Projects

How does odor pollution impact bumblebee foraging behavior? This project started with findings that agrochemical odor pollution can be disruptive in lab-based foraging assays. Subsequent studies established a method for quantifying odors (Compounds Without Borders), allowing us to determine a threshold of pollution at which learned odors are no longer recognized, and determined that fungicide odors are broadly disruptive to floral-odor learning and recognition. Current work is looking at: 1) what structural components of fungicide odors are disruptive; and 2) if the Compounds Without Borders quantification method can be used to elucidate the impacts of odor pollution on other pollinator species (work that is ongoing with collaborators Drs. James Blande, Robbie Girling, Ben Langford, and James Ryalls). We are also testing protocols that will help bridge the lab-field gap.

What is the effect of odor complexity on odor encoding mechanisms? Previously published work on odor-encoding in insect olfactory systems indicates that simple odors are encoded elementally, and more complex odors are encododed configurally. We are leveraging the Compounds Without Borders (CWB) quanitfication paradigm to explore the axes of odor complexity, and how increasing complexity impacts odor discrimination thresholds.

How are visual and olfactory information from flowers integrated at different spatial scales? Because bumblebee foraging behavior manifests across a large variation in spatial scales, and not all sensory information provided by flowers is available at equal distances, a better understanding of if/ how sensory modalities are processed at different scales will improve our understanding of bumble bee foraging overall.