Senior researcher Xoaquín Moreira of the Biological Mission of Galicia, Pontevedra, Spain, an international leader in plant-insect interactions. will present a virtual seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology at 4:10 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 9.

His topic is "Insularity Effects on Plant-Herbivore Interactions: Searching for Biotic and Abiotic Explanatory Variables to Promote Insular Biodiversity Conservation." The Zoom link:
https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672.

UC Davis distinguished professor Richard "Rick" Karban, an international authority on plant-insect communications, is the host. 

"For more than six decades, ecologists have hypothesized that insular plant taxa suffer lower levels of
herbivory by insects and mammals, and consequently they have evolved lower defenses or even lost them completely," Moreira says in his abstract. "Although initially this theory was unanimously accepted, recent island-mainland comparisons have shed mixed findings, causing a current vivid debate about insularity effects on plant-herbivore interactions. Inconsistency in patterns reported thus far is basically because studies remain limited in scope both geographically and taxonomically and do not usually consider the multi-trophic context in which plant-herbivore interactions are immersed."

"In this seminar, I will talk about the knowledge gaps and research opportunities on this topic. In particular, further studies should include (1) a broader geographical extent of island-mainland comparisons with site replication within each system and multiple systems (at both regional and global scales), (2) a more comprehensive and integrative assessment of plant defensive phenotypes (multiple traits and their co-expression patterns), (3) measurements ofherbivory by vertebrate and invertebrate herbivores species and guilds, and (4) a consideration of multi-trophic context in which plant-herbivore interactions are embedded, namely how predators and parasitoids respond to insularity and their relative influence on mainland vs. island herbivory and plant defenses." (See more information on his website at https://plantherbivory.weebly.com.)

"Dr. Moreira has done work on various aspects of plant defenses against herbivores," Karban said. "He is best known for papers about the costs of defense, the effects of variable host plants on herbivores and their natural enemies, elevational and latitudinal variation in herbivory, and plant communication that affects herbivory."

Moreira holds a bachelor's degree (2005) in forestry from the University of Santiago and received both his master's degree (2007) and doctorate (2010) from the University of Vigo, Spain. Moreira, who joined the Biological Mission of Galicia in 2015, has served as a senior researcher there since 2021. He was a Fulbright postdoctoral researcher from 2012 to 2014 in the UC Irvine Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. 

For further information on the seminars or to resolve any technical difficulties with Zoom, contact Meineke at ekmeineke@ucdavis.edu. 

The Bohart Museum Society's annual pre-Halloween party, held recently in the Bohart Museum of Entomology headquarters in the Academic Surge Building, drew such costumed characters as Batman, a bumble bee, a spider, an angel, Groucho Marx, a "Red Guy," "A Tall Tree," and a nursing home patient and his nurse. 

The event celebrated the retirement of senior museum scientist Steve Heydon, dressed as a nursing home patient who walked with the aid of a walker and his wife, Anita, dressed as a nurse. Heydon, a 32-year UC Davis employee who retired at the end of October (2022), cut a cake and handed out prank gifts to the Bohart Museum staff.

Forensic entomologist Robert Kimsey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, wore his traditional ghillie suit as he served refreshments.

Scott Ballinger, at a height of 6'7", towered over everyone as the "Tall Tree." Ballinger, who received his degree in computer science and engineering from UC Davis in June, partnered in costume with friend Grace Horne, a doctoral student in the laboratory of urban landscape entomology Emily Meineke, assistant professor.

UC Davis entomology student Max Arnold of the Bob Kimsey lab came as "The Red Guy," sporting a red wig the color of a California wildfire. Allen Chew dressed as an angel. Postdoctoral researcher Severyn Korneyev, a Ukrainian entomologist who studies flies at the Bohart Museum of Entomology and at the California Department Food and Agriculture, wore a batman costume. His name tag proclaimed "Batman." 

Ellen Lange, UC Davis lecturer emerita of linguistics, arrived as Groucho Marx. Her husband, Professor Harry Lange (1912-2004) served as a faculty member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology, teaching agricultural and economic entomology courses.

Others came as themselves. They included Steve Nadler, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, Diane Ullman, professor and former chair of the department; Jeff Smith, curator of the Lepidoptera collection at the Bohart Musuem, and his wife, Kathy; and Bohart associate and naturalist Greg Kareofelas.

