Darwin Day keynote addresses evolution of marine predators, prey

Darwin Day events at NDSU will feature an expert in geology and paleontology, who will discuss how ancient marine life evolved as predators and prey. 

Lydia Tackett, NDSU assistant professor of geosciences, is scheduled to present “CRUNCH!: A Brief History of Escalatory Adaptive Arms-Races Between Marine Predators and Prey” at 3 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 12, in the Memorial Union Century Theater.

Each year, hundreds of organizations partake in the Darwin Day celebration, which began in 1995 to mark the Feb. 12 birthday of famed naturalist and geologist Charles Darwin. The event enters its sixth year at NDSU. All events are free and open to the public.

Other events include:

Tuesday, Feb. 10

  • Ned Dochtermann, NDSU assistant professor of biological sciences, will present “What Do We Know About the Evolution of Cats and Dogs?” at 7 p.m. at the Fargo Public Library’s downtown Fargo location. Dochtermann specializes in the ecological and evolutionary causes and consequences of phenotypic variation. He has appeared on National Public Radio’s “Science Friday.”

Thursday, Feb. 12

  • Attendees can see and handle live amphibians and reptiles from NDSU’s biological sciences collection. The Herp Zoo and Frog Call Lounge is scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. in Stevens Hall room 329.
  • A Hall of Biodiversity is scheduled from noon to 4:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Meadowlark Room. Selected specimens from NDSU’s natural history selections will be on display. Graduate students from the Department of Biological Sciences will serve as interpreters.
  • The movie “Where Do We Come From?” will be shown from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Memorial Union Century Theater followed by a celebration of Darwin’s birthday in the Memorial Union Butte Lounge. Birthday cake will be provided.
  • Tackett’s keynote presentation is scheduled at 3 p.m. in the Memorial Union Century Theater. Her research focuses on paleoecology of shelly marine animals from the Late Triassic, particularly how they adapted to increased levels of predation. Tackett has studied marine fossils worldwide and is a regular contributor to “The Mesozoic Marine Revolution Wiki.”

For more information on the international Darwin Day, visit http://darwinday.org.

NDSU’s Darwin Day events are cosponsored by the Department of Biological Sciences, the Department of Geosciences, the College of Science and Mathematics, the Environmental and Conservation Sciences Graduate Program and the NDSU Graduate School.

As a student-focused, land-grant, research university, we serve our citizens.

Top of page