoo bees. Other floral-visiting insects will probably include flies, butterflies, and beetles, he said..
Those interested should meet at 10 a.m.at the Sierra Discovery Trail parking lot located off Highway 20 to carpool to Loney Meadow (where parking is limited). Participants of all ages should bring water, snacks, insect repellent, sunscreen and wear suitable footwear. Dogs are not allowed.
Further information is available from Van Zuuk at (530) 478-6243 or by email at kvanzuuk@fs.fed.us. See flier.
Upcoming Forest Service's events on Native Plants and Pollinators:
Saturday, June 2: Native Plants and Pollinators Walk, San Bernardino National Forest
Saturday, June 16, Native Plants and Butterflies, Plumas National Forest
Saturday, July 21, Scott Valley Native Plants and Pollinators Walk, Klamath National Forest\
Thorp, a noted native pollinator specialist, joined the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty in 1964 and "officially" retired in 1994. However, he continues to maintain an office in the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis. He does research; serves on graduate student thesis committees; and gives guest lectures. Since 2002, he has participated as an instructor in The Bee Course offered annually through the American Museum of Natural History, New York at its Southwest Research Station, Portal, Ariz.
Thorp's research specialties include ecology, systematics, biodiversity, and conservation of bees including pollen specialist bees in vernal pool ecosystems. He received his bachelor and master's degrees in zoology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and his doctorate in entomology from UC Berkeley.
Thorp was elected a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco in 1986. He received a 2010-11 Edward A. Dickson Emeriti Professorship Award, UC Davis, to support his research on the critically imperiled Franklin's bumble bee.
Thorp researches the declining population of Franklin’s bumble bee, Bombus franklini (Frison), found only in a narrow range of southern Oregon and northern California. Its range, a 13,300-square-mile area confined to Siskiyou and Trinity counties in California; and Jackson, Douglas and Josephine counties in Oregon, is thought to be the smallest of any other bumble bee in North America and the world.
Directions to Loney Meadow: From Interstate 80 west, take Highway 20 approximately 4.5 miles to Bowman Lake Road (USFS Road 18). Turn right and travel approximately 10.5 miles until just after the pavement ends. Turn right where a sign marks the rough, cattle road 0.7 miles away. You will travel through a logged area and veer to the left to the Loney Meadow parking lot. Note: participants on the tour will meet on Sierra Discovery Trail on Bowman Lake Road, off Hwy. 20, to carpool to the Loney Meadow parking lot.
--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894
|
|
May 18, 2012
DAVIS--UC Davis theoretical evolutionary biologist Michael Turelli, the recipient of the 2012 Faculty Research Lecture Award, will speak Wednesday afternoon, June 6 on “How Good Luck, Great Collaborators, Pretty Mathematics and a Maternally Inherited Bacterium (Wolbachia) May Stop the Spread of Dengue Fever."
The public seminar, the annual Faculty Research Lecture Award seminar, begins at 4:10 p.m. in 1322 Storer Hall.
Turelli is a distinguished professor of genetics, Department of Evolution and the Center for Population Biology.
Turelli is a member of a research team studying whether the Wolbachia can block mosquitoes from infecting people with the dengue fever virus.
From the Academic Senate, sponsor of the award: "His research has included mathematical analyses in ecology and evolutionary genetics; theoretical and data-analysis approaches to understanding the origin of species, especially patterns of hybrid inviability and sterility and the geography of speciation; and empirical and theoretical analyses of the population biology of Wolbachia, maternally inherited intracellular bacteria found in many insects and other invertebrates."
"Torelli's empirical analyses with professor Ary Hoffmann of Australia of the rapid spread and evolution of Wolbachia underline ongoing research to control the spread of dengue fever with Wolbachia, and his mathematical analyses with professor Nick Barton of Austria are central to deploying this strategy."
His work drew international interest last year with a news story, "Science Community Buzzing with Mosquito Release," by Daniel Bateman in the Cairns Post, Queensland, Australia. A research team, including Torelli, released 6000 lab-bred mosquitoes "bearing a potential bacterial control for dengue fever" and is already working on "tackling malaria," Bateman reported in his Jan. 5, 2011 post.
Turelli received his doctorate in 1977 from the University of Washington in biomathematics and his bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1972 from UC Riverside.
(Editor's note: Professor Thomas Scott of The Department of Entomology and his lab do research on Aedes aegypti, the mosquito the transmits dengue. Faculty affiliated with the Department of Entomology who work on Anopheles mosquitoes, which transmit malaria, are Anthony Cornel, Gregory Lanzaro and Shirley Luckhart.)
--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894
May 15, 2012
DAVIS-- UC Davis molecular biologist Shirley Luckhart, professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology (MMI) and a graduate student advisor with the UC Davis Department of Entomology, has just received a 2012 Outstanding Mentor Award from the UC Davis Consortium for Women and Research.Shirley Luckhart in her lab. (Photo courtesy of UC Davis Health System)Luckhart and three other mentor award recipients Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr, Nutrition (she works closely with distinguished professor Bruce Hammock of the Department of Entomology); James Adams, Political Science; and Seeta Chaganti, English were honored at the consortium's annual spring reception Thursday, May 10 in the Rec Pool Lodge.
