"The importance of symbiotic relationships between flowers, insects and microbes for pollination and development" Dr Miguel de Barros Lopez will present the latest findings in this rapidly changing field, from the importance of gut microbes for insect metamorphosis to the role of yeast in pollination. Bus route W91/W90: stop 10. Noarlunga Train service: Clarence Park […]
"Creating a butterfly garden" Member Roz Daniell and partner have created a beautiful butterfly garden at Forestville and are now creating a ‘rain garden’ in the street. Find out their process and progress, as well as their tricks and hints for going about things. Bus route W91/W90: stop 10. Noarlunga Train service: Clarence Park Station. […]
"Would you recognise a native South Australian land snail if you saw one?" Thanks to the recently published field guide “Australian Land Snails Part 2” we now have the answers. While much work is done to combat the invasive species, little has been known about our native fauna; how and where they live, discover the […]
"THE KINGDOM OF FUNGI - variety and importance" Without fungi, life as we know it would not exist. Fungi play essential roles in the environment: as mycorrhizal partners with plants, as recyclers of organic material in all ecosystems and in the formation and maintenance of soil structure and functioning. Mycologist Pam Catcheside will look at […]
"THE RISE OF ANIMAL LIFE: THE CAMBRIAN ‘EXPLOSION’ AND THE GOBE IN AUSTRALIA AND GONDWANA" The Cambrian fossils of Kangaroo Island are among the most important in the Southern Hemisphere, and they represent the earliest complex animals in the planet. The green paddocks of KI provide a window to the oceans of half a billion […]
ARID LANDS BOTANIC GARDEN John will cover the history of the Arid Lands Botanic Garden since he first proposed the establishment of the Garden in 1981, development of the Garden, the role of the “Friends” support group and the status of the Garden today. John is an experienced horticulturist with broad knowledge of ornamental horticulture […]
HOW TO BUILD A NATIONAL PARK Alan is a CPA qualified accountant with a lifelong passion for the environment. Having had a fascination for birds from a young age, after settling in the southern suburbs in the mid-1980s, he had a desire to see local open space preserved for nature. Increasing losses of open space […]
RESTORING THE REEFS WE NEVER KNEW WE LOST Dr. Dominic McAfee is a University of Adelaide Research Associate in the School of Biological Sciences. I am a marine ecologist with a special interest in shellfish ecology. My research is heavily focused on applied marine conservation management and restoration ecology. Much of my research has […]
6.30pm B.C.S.A. A.G.M. 7.00pm Public Talk on Protecting Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats in the Mallee Southern hairy nosed wombats are the state fauna emblem. Protection efforts began in the 1960s after a severe drought. Moorunde Wildlife Reserve was established in 1968 and is now home to about 2000 wombats. In a climate of hostility towards them […]
Parasites: the silent majority. The world’s biota probably includes more parasitic than non-parasitic species. Analyses of biodiversity have indicated that although more species of insect have been described and more are awaiting description than for any other group, each of those species will host at least 1 species of nematode as well as other ecto […]