Program Symposia

The 2008 Program Committee has selected the following six Program Symposia to feature at this year's Annual Meeting. We feel that these symposia have a lot to offer the membership of the ESA. They are broad based in their subject matter and represent topics of interest around the world, while supporting the program theme: "Metamorphosis: A New Beginning". We invite all our colleagues to make time to attend these featured sessions.

Insects in a Changing World: Impacts of Global Climate Change on Insect Populations

Organizer: Daniel M. Pavuk dmpavuk@bgsu.edu

The goal of this proposed symposium will be to showcase the evidence for impacts of global climate change on insect populations, and to discuss the potential effects of a changing global climate on insect species. This symposium will fit in well with the overall theme of the symposium, "Metamorphosis: A New Beginning", because the Earth’s climate is, in a sense, undergoing a major change, or "metamorphosis", largely due to human activities. Global climate change will have profound impacts on virtually all ecosystems, and since insects are an integral biotic component of nearly all ecosystems, they, too, will be affected in a variety of ways.

Metamorphosis of Entomological Chemical Ecology: A Tribute to Wendell Roelofs

Organizers: Walter S. Leal, wsleal@ucdavis.edu; Coby Schal, coby_schal@ncsu.edu; Sonny Ramaswamy, sonny@purdue.edu

Chemical ecologists investigate chemically mediated interactions between organisms and their biotic and abiotic environment. Many sub-disciplines are included in this field, including chemical communication of animals, mutualistic interactions of organisms such as plants and animals (pollination), chemical defenses, and chemical protection against abiotic stress. Dr. Roelofs, a trained organic chemist, has transformed the fields of chemical ecology and entomology in three ways: (1) the prodigious volume of work in the basic science of entomology and chemical ecology, (2) the development and commercialization of some of the most successful applications of chemical ecology to crop protection and management of pest insects, and (3) by being an extraordinary mentor to several dozen entomologists, including Entomology department heads and deans.

Global Impact of Biological Invasions: Transformation in Pest Management Approaches

Organizers: James D. Harwood, james.harwood@uky.edu; Megha N. Parajulee, m-parajulee@tamu.edu

Biological invasions by non-native species impact agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, forestry, biodiversity, community structure and the profitability of agricultural production systems. Furthermore, with increases in global trade, coupled with international trade agreements that facilitate the intercontinental movement of cargo, the introduction of exotic pests continues to pose serious problems throughout the world. Thus, there is an urgent need to address the impact and consequence of biological invasions from a global, rather than local, perspective.

The proposed symposium, Global Impact of Biological Invasions, intends to examine international issues in invasion biology and therefore gathers support from the ESA Committee on International Affairs. This symposium is timely in that the attention given to invasive species has increased considerably over recent years, but the consequence of such events on a global scale has not been fully examined at Entomological Society of America meetings for some time. Furthermore, as the ESA attempts to increase visibility to an international audience, this symposium will include participants from Ireland, Benin, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and USA, all of whom will examine broad conceptual issues in invasion biology from a global perspective. In addition, we intend to propose these papers be published in a special issue of an international journal, further promoting the ESA to a global audience.

The organizers believe that the theme 'Metamorphosis' is served well by this symposium as it highlights the need for transformation in the current approaches to pest management to address the issue of biological invasions at the global level.
 

The Darwinian Metamorphosis of Entomology

Organizers: Gene Kritsky, cdarwin@aol.com; Carol M. Anelli, carol_anelli@wsu.edu

This symposium will look at the transformation of entomology that occurred following the publication of the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. Before Darwin, entomology was focused on collecting. During the 150 years since the publication of the Origin, entomology shifted focus to an evolutionary perspective and in the process, made seminal contributions to virtually every field of biology. The goals of this symposium include:

• To examine the status of entomology as a discipline prior to the publication of the Origin
• To document Darwin’s interest in entomology and how that interest changed as he carried out his research
• To review the entomological reaction to Darwin’s work
• To examine how American Entomologists came to Darwin’s defense and made original contributions to his theory
• To show how Darwin’s research sparked new work in insect ecology and pollination studies
• To examine the role that fossil insects have played in our understanding of insect evolution
• To examine how Darwin’s species concept has undergone its own metamorphosis, and helped to create the science of systematics.

This symposium is appropriate at this meeting because the bicentennial of Darwin’s birth will take place 90 days after the meeting, on 12 February 2009. The year 2009 also marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of the Origin of Species.

Metamorphosis: The Development of Entomology into an Interdisciplinary Science

Organizers: Anne L. Nielsen, annielse@rci.rutgers.edu; Greg Wiggins, wiggybug@utk.edu

The 2008 ESA meeting addresses the metamorphosis of the Society throughout recent years. The same holds true for entomology as a discipline. With new advances in genetics, chemistry and technology, we, as scientists, are able to expand our study of insects into new fields, making our research not only interdisciplinary but also broadly reaching and innovative. As students, we are acutely aware of some of the new directions that entomology has taken during our short careers. We have organized a symposium with the goal of emphasizing innovative entomological research that crosses the lines of traditional entomology and incorporates the newest techniques and latest technologies available. Our objective is to demonstrate the benefits and advantages of becoming an interdisciplinary science while still maintaining our identity as entomologists.
 

An Entomological Perspective Addressing Challenges in the Developing World: New Frontiers in Food and Bio-security.

Organizers: Lambert H. B. Kanga, lambert.kanga@famu.edu; Moses Kairo, moses.kairo@famu.edu; Sonja Brannon, sbrannon@fayettecountyga.gov; Joseph E. Munyaneza, Joseph.Munyaneza@ars.usda.gov

The tropics are inhabited by the greatest diversity of insects found on earth. In these regions, insects play a major role in human livelihoods, not only as competitors but also as providers of ecosystem services including: nutrient cycling and pollination among. They are also important vectors of serious diseases. Thus, a strong linkage exists between insects and human livelihoods. Research and training in entomology will be crucial as nations continue to address the numerous challenges associated with human livelihoods. Global phenomena such as climate change will influence insect populations. For instance, climate change will probably increase pest populations, including weeds, invasive species, insects, and insect-borne diseases, which will have significant impacts on agriculture, public health, conservation and ecosystems and lead to a much more challenging planet for humans struggling to survive. The proposed symposium will explore the status and impacts of insects on human livelihoods with a specific focus on developing countries. Specifically it will examine critical current issues including the role of climate change, food production, diseases, conflicts and globalization, and their inter-relationship in the metamorphosis of entomology in these regions. The specific aim of the symposium is to promote the development of new partnerships and linkages that will provide opportunities for research and training in entomology for the new millennium.