The mentoring awards are designed to honor faculty who engage in sustained and successful mentoring of women at UC Davis. The award includes a $500 research-fund prize.
Luckhart, an international authority on malaria, was nominated through a joint effort of her 15-member lab, and supported by former students, postdocs and faculty colleagues. Writing letters of support were doctoral candidates Anna Drexler and Elizabeth Glennon; postdoctoral scholar Nazzy Pakpour; and MMI associate professor Maria Mudryj.
In her letter of support, Drexler described Luckhart as "an exceptional mentor" who "cares deeply about the people she mentors and has regular meeting times scheduled with each individual in the lab and with the lab as a whole. In her weekly lab meetings, she fosters a collaborative environment where people can practice presentation skills, brainstorm new ideas and gain help troubleshooting research problems. Additionally, I have found her door is always open to myself and other students, regardless of her very busy schedule."
Drexler pointed out that Luckhart "works very hard to secure funding for students that she takes on and has, to date, been successful in this for every student in her lab. She strongly encourages each of her protégés to present independent research at one major research conference per year and provides funding for these events. I also appreciate that she is purposefully transparent about the work she does from grant writing to class preparation. This has given me a good understanding of what is entailed in professorship at a top-level research university."
Luckhart is "truly one of the most exceptional people I have worked with," Drexler wrote. "What makes her so exceptional is her ability to recognize innate potential in an individual and really commit to bringing this potential to fruition. She maintains very high standards for herself and for those she works with..."
Shirley Luckhart at meeting of UC Malaria and Research Control Group. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)Within two years of joining the Luckhart lab, Drexler completed her qualifying examinations, published a review article; co-first-authored a research publication ("for which we were awarded first place in Time Magazine's 50 Best Inventions of 2010 in the Health and Medicine Category") and secured funding for the duration of her Ph.D.
Drexler wrote: " I have the opportunity to form productive collaborations leading to publications in-progress with scientists at two additional universities and presented my work at three national research conferences, several local conferences and interdepartmental seminars. I would not have been able to accomplish any of this without the unparalleled mentoring of Shirley Luckhart, who set a very high bar and challenged me to think critically, helped me apply for fellowships, financially supported travel to research conferences, introduced me to her colleagues, and generally cheered me on."
In her letter of nomination, Glennon praised "the cohesive and collaborative nature of her lab" and "the quality of training that her students receive."
"Shirley has struck the perfect balance as a mentor," Glennon wrote. "She expects a great deal from her students and pushes them to work and think independently but also supports them unflaggingly in their efforts to do original research and form themselves as professionals." Luckhart also "ensures funding for all students joining the lab but encourages us to apply for external funding, both by forwarding scholarships she comes across and reading our applications," Glennon wrote.
Pakpour lauded Luckhart's "incredible intellect" and wrote that if it were not for her mentorship and support, "I would not have continued my career in science. Since joining the laboratory four years ago, I have had the opportunity to witness and experience her mentorship first hand."
"Despite the fact that our lab is large and diverse, Dr. Luckhart still manages to meet with each of us individually ever week and as a group in our lab meetings," Pakpour wrote.
"Recently we became aware of a fellowship just as the deadline was approaching and she did not want me to miss the opportunity, so she cancelled her social engagements and worked with me over the entire weekend to complete the application. Her dedication to her mentees is amazing."
"As I am nearing the end of my post-doctoral position in her lab, she was worked tirelessly with me on preparing my academic job application, revising my research and teaching statements, coaching me during the interview process and keeping up my spirits throughout," Pakpour wrote.
All the nominators praised Luckhart for not only celebrating their successes in their lab but also in their personal lives. "She believes in us and supports us so wholeheartedly that it is almost impossible to fail," wrote Pakpour, adding that "I am exceptionally lucky to be working for her and hope one day to be half the mentor and scientist that she is."
An internationally known malaria expert, Luckhart is involved with research involving the molecular cell biology and biochemistry of malaria parasite transmission, the functional characterization of the immunological crosstalk and cell signaling that occurs between the mosquito and the mammalian host during bloodfeeding, and the impact of endemic co-infections on malaria parasite development and transmission.
Specific research projects include the conserved signal transduction pathways involved in anti-parasite host innate immunity; systems biology and function of immune factors and cell signaling pathways that are activated between mosquitoes and their mammalian hosts at the interface of bloodfeeding; identification and functional analyses of naturally occurring genetic polymorphisms associated with malaria parasite infection; mechanistic studies of enhanced pathology of HIV and non-typhoidal Salmonella co-infection with malaria.
Luckhart is a member of the graduate groups of Microbiology, Immunology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Genetics, as well as Entomology. Luckhart received her doctorate from Rutgers in entomology.
According to its website, the Consortium (CWR) is "dedicated to the support of research by and on women and on gender in its multiple intersections with race, class, sexual identity, and other categories of identity and analysis. The CWR is funded as a special program by the Office of Research."
Related news stories:
Malaria Investigator Shirley Luckhart Receives Grand Challenges Exploration Funding
Malaria-Proof Mosquito Makes Time Magazine's Best Inventions
--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894
