Apr 3 - 9

"Evolution of Life Histories, Indeterminate Growth, and Perceptions of Age in Turtles"
Dr. Justin Congdon - Savannah River Ecology Lab
Apr 9, 2013
3:00 pm
1816 S. Oak St Champaign, IL

The singular life-history trait of attaining maturity combined with the relative contributions of juvenile and adult growth combine to shape the suite of life-history traits of organisms with indeterminate growth. Although the assumption that indeterminate growth is a general trait of reptiles is widely accepted, data are scarce (particularly for long-lived individuals.)

We examined patterns of variation in adult growth using over a hundred years of mark-recapture data on 13 populations of 9 species (3 families) of freshwater turtles from studies in South Carolina, Michigan, and Arizona in the USA and in Ontario, Canada. The influence of growth on life-history trait values indicated that increases in body size (and associated reproductive output) resulting from indeterminate growth are not substantial enough to represent a major factor in the evolution of life histories in general or the evolution of longevity and aging specifically.

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I was a little confused with the description of this event, even though I was a huge bio nerd in high school. But attending the event really clarified everything for me, and while some parts were a little boring to listen to I feel like I learned something new about traits and lifespan in turtles and can relate and compare those to that of humans.

It was held in a small room, that was actually full of people (usually the events I've gone to are lacking in the audience department). So it was cool to see all these people coming together to learn about something they're all interested in. Everyone was laid back and they even had a party afterward at one persons house (we didn't go though hah). It reminded me a lot of my hometown and my biology classes in high school, because once or twice we had people come in to lecture about turtles - but not as in depth as this event.

Everyone also had a good sense of humor and no one was uptight or formally dressed like some of the events I've gone to previously, which was nice because I felt more at ease being there. The speaker kept cracking jokes during his presentation and I surprisingly understood them.

Overall I actually enjoyed this event because it gave me a chance to continue learning about things in the science field that I use to love but don't have time to take electives in while at college

Sadly the only picture I have is of the buffalo statue in the front of the building. We got there just before the event started and sat in the front so I didn't want to disrupt and take pictures.