McMahon Lab

Are you interested in contributing a review or research article on microbial drivers of sociality? Contact us! @Strepsipterman @JMeunierEarwig @MarkoRohlfs and Peter Biedermann. For more information, read on or click here.. About this Research Topic Sociality – the degree to which biological entities form cooperative groups – represents a major transition in the evolution of … More Microbial Drivers of Sociality – from Multicellularity to Animal Societies

The recently established European Virus Bioinformatics Center (EVBC), has the fundamental aim of spearheading bioinformatics solutions in Virology, The EVBC will hold its 2nd annual meeting in Utrecht, Netherlands on the 9th and 10th April, 2018. Registration is free. From the EVBC website: “The conference will broadly focus on computational approaches in virology, and we welcome any … More 2nd EVBC meeting, 9-10th April 2018, Utrecht, Netherlands

Finally getting around to uploading some images from this year’s field course to Muranska Planina, Slovakia. Another great trip, with ecological fun had by all. Highlights include the Scarce Blue (Phengaris (form. Maculinea) teleius), which I did not manage to capture by photo, although we identified a large field containing its favourite (larval) food: Sanguisorba officinalis (the … More Slovakia 2017

More information on what promises to be a very interesting workshop this summer. Call for abstracts is now open. http://rolffevolution.net/ecological-immunology-workshop-2017/  

This will be the first of several posts featuring aspects of termite biology. Like all arthropods, eastern subterranean termites (Reticulitermes flavipes) are covered with a rigid exoskeleton and need to moult in order to grow, a process also known as ecdysis. I won’t go into the details here, but here’s the short version: the old … More Post-moult allogrooming

If you are planning an expedition to the wilder parts of Europe, the rugged Highlands or Boreal Forests may be foremost in your mind, but hidden gems await exploration right on the doorstep in Central Europe. We recently took 20 students to Muranska Planina National Park in Slovakia on an introductory undergraduate field course in ecology. Think less Red Deer or Moose and more Wolves, Bears, … More A Jewel in Slovakia’s Crown

Not just insects on view during our recent trip to the International Congress of Entomology #ICE2016 in Orlando Florida a couple of weeks ago. Fantastic sights of alligators, bald eagles, wood storks, black vultures feeding on a white-tailed deer carcass, and a very friendly manatee. All within the space of a few hours at Merritt Island … More Manatees and more