Wulfila Gronenberg, University of Arizona, Arizona Research Laboratories
I am interested in the control of complex behavior
by the brain. My work focuses on social insects because of their behavioral
complexity (communication, kin recognition, navigation, exploration and recollection
of territories, adaptive foraging strategies etc.). I favor the comparative
approach towards neuroethology, making use of behavioral differences between
hymenopteran species or between different castes within a colony. The rational
is that behavioral differences and transitions result from structural and functional
differences of the nervous system of the respective species or individual. For
example, bees and wasps strongly rely on vision whereas for the majority of
ant species olfaction is the predominant sensory modality. The design and size
of their respective sensory brain regions reflect these behavioral preferences.
Likewise, in honeybees and ants the behavioral transition from nurse to forager
coincides with morphological changes in a particular brain region, referred
to as the mushroom bodies. These brain structures are of particular interest
because they are also involved in learning and memory storage, which are essential
elements of social insect behavior and colony life.
Selected recent publications:
Homepage: : http://neurobio.arizona.edu/arldn/labs/gronenberg/
Email:wulfi@neurobio.arizona.edu