Two International Entomologists give lectures
on diversity and sociobiology of ants

Mr. Dave General, a former science faculty member of ADNU, now a research specialist at the University of Arkansas in Monticello, USA, and Ms. Sabin Frohschammer, a PhD student from University of Regensberg, Germany, gave lectures on diversity and reproductive behaviors of ants, last Thursday, July 17, 2008 at the Bro. Richard Michael Fernando, S.J. Hall.  The lecture was attended by more than one hundred (100) students from the University. This is the first in the series of science lectures that the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences will be conducting this school-year.

Mr. General presented the diversity of ants in the Philippines particularly in Mt. Isarog based on a transect study which he is collaborating with Gary Alpert of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. The study was initiated in 2003 and is still on-going. In his lecture, “Ant Diversity in the Philippines: The Harvest is Abundant but the Laborers are Few”, he discussed the importance, the current taxonomic status, the new generic data from Mt. Isarog as well as from other parts of the country (e.g., Samar and Negros), and opportunities on the ant research.

Reproductive behaviors of cardiocondyla ants were the focus of Ms. Frohschammer’s lecture. She presented the findings of her on-going study on Cardiocondyla ants which shed light on the interesting mating and food recruitment behaviors and other socio-biological and ecological phenomena among these ants.