Events
Events:
Public Talk on Hawaiian Ecosystems Jan 25, 2020
Exciting Science Group is happy and excited to announce the next Popular Science Talk:
The story of Hawaii’s ecosystems and why we should learn it
Date: Saturday, January 25, 2020
Time: 10:00 - 11:15 am
Speaker: Dr. Anand Krishnan (IISER Pune)
Venue: New Lecture Hall, Smt Indrani Balan Science Activity Centre, IISER Pune
Abstract: Islands are a treasure trove of biodiversity but are also vulnerable to extinction when their environments change or when new species are introduced. Perhaps no island system is better to illustrate this than the Hawaiian islands, also called the extinction capital of the world.
Since the initial arrival of Polynesians over a millennium ago, Hawaii's ecosystems have undergone a wave of extinctions. These have affected birds, insects, snails, and plants. The story of Hawai'i is one of alien invaders, deforestation, discovery, loss and yes, success against all odds. I will use this talk to illustrate the story of Hawai'i from the evolution of its wonderful plants and animals to the current extinction catastrophe. Using this, I will try to draw parallels to our own ecosystems and illustrate why islands like Hawai'i may be representative of our own future. As we enter our own age of extinctions, there is a warning, and also hope, hidden in the story of Hawai'i, that we can all learn from.
Some related links: Painting of a Hawaii O'o (by JG Keulemans), Song of the extinct Kauai O'o
Supported by: IISER Pune, CSIR-NCL, Venture Center, Nag Foundation, Forbes Foundation, and Praj Foundation
Registration is FREE and on a first-come-first-serve basis
