Curator Conversation: Insect Agency through the eyes of dragonflies

Join Dr Chris Burwell, Senior Curator of Insects at Queensland Museum as he explores the themes of Insect Agency from the perspective of dragonflies and damselflies. Discover how their bodies make them among the most efficient predators and capable of long-distance flights across oceans. Marvel at their diversity of shapes and colours and bizarre behaviours. Be amazed at how they inspire the development of new technologies. Learn about their potential as barometers of climate change and how you can help monitor these incredible insects.

Stay after the talk and explore Queensland Museum's exhibition Insect Agency, now on at the museum.

About the presenter

Dr Chris Burwell is the Senior Curator of Insects at Queensland Museum and has a 20 per cent co-appointment with Griffith University where he is a lecturer at Griffith’s School of Environment.

Chris received his entomological training at The University of Queensland where he graduated with an Honours degree and was awarded the prestigious University medal in 1988 and a PhD in 1995.

Chris’ research interests focus on the taxonomy, biology and ecology of Hymenoptera, bees, wasps and ants. He specialises in ants and minute parasitic wasps (Chalcidoidea).

Current research projects include investigating the potential of ants as bio-indicators of climate change in the subtropical rainforest of Lamington National Park (as part of the IBISCA Queensland project). In collaboration with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Chris and Dr Aki Nakamura are assessing the impacts of invasive ants on the insects and spiders of coral cays in the southern Great Barrier Reef.

Chris has an ongoing research interest in the diet of insectivorous vertebrates and the co-evolution of insects and their predators. This work is mostly carried out in collaboration with Dr Chris Pavey from the Northern Territory Government. Recent work on this topic has focused on the diet of endangered central Australian mammals including the Southern marsupial-mole, Brush-tailed mulgara, and Kowari.