A5081054249- Plant and animal studies
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Avian ecology and behavior
- Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
- Animal and Plant Science Education
- Toxin Mechanisms and Immunotoxins
- Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy Studies
- Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Horticultural and Viticultural Research
- COVID-19 epidemiological studies
- Sensory Analysis and Statistical Methods
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Mental Health Research Topics
- Language and cultural evolution
- Pesticide Residue Analysis and Safety
- Insect Pest Control Strategies
- Bird parasitology and diseases
- Plant Reproductive Biology
- COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts
The University of Texas at Austin
2019-2024
University of California, Davis
2024
University of Nevada, Reno
2015-2019
Google (United States)
2015-2016
University of Arizona
2014-2015
University of St Andrews
2011-2014
Systemic insecticides, such as neonicotinoids, are a major contributor towards beneficial insect declines. This has led to bans and restrictions on neonicotinoid use globally, most noticeably in the European Union, where four commonly used neonicotinoids (imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, clothianidin thiacloprid) banned from outside agricultural use. While this might seem like victory for conservation, will only benefit populations if newly emerging insecticides do not have similar negative...
It is assumed that many birds attempt to conceal their nests by using camouflage. To our knowledge, however, no previous experimental studies have explicitly tested this assumption. explore whether choose materials match the background colors of nest sites reduce conspicuousness nests, we offered nest-building male Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata) a choice either matched or did not color cup and surrounding cage walls. Males chose predominantly with material cage. first evidence actively...
Abstract Neonicotinoids are widely-used pesticides implicated in the decline of bees, known to have sub-lethal effects on bees’ foraging and colony performance. One proposed mechanism for these negative is impairment ability learn floral associations. However, neonicotinoids learning performance largely been addressed using a single protocol, where immobilized bees an association based sensory modality. We thus incomplete understanding how affect bee more naturalistic scenarios. carried out...
Judgement bias, or ‘optimism’ and ‘pessimism’, has been demonstrated across many taxa, yet the cognitive mechanisms underlying this behaviour remain unclear. In an optimism paradigm, animals are trained to association, and, if given a positive experience, behave more favourably towards ‘ambiguous’ stimuli. We tested whether effect could be explained by changes stimulus response gradients giving bees task where their was wider gradient of stimuli than typically tested. line with previous...
Abstract Understanding how animals perceive, learn and remember stimuli is critical for understanding both cognition shaped by natural selection, ecological factors impact behaviour. However, the majority of studies on involve captive in laboratory settings. While controlled settings are required to accurately measure aspects cognition, they may not yield realistic estimates learning performance environments. Wild bees offer a useful system which study cognitive ecology comparative more...
Pollen plays a dual role as both gametophyte and nutritional reward for pollinators. Although pollen chemistry varies across plant species, its functional significance in pollination has remained obscure, part because little is known about how floral visitors assess it. Bees rely on protein, but whether foragers evaluate unclear, it primarily consumed by larvae. We asked the chemical composition of influences bumblebees' foraging behaviour. Using putatively sweet bitter blends, we found that...
Neonicotinoid pesticides can impair bees' ability to learn and remember information about flowers, critical for effective foraging. Although these effects on cognition may contribute broader health performance, date they have largely been assayed in simplified protocols that consider learning a single sensory modality, usually olfaction. Given real flowers display variety of potentially useful signals, we assessed the acute neonicotinoid exposure multimodal free-flying bumblebees. We found...
Abstract Agricultural intensification has been identified as one of the key causes global insect biodiversity losses. These losses have further linked to widespread use agrochemicals associated with modern agricultural practices. Many these chemicals are known negative sublethal effects on commercial pollinators, such managed honeybees and bumblebees, but less is about impacts wild bees. Laboratory‐based studies pollinators consistently shown that pesticide exposure can impact bee behavior,...
Abstract Novel insecticides are continuously being developed for application in response to increased legal restriction of previously and resistance target insects. These novel insecticides, such as flupyradifurone (FPF), remain relatively untested on non‐target organisms, including bumblebees. Further, existing tests honeybees tend focus adult mortality thus sub‐lethal effects, impacts reproductive output, neglected, despite their importance population‐level impacts. To address if the...
Nests are built by nearly all bird species and can be extremely varied in their structural characteristics, both within among species. As with a number of other avian behaviours, it seems plausible that early learning might important producing adult nest-building behaviour. To examine whether preferences adults have for nest materials related to early-life experience, we experimentally manipulated the colour which Zebra Finch pairs raised chicks. We then tested these chicks at maturity...
Bees are model organisms for the study of learning and memory, yet nearly all such research to date has used a single reward, nectar. Many bees collect both nectar (carbohydrates) pollen (protein) on foraging bout, sometimes from different plant species. We tested whether individual bumblebees could learn colour associations with rewards simultaneously in scenario where one floral type offered only other pollen. found that readily learned multiple reward–colour associations, when presented...
Learning associations between food-related stimuli and nutrients allows foragers to collect resources efficiently. In turn, the that consume can themselves affect learning performance, through innate preferences for pre-ingestive stimuli, as well post-ingestive reinforcement. Bees are insect models of memory, yet vast majority this research concerns nectar (carbohydrate) rather than pollen (protein/lipid) rewards, despite fact many bees both simultaneously. We asked how one component surface...
Neonicotinoid pesticides can have a multitude of negative sublethal effects on bees. Understanding their impact wild populations requires accurately estimating the dosages bees encounter under natural conditions. This is complicated by possibility that might influence own exposure: two recent studies found bumblebees ( Bombus terrestris ) preferentially consumed neonicotinoid-contaminated nectar, even though these chemicals are thought to be tasteless and odourless. Here, we used impatiens...
Nectar chemistry can influence the behavior of pollinators in ways that affect pollen transfer, yet basic questions about how nectar chemical diversity impacts plant-pollinator relationships remain unexplored. For example, plants' capacity to produce neurotransmitters and endocrine disruptors may offer a means manipulate pollinator behavior. We surveyed 15 plant species discovered two insect neurotransmitters, octopamine tyramine, were widely distributed floral nectar. detected highest...
Over decades, pesticide regulations have cycled between approval and implementation, followed by the discovery of negative effects on nontarget organisms that result in new regulations, pesticides, harmful effects. This relentless pattern undermines capacity to protect environment from hazards frustrates end users need pest management tools. Wild pollinating insects are decline, managed pollinators such as honey bees experiencing excessive losses, which threatens sustainable food security...
Bumblebees are important pollinators of agricultural crops and wildflowers, but many species in decline. Neonicotinoid insecticides the most commonly used insecticide globally can have negative sublethal effects on bumblebee colony growth reproduction. Individual bumblebees visit hundreds to thousands flowers a day forage for their colony. As such, they model studying optimal foraging, small impairments an individual's foraging decisions may compounding colony's nutritional intake. We...