Odor-Guided Behavior
Understanding how animals perceive and interact with their environment is central to our research. The Odour-guided Behaviour Group investigates how insects use chemical and visual information to guide ecologically relevant behaviours. By combining behavioural experiments, chemical ecology, neuroethology, and field research, we aim to uncover the mechanisms that enable insects to solve complex tasks in natural environments. Our work spans fundamental questions in sensory biology and animal behaviour while also addressing applied challenges in agriculture and environmental change.
Desert Ant Navigation
The remarkable navigation abilities of the desert ant Cataglyphis fortis have fascinated scientists for decades. Living in one of the harshest environments on Earth, these ants reliably return to their nest after long and seemingly erratic foraging trips across featureless salt pans. We investigate how they integrate multiple sensory cues—including path integration, visual landmarks, and olfactory information—to navigate with extraordinary precision. Our research provides new insights into the behavioural principles of spatial orientation and decision-making in animals.
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Oviposition Behaviour in Flies and Moths
Selecting the right site for egg laying is one of the most important decisions in an insect's life. We study how fruit flies and moths evaluate potential oviposition sites by integrating chemical, microbial, and environmental cues that predict offspring survival. Our research explores the sensory mechanisms underlying these decisions and how ecological factors