On Tuesday evening, January 14th, 2020 the Linnaean Society of New York 2019/2020 Speaker Program will feature two new presentations sure to be of interest to New York birders:
6:00 pm - Improving the Health of Plants by Spying on Conversations Underfoot Between the American Beachgrass and Its Microbiome - Javier Izquierdo Ammophila breviligulata, commonly referred to as American beachgrass, is considered an important architect of barrier islands and other coastal environments. One of its key ecological roles is to colonize and trap sand in order to promote the formation of dunes that offer protection to these ecosystems. When severe storms dramatically change the topography of coastlines, restoration efforts often focus on replanting beachgrass. However, many of these efforts are not successful due to a wide variety of biotic and abiotic factors. Microbes in terrestrial environments have intimate positive and negative interactions with plants, while playing a key role in nutrient cycling and chemical modifications of these environments. This talk will identify and discuss specific microbiome-beachgrass interactions that could be promoted in the wild and local coastal communities for successful replanting efforts and healthier ecosystems. Javier Izquierdo is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Hofstra University. His laboratory examines how plant-associated microbiomes promote plant health and how microbes can help produce the biofuels of tomorrow. 7:30 pm - A Tale of Many Penguins: Finding Them, Photographing Them, and Comparing Them - Ardith Bondi Penguins are definitely not one size fits all. Although they mostly live in the Southern Hemisphere and none of them can fly, they exist in varied habitats on diverse continents and have distinct lifestyles and physiology to match. Penguins are intrepid, having adapted to living in some of the harshest environments on earth. However, not all of them live around snow and ice. Ardith Bondi's presentation will show and discuss the different types of penguins, how they live, and her experiences observing them in the wild. Ardith Bondi lives in Manhattan. She earned a Ph.D. in pharmacology from Columbia University and continued medical research at New York University Medical Center and at The Rockefeller University before leaving research to perform as a flutist. After years of performing and teaching, she still plays in the Centre Symphony in Manhattan and photographs birds near home and in many other interesting places far removed. __________________________________ Both presentations are free and will be held in the Linder Theater on the first floor of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Enter at West 77th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. All welcome! Complete details of these exciting presentations and the rest of the 2019/2020 program can be found here: https://linnaeannewyork.org/programs-trips/lsny-programs.html -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
