The main focus of research in the Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology is to study odor-directed behavior and its underlying neurobiological substrate in insects from a functional and evolutionary perspective. We perform our studies in two main systems: drosophilid flies and sphingid moths. In drosophilids our main objective is to understand the evolution of olfactory functions. By studying closely related species living under different ecological conditions it is possible to understand how habitat and food-choice affect the sense of smell. In sphingid moths we want to understand how different host plant associations have evolved and how this has affected olfactory function and behavior. In addition we are interested in different types of pollination systems, especially those built on deceit. In all these systems the whole neuroethological chain of events is studied, from single molecules and genes, to neurons, to whole organism responses. To perform this research we make use of modern neurobiological techniques as optical imaging, patch clamping and extra- and intracellular recording techniques. We also use molecular techniques and bioinformatics. Behavioral responses are studied in wind tunnels and in laboratory bioassays. Director: Prof. Bill S. Hansson