During the event, Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum, and artists Francisco Basso and Brittany Kohler, unveiled two large-scale art projects of butterfly specimens in the hallway. 

The guests also took turns swinging at a candy-filled pinata in the shape of 32, in a tribute to Heydon's years at UC Davis. Heydon will continue his research at an office in the Bohart.

The Bohart Museum, home of a global collection of eight million insect specimens, is located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane. 

"Dragonflies Rule!" will set the theme for the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house from 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 6.

The event, free and family friendly, takes place in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building. 455Crocker Lane, and will feature noted dragonfly expert Rosser Garrison of Sacramento, widely recognized as one of the current leading experts of the taxonomy of New World Odonata.

Garrison, who retired in 2017 as a senior insect biosystematist in the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Plant Pest Diagnostics Branch, Sacramento, continues his research on dragonflies. He has collected more than 50,000 dragonflies specimens throughout the world. His collection now contains more than half of all the known species of the world. 

“Dragonfly relatives existed before the onset of the dinosaurs---Triassic Period, 250 to 200 million years ago,” Garrison says. Some of these gigantic dragonfly-like insects had wingspans of about three feet. 

Garrison offers other interesting facts about dragonflies:

• They have a primitive flight mechanism compared to other insects, bees, butterflies, beetles and flies.”
• They, at least many dragonflies, mostly mate on the wing.
• They are not poisonous and they do not sew up people's ears (“devil's darning needles”). However, one group of large dragonflies are called—appropriately—"Darners."
• Larvae have a neat prehensile foldable lower lip unique in insects; it is used for capturing prey like mosquito larvae or even small fish.

Garrison received his bachelor of science degree at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Ariz., in 1971, and both his master's degree (1974) and doctorate (1979) from UC Berkeley.  From February 1981 to June 1982, he worked as a terrestrial invertebrate ecologist for the Center of Energy and Environment Research where he conducted ecological research in a tropical rain forest at the El Verde Field Station in Luquillo Forest, Puerto Rico.

From 1984-2004, Garrison served as the senior biologist/entomologist for Los Angeles County before becoming a senior insect biosystematist with the Plant Pest Diagnostics Branch, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), in Sacramento, where he identified orthopteroid, heteropteroid, other groups of invertebrates including mollusks. He retired from CDFA in August 2017 and currently enjoys working on Odonata at his home in the Pocket area of Sacramento.

He developed an interest in insects at age 3. Soon dragonflies and (later) damselflies captivated his interest "due to their overall beauty and fascinating biology."

"I continued to collect and maintain a collection of insects from an early age and later enjoyed identifying them using the third edition of the classic entomology text An Introduction to the Study of Insects by D.J. Borror and D. Delong," he said. His main interest is the systematics of Odonata with a strong emphasis on the Neotropical fauna.

He and his wife, Natalia von Ellenrieder, a senior insect biosystematist with CDFA, have worked intensively with the Odonata fauna of the Neotropical region. He has written more than 100 publications pertaining to Odonata, including three books: Dragonfly Genera of the New World: An Illustrated and Annotated Key to the Anisoptera (2006), Damselfly Genera of the New World: An Illustrated and Annotated Key to the Zygoptera (2010) and, as co-author, Dragonflies of the Yuangas: A Field Guide to the Species from Argentina (2007).

Garrison has written or co-written taxonomic revisions of more than 20 genera of New World Odonata, such as Enallagma (1984), Hetaerina (1990), Erpetogomphus (1994), Mnesarete (2006) and Telebasis (2009). His present taxonomic work, jointly with von Ellenrieder, focuses on the speciose genus Argia on which he has published several revisions (1994, 1996, 2019, 2019, 2007, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022 (in press).

Garrison's publications include descriptions of more than 75 new species and six new genera of Odonata. In the Americas, he has done entomological field work in the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Guyana, French Guiana, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. He has also collected dragonflies in Australia, Papua New Guinea, China, Thailand, Namibia and Iran.  One genus and 10 species of Odonates are named after him.

Bohart associate Greg Kareofelas said that other local dragonfly specialists and students "will be there to answer all manner of questions concerning dragonflies and damselflies. Bring photos you have taken to have identifications made." An arts and crafts activity for all ages is also planned. 

Throughout the afternoon, the Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), curated by entomologist Jeff Smith, will be open, as will the live insect display showcasing Madagascar hissing cockroaches, stick insects and tarantulas. Visitors are invited to touch or "pet" the cockroaches and stick insects and take selfies.

The Bohart Museum, founded in 1946, is directed by Lynn Kimsey, UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology. It is the global home of eight million insect specimens, as well as the live "petting zoo" and an insect-themed gift shop stocked with t-shirts, hoodies, books, posters, jewelry, collecting equipment and more. Named for UC Davis professor and noted entomologist Richard Bohart, it is open to the public from 8 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 5 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays. 

When professors transition to emeriti, they may receive little recognition. 

Or, as UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and former chair of the Department of Entomology, says: "Most of our colleagues remain so active that we are unaware of their 'retirement' until we see their signature with the suffix emeritus, emerita, or emeriti in an email or another document."

"Meanwhile, we members of the non-emeriti UC Davis faculty are so busy writing grants, manuscripts, and books; performing research and scholarly creative work; teaching; and engaging in critical services to the university and professional societies that we end up with little or no opportunities to get together and thank our faculty colleagues at the time of their retirement." 

To honor his UC Davis colleagues, Leal created a video, "Tribute to Our New Emeriti," featuring 24 professors from eight colleges and schools who transitioned to emeriti in 2021-2022.

"The retiring faculty and their predecessors made the university a better place to thrive as we pursue research, scholarly work, and services and fulfill the university's instructional mission," he wrote on his YouTube site.

The video "highlights the accomplishments of those who have allowed us to acknowledge publicly their contributions to the various missions of the university over the last few decades," Leal said.

Leal noted that many "emeriti continue to make relevant contributions to UC Davis, including outstanding achievements in research and scholarly creative work, teaching and mentorship, services to professional societies, and outreach."

In his introductory remarks, Leal called attention to emeritus professor and medical entomologist Robert Washino, via text and images. Washino, who turned 90 this year, "epitomizes how emeriti continue to be engaged with the UC Davis mission," Leal said. "When I interviewed for a faculty position here, about 23 years ago, Bob was chairing the Search Committee."

Washino, who holds a doctorate in entomology from UC Davis, joined the faculty in 1967, chaired the entomology department from 1981-1987, and served as associate dean in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) from 1987 until his retirement in 1993. From 1996 to 2001, he served as special assistant to the CAES Dean. During "retirement," he also directed the Center for Vector-borne Diseases, "which laid the foundation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-sponsored Pacific Southwest Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases. Leal serves as one of the principal investigators at the Center, now led by Chris Barker of the School of Veterinary Medicine and the Department of Entomology and Nematology.

Also during his "retirement," Washino chaired the entomology department chair in 2005-2006. "To date, Bob remains as a 'go-to-person' for guidance in our vector biology activities at UC Davis," Leal pointed out. "Bob is an integral part of the UC Davis Emeriti Association that provides crucial support for excellence at UC Davis."

In the video, Leal covers these emeriti:

• College of Biological Sciences: Harris Lewin and Sharon Strauss
• College of Engineering: Bruce Gates
• College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences: Mark Grismer, Mark Schwartz, Andrew Waterhouse, Beth Ober, Steven Morgan, Edward DePeters and Julian Alston
• School of Medicine: Jay Solnick and Fredric Gorin
• School of Veterinary Medicine: Laurel Gershwin and Frank J. M. Verstraete
• College of Letters and Science: Sandra Carlson, Daniel Cox, Lynnette Hunter, Robert Feenstra, Geerat Vermeij, Robert Bayley and Gina Werfel
• School of Law: Judy Cusumano Janes
• Graduate School of Management: Brad Barber and Chih-Ling Tsai

In closing, Leal commented: "When you learn of a retiring faculty member, please take the opportunity to thank them for their accomplishments and for making the university a better place for us to thrive as we pursue research and scholarly work, services, and fulfill the instructional mission of the university."

He also mentioned the New Emeriti Lecture series in the fall, winter, and spring quarters. "Harris Lewin will deliver the inaugural lecture on Dec. 7, 2022. The winter lecture will be presented by Geerat Vermeij on Feb. 15, 2023. The series ends with the spring lecture by Sharon Strauss on April 19, 2023. All lectures are at 5 p.m., Pacific Time (in person and via ZOOM)."