April 2: Who Cares? Lessons on Parenting From Frogs

Biologists and non-biologists are fascinated by widespread similarities and prodigious diversity in animal behavior. Nature documentaries, conservation agencies, and educators capitalize on the intuitive appeal of the fact that human and non-human animals exhibit similar behaviors – including aggression, courtship, and parental care – as well as the amazing diversity of forms these behaviors take and adaptations animals have to perform them. A modern extension of this fascination asks whether similarities in behavior are governed by the same underlying mechanisms – including brain regions, neurochemicals, and genes. Exploration of underlying mechanisms can improve our understanding of the phenomena that shape evolution and organisms’ ability to adapt to novel and changing environments, and the accuracy of the assumption that shared behaviors share underlying mechanisms is central to the success of using animal models in biomedical research.

Dr. Eva Fischer, Assistant Professor at UC Davis College of Biological Sciences, leverages the uniquely diverse parenting behaviors of charismatic frogs to address these questions.

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Doors open at 5:00 p.m. Presentation begins at 6:00 p.m.

Tickets purchased in advance are $10 through EventBrite and free for students with a student ID. Tickets at the door are $15. Refreshments and a no-host bar will be available from 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. The lecture will begin at 6 p.m. in the Emerald Room at Sunnyside Restaurant & Lodge, 1850 W Lake Blvd, Tahoe City, CA 96145.

Enjoy dinner at Sunnyside either before or after the lecture where participants will be treated to 20% off their entire meal.

For more information call 775-881-7560, ext. 7566, email dGVyY2luZm8gfCB1Y2RhdmlzICEgZWR1, or visit http://tahoe.ucdavis.edu/events/.