Seminar on Migration

Whimbrel passing through Del Rey Beach.\Photo by Molly Sultany.

The Hatfield Marine Science Center’s Thursday seminar series has moved online for the duration of the pandemic.  Next up is a talk on migration by M. Renee Bellinger, Hawai'i Cooperative Studies Unit, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University of Hawaii at Hilo.  Her talk is entitled “From here to there and back again: how do animals know their way?”  It takes place on Thursday, Dec. 10, 3:30 p.m.  The event is free and open to all.

Dr. Bellinger’s summary of her subject matter:

“Although animal migration is a fundamental feature of life history strategies, how animals are able to achieve goal-oriented, long-distance migration is not fully understood. This presentation will explore mechanisms used by animals to perceive navigation cues, including the Earth’s geomagnetic field. Among all known sensory systems, geomagnetic perception is the least understood: possibly, specialized sensory cells produce tiny intracellular magnets that physically interact with geomagnetic fields to convert that information into neural signals. The ability of some bacteria to form magnetic crystals evolved prior the archaea-bacteria split, and a particular sub-set of genes that bacteria use for magnetic crystal formation are present in eukaryote genomes. We propose that eukaryotes utilize this genetic machinery to produce magnetite crystals that are involved in geomagnetic perception.”

For the live broadcast of the virtual Thursday Seminar, go here.

Password: 972587 or call +1-971-247-1195 US Meeting ID: 945 5573 1151