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Our research
The main research interests of our group are the evolution and mechanisms underlying sociality and social behavior, we study bees as a model. To study these fascinating and intricate phenomena we integrate analyses at different levels, from molecular to social. In recent years, one of our main research focuses has been the interplay between circadian rhythms and social behavior ("sociochronobiology") but we also study additional important sociobiological processes such as size-related division of labor in bumblebees, the social evolution of juvenile hormone signaling, the interplay between sleep and social behavior, and the involvement of non-coding RNA and RNA editing in behavioral plasticity.
Recent Publications
- Task performance and queen presence influence the brain transcriptome in a bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) with a flexible division of labor system
- The alkenes Z9-C29 and Z9-C31 function as quorum-sensing pheromones stimulating worker reproduction in the bumble bee Bombus terrestris
- Diversification of social complexity following a major evolutionary transition in bees