报告题目：Insects: the bold, the beautiful, the good and the bad

报告时间：2016年12月19日 14:00-17:00

报告地点：西区土化楼5楼会议室

联系人：赵紫华，李志红 63733000

报告人 ：Prof. Kehinde Kemabonta

Insects are invertebrates with jointed appendages, three body parts- head, thorax and abdomen, three pairs of legs, compound eyes and one pair of antennae. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet earth. Found in all environments, they represent more than half of all known living organisms. Just as in humans, some insects are bold, shy, good and some are bad. Bold insects include the dragonflies which help to monitor the health and quality of water. The pollinators are essential to the life-cycle of many flowering plants species, without the pollinators, the terrestrial portion of the biosphere (including humans) would be devastated. Bees and silkworms are being used to provide honey and silk. Insects are used for medico-legal purposes to solve a crime especially in estimating time since death, where, when and how the death took place. Entomophagous parasites and predators (biocontrol agents) help to reduce the population of insect pests that destroy crops and other resources. The toxins and venoms produced by insects are being used to treat some incurable diseases. Some insects on the other hand, perform complex ecological roles.  The blow-flies for example help to consume carrion but also spread diseases. The bad insects (pests) include those that are nuisance, cause allergies, transmit diseases, destroy agricultural goods and damage structures. Overall, the benefits of insects far outweigh the harm caused by them for without them, life will fall apart.

Profile of Kehinde Kemabonta

Dr (Mrs) Kehinde Kemabonta obtained her Ph.D (1995) degrees in Entomology from the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.  She worked at the Nigerian Stored Product Research Institute Lagos, for 19 years and left as an Assistant Director in 2010. She is at present a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, and University of Lagos. She has over 10 and 27 years’ experience in teaching and research respectively.

Kehinde’s initial research interest was in biocontrol but is now focused on food security – protecting and preventing insect pests of stored foods. Her current research areas include bioecology, and molecular characterization of Psocids (Psocoptera) and the larger grain borer Prostephanus truncatus on stored cereals in South West Nigeria. She is also involved in using biorational products in the control and prevention of Anopheles gambiae mosquito (vector of Malaria parasite) and stored foods. Her research also includes diversity of fruit flies, dragonflies and damselflies of Nigeria.

Kenny has over 30 academic publications in reputable journals (national and international journals) to her credit.  She is a reviewer to many national and international journals. She has won grants and scholarships which include ZARD scholarship of distinguished performance for her Ph.D programme and University of Lagos research grant (CRC). She is currently National Vice President of the Entomological Society of Nigeria, member of International Congress of Entomology, Entomological Society of American, Third World Organization of Women in Science, to mention a few.