bioSEMINAR with Professor Fabian Rentzsch UiB and Professor Paul Ode, Califiornia State University

Trophic complexity often decreases with increasing elevation or latitude; correspondingly, plant chemical defenses against herbivores are expected to decrease with increasing elevation and latitude. As ectotherms, the phenologies of plants and insects are highly sensitive to changes in temperature. Yet, how changes in temperature (i.e., climate change) might affect the strength of multitrophic interactions, and hence community structure, are not well understood in most systems. This talk explores how changing temperatures differentially alter the phenologies of members of a simple trophic community (cowparsnip – Heracleum maximum, insect herbivore – parsnip webworm, its parasitoid wasp – Copidosoma sosares, and the suite of insect pollinators) across elevational gradients, resulting in phenological matches at higher elevations in warmer years and mismatches in colder years.

Paul Ode is a Professor at the College of Agricultural Sciences, Colorado State University

The formation of a nervous system requires the spatially coordinated production of numerous different types of neurons during embryonic development. We are studying the cellular and genetic control of this process in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. This species is very distantly related to more common model organisms and provides an opportunity to gain insights into the early evolution of nervous system development. Nematostella also has a remarkable capacity to regenerate lost cells or larger body parts, and we recently exploited this capacity to identify an unexpected role of the nervous system during head regeneration.

Fabian Rentzsch er professor ved Institutt for biovitenskap.