Research Seminar Series Online
The combined Bishop Museum and Sigma Xi Seminar Series is held monthly on the SECOND THURSDAY of each month, usually at 4 p.m. in the Pākī Conference Room. The is no charge to attend.
NOTE: The slideshow presentations are automated - please be patient and let the photos and audio advance. We've checked it out on a number of browsers and OS's but if you find any problems please let us know.
Dr. Zac H. Forsman - Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology - Papahānaumokuākea Marine National - Monument Postdoctoral Fellow
What do genes and micro-morphology tell us about the coral species problem?
Presented: November 19, 2009
Approx. 45 minutes
Coral species can be very difficult to distinguish due to bewildering patterns of morphological variation. This ‘coral species problem’ makes it difficult to answer fundamental questions such as: Which coral species are endangered or endemic?
What is the geographic range of a species? Where are species boundaries in the open ocean? How have corals evolved and how are new species formed? What is the best explanation for so much morphological variation? Recent genetic data from several molecular markers has shown very clear and distinct yet surprising genetic groups.
These genetic groups correspond poorly with colony-level morphology, but appear consistent with microscopic features. The genetic groups may represent hybrid species complexes, or alternatively; coral colony-level features may be far more phenotypically polymorphic and plastic then presently realized. Several case studies (including Hawaiian Porites and Montipora) will be discussed in detail.
Shepherd Myers, Entomology Collections Manager, Bishop Museum
From Altamira to Automontage, A Brief History of Scientific Illustration
Presented August 13, 2009
Approximately 45 minutes
Scientific illustration has always provided a corner stone for accurate visualization of a subject matter with emphasis on attention to detail, rather than aesthetic representation.
This talk provides a brief history of illustration, with regard to science starting with Paleolithic caves painting, progressing through the Renaissance and Victorian periods to its current digital media, with an emphasis on one of the newest technologies
Dr. Kevin Weng, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa - White Sharks: Discoveries of Migration and New Mysteries of Life History
Presented February 12, 2009
Approximately 45 minutes
Most of our understanding of white shark biology is based on direct observation, fisheries, mark-recapture, and the study of dead specimens. However, recent studies by several research groups using satellite telemetry have revealed dramatic migrations, range expansions, and key habitats. These studies have generated new hypotheses about white shark life history, the function of migration, and its effects on other marine populations.
Dr. Kevin Weng of the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa will review what has been learned about the migrations, geographic movements and life history of these creatures that both fascinate and frighten us, and which until recently were not commonly believed to occur in Hawai'i.
Dr. Allen Allison, Vice President of Science, Bishop Museum
New Guinea - A Megadiverse Hotspot
Presented December 11, 2008
Approximately 45 minutes
New Guinea, the world's largest and highest tropical island, is inhabited by an extraordinarily rich assemblage of plants and animals, derived from both SE Asia and Australia, with diversity exceeding that of the much larger Australian continent and rivaling that of the Amazon Basin. The biota, which comprises some 6-8% of the world's total, is characterized by relatively few lineages but high regional endemism resulting from an evolutionary history associated with the accretion of at least 32 separate terranes onto the leading edge of the Australian Plate.
Dr Allison will briefly review the geological history, introduce the biota, examine some general patters of distribution and diversity, and discuss Bishop Museum's plans for a series of field expeditions and the development of a permanent field station on the north coast of New Guinea.
Chris Ostrander
Developing the Hawaii Ocean Observing System (HiOOS)
Presented November 13, 2008
Toby. S. Daly-Engel
Reproduction and Conservation of Hawaiian Sharks
Presented Oct 11, 2008
Dr. Charles Birkeland
Importance to Coral Reefs and the Fishery of Leaving the Big Fish
Presented May 8, 2008
Dr. Paul Jokiel
Ocean Acidification and Hawaiian Coral Reefs
Presented March
13, 2008
Dr. Lucius Eldredge
"Philatelic Phylogeny - A journey through the animal kingdom with stamps"
Presented February 14, 2008
Dr. Stephen Leisz
“Climate Change and Biodiversity in Melanesia: Preliminary Conclusions from Current Climate Science for Melanesia”
Presented December 13, 2007
Dr. Rod Salm -
The Coral Triangle: A Haven of Hope in a Climate Challenged Time
Presented November 8, 2007
Dr. Henrietta Croom -
"Endemic Ground Cricket Evolution in Hawai`i: A
tale of Rapid Adaptation to Extreme Habitats"
Presented July 12, 2007
Dr. Sam Gon III -
Major Conservation Targets of the Hawaiian Ecoregions
Presented June 14, 2007
Ano'ilani A.
Aga, Leah Caldeira & Kim Okahara
-
Unlocking the Treasures of the Library & Archives:
the process and efforts in digitization.
Presented May 10, 2007
Dr. Jeff Polovina - Tracking sea turtles and whale sharks: a view of the oceans from the perspective of large pelagic animals
Presented April 12, 2007
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