Areas of Research
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Evolution of communication
Social bees have evolved complex methods of communicating to recruit nestmates for resources. Our lab studies multiple bee groups: honey bees, stingless bees, and bumble bees to learn how this communication works and how it may have evolved. read more » -
Honey bee health and Colony Collapse Disorder
Concern is growing over pollinator declines. Our lab examines the effects of parasites (Nosema ceranae) and pesticides (Spinosad and Imidacloprid) on honey bee health, foraging and orientation. read more » -
Superorganism inhibitory signaling
What happens if conditions change and the communicated food source becomes depleted, contested, or dangerous? The honey bee stop signal provides inhibition that counteracts the positive feedback of honey bee waggle dances. Using field studies and mathematical models, we are studying this signal in detail and exploring conditions under which inhibitory signals may evolve. read more » -
Competition and olfactory eavesdropping
What selective pressures have shaped bee recruitment communication? We study olfactory eavesdropping in stingless bees and examine how this and other foraging strategies may have shaped stingless recruitment communication. read more » -
Learning, memory, and colony lifestyle
Despite their small brain size and limited number of neurons relative to the central nervous systems of many vertebrates, social insects have evolved sophisticated learning and memory abilities and are therefore important models for animal cognition. read more »
Learn more about the study of Animal Behavior at UCSD.
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