The public and Sigma Xi members are invited to the next session of the University of North Carolina-Asheville Chapter's Intercollegiate Presentation Series
Dinner will start at 6 p.m. in the Institute Room in Myers Hall of Brevard College. We will proceed through the serving line in Myers Dining Hall. The cost will be $8 and reservations are needed to ensure accurate planning.
The program begins at 7 p.m. in Room 125 in McLarty-Goodson Building of Brevard College. The program is free and open to the public. A campus map is available:
https://brevard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Campus-Map-1.pdfDr. Sarah Maveety, PhD, of Brevard College will present "Beetlemania in the Mountains."
Studies of species diversity and distributions are crucial in light of a predicted 4-6°C warming by the end of this century, especially in the tropics where many species may be especially sensitive to warming. Little is known about patterns of insect diversity in tropical Andean montane forest habitats; the purpose of the present research was to document the biodiversity of ground beetles southeastern Andes of Peru. What do we learn by studying beetles along altitudinal gradients in tropical regions? When sampled at a higher altitude – the tops of mountains – there is less diversity, smaller-sized beetles, and beetles that lack the ability to fly. But why? And what happens when these montane habitats disappear due to changing climate? These questions will be discussed, along with a brief comparison to the ground beetle diversity and distribution that we find here in our backyard of the southern Appalachian Mountains.
Sarah Maveety's Biography
Dr. Maveety is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Brevard College. She joined Brevard College in 2014 as an Adjunct Professor of Biology; before joining the Brevard College faculty full time this year she also taught at South College of Asheville, and Lees McRae College. Dr. Maveety received her Ph.D. in Biology from Wake Forest University, where she focused on Ecology and Evolution. Her research interests include community ecology and biodiversity, with a focus on using insects on model organisms. During her graduate work, Dr. Maveety was a Fulbright Scholar, pursuing her research interests in the cloud forests of Peru. She was also a research student at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History where she worked with leading ground beetle expert and insect biodiversity guru Dr. Terry Erwin. Dr. Maveety is a member of the Entomological Society of America, the Coleopterist’s Society, Ecological Society of America, & the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation.