Plasticity of Foraging Behavior and Aging in Honey Bees
What determines an animal’s lifespan? This is a fundamental question in biology that has been examined through studies of genetics, physiology, life-history theory, and evolutionary biology. Less well understood is the role of behavior in determining lifespan. Animals make countless behavioral choices that generate needed resources but entail risks; these choices hence have a cumulative effect on lifespan. I am primarily interested in studying how moment-to-moment behavioral decisions, including those that are plastic in response to changing conditions, may accumulate to determine an animal’s lifespan and shape its life history.
I aim to study foraging behavior in four honey bee species to examine the relationship between activity, lifespan, and behavioral flexibility. In particular, I will investigate (1) how species differences in activity are related to species differences in lifespan, (2) how adaptive moderating of foraging activity in the face of uncertainty impacts lifespan, and (3) how behavioral flexibility and sensitivity to changes in the environment relate to species differences in activity and lifespan.
Because bees are the most important pollinators throughout the world, this research will provide insight into how adaptive modulation of search behavior plays a role in flower visitation and pollen dispersal. In addition, it will provide an innovative perspective on the relationship between behavior and aging by linking species differences in lifespan to individual decision-making.
What determines an animal’s lifespan? This is a fundamental question in biology that has been examined through studies of genetics, physiology, life-history theory, and evolutionary biology. Less well understood is the role of behavior in determining lifespan. Animals make countless behavioral choices that generate needed resources but entail risks; these choices hence have a cumulative effect on lifespan. I am primarily interested in studying how moment-to-moment behavioral decisions, including those that are plastic in response to changing conditions, may accumulate to determine an animal’s lifespan and shape its life history.
I aim to study foraging behavior in four honey bee species to examine the relationship between activity, lifespan, and behavioral flexibility. In particular, I will investigate (1) how species differences in activity are related to species differences in lifespan, (2) how adaptive moderating of foraging activity in the face of uncertainty impacts lifespan, and (3) how behavioral flexibility and sensitivity to changes in the environment relate to species differences in activity and lifespan.
Because bees are the most important pollinators throughout the world, this research will provide insight into how adaptive modulation of search behavior plays a role in flower visitation and pollen dispersal. In addition, it will provide an innovative perspective on the relationship between behavior and aging by linking species differences in lifespan to individual decision-making.
Other Ongoing Projects
Evolution of Foraging Strategies
I am collaborating with fellow PhD students, primarily computer scientists and biologists, to examine the evolution of foraging strategies using digital evolution. We are evolving digital organisms in different environments to determine which environmental conditions favor the evolution of migration, nomadism, or home residency. So far, we have determined that the spatial heterogeneity and temporal predictability of resources are strong determinants of which foraging strategy evolves. We are currently examining how flexible each foraging strategy is in the context of new environments. In light of the anthropogenic change the world is undergoing, we hope these experiments will provide insight into how the changing landscape of the earth will impact the survival of animals with these foraging strategies.
Evolution of Foraging Strategies
I am collaborating with fellow PhD students, primarily computer scientists and biologists, to examine the evolution of foraging strategies using digital evolution. We are evolving digital organisms in different environments to determine which environmental conditions favor the evolution of migration, nomadism, or home residency. So far, we have determined that the spatial heterogeneity and temporal predictability of resources are strong determinants of which foraging strategy evolves. We are currently examining how flexible each foraging strategy is in the context of new environments. In light of the anthropogenic change the world is undergoing, we hope these experiments will provide insight into how the changing landscape of the earth will impact the survival of animals with these foraging strategies.
Previous Projects
Tropical Biology: An Ecological Approach (June 2016 - July 2016)
During the summer of 2016, I participated in the Tropical Biology: An Ecological Approach course given by the Organization for Tropical Biology. In this course I spent 6 weeks in Costa Rica conducting a total of 6 original research experiments. Projects included: (1) morphology as a predictor of feeding guilds in bats, (2) altitudinal changes in plant morphology, (3) tree species effects on soil properties, (4) leaf chemistry influence on leaf-cutting ant feeding preferences, (5) the influence of landscape factors on blackberry pollination success, and (6) the relationship between nest entrance morphology and nest defense in stingless bees. These research projects were often conducted over a course of only 3-5 days, requiring intense research planning and flexibility. Though challenging, this course was transformative to my graduate and research career, and a lot of fun! |
Parasite Genetics (July 2013 - December 2014)
Previously, I worked in the lab of Dr. Daniel Howe at the University of Kentucky studying the llama and alpaca parasite Sarcocystis aucheniae. In this project, I identified surface proteins in the S. aucheniae genome and used them to develop a diagnostic test for infection. As this parasite causes devastating economic losses in South America, I hope the diagnostic test will allow farmers to identify infections early and minimize their economic losses. As part of this project I travelled to Lima, Peru to work with a collaborator, and was able to see firsthand the economic consequences of S. aucheniae. |