Biological Sciences Society is proud to present our fortnightly lectures specially held for you where senior faculty members from QMUL and guest lecturers volunteer their time to discuss ongoing topics, new discoveries, possible theories and their current projects with our members :) 

The lectures are all informal and held in Mile End Campus. The topic for each lecture along with the lecturer's name and speciality area is advertised on our WhatsApp group and Instagram page. This event is not to miss and best of all, it is completely free!! 

We look forward to seeing you all very soon :))) 

Best 

Pari and Tyler

Lecture 1:

Date: 01/02/2023

Time: 16:30-17:30

Room: Matt Spencer Boardroom

Speaker: Dr Tom Fayle

Topic: Ant Ecology and Ant-Plant Interactions

Abstract: I will discuss why knowing about ant ecology is important, including some recent research suggesting that the total mass of ants on earth approaches that of all humans. I will then present some ant ecology anecdotes, such as ants that jump using their jaws, ants that fly without wings, and ants that are literally willing to explode in defence of their colony. Finally, I will talk about some of the research my group has done looking at ant-plant mutualisms, where ants and plants form mutually obligate relationships, with plants providing special living structures that house entire colonies of ants, while ants protect plants from leaf-eating insects. We will see how these kinds of relationships are affected by natural environmental gradients, such as elevation, and also by anthropogenic habitat change. For more information on this and other projects, see www.tomfayle.com.