Carpenter Ants: the signs and signals used in their daily lives
with Asim Renyard, PhD Student SFU
Thursday, January 23nd, 7:00 pm
Ecolodge Classroom @ Tofino Botanical Gardens (1084 Pacific Rim Hwy)
$5 at the door
Ants are one of most ecologically successful animals on the planet. They are highly abundant and present in nearly every terrestrial habitat, serving diverse and significant ecological roles. They are predators, herbivores, scavengers, and nutrient cyclers as well as partners in mutualistic relationships with fungi, other insects and plants. Join us to learn about these how these goal-oriented organisms coordinate their vast numbers to accomplish specific tasks!
Asim Renyard is a PhD student at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in the Department of Biological Sciences. Currently, Asim’s PhD thesis focuses on understanding the foraging and communication ecology of western carpenter ants, a highly abundant ant along the BC coast. His research aims to understand how ants communicate among themselves to coordinate group tasks such as nest defence and foraging, as well as the signals they use to locate food resources and why ant colonies choose some food sources over others.
This talk will also be held in Ucluelet:
Wednesday, January 22nd, 7:00 pm
George Fraser Room @ Ucluelet Community Center (500 Matterson Rd)
“CHARISMATIC MICROFAUNA”
Whether you are into bugs that break down decaying forest debris and turn over soil or sea butterflies that help us monitor ocean acidification, there is something to capture your heart in this year’s Raincoast Speaker Series. Join us for 5 different topics from January to March, each an in-depth examination of one special tiny yet fascinating creature. Expert speakers will share their tales of discovery, and the big roles these tiny animals play.
Raincoast Speaker Series punchcard – attend all five topics to be entered in a draw for an amazing prize!
New this year we will be offering the series in parallel in Ucluelet and Tofino. That means two opportunities to see each speaker.
Thank you to Pacific Sands Beach Resort for providing accommodation for our speakers again this year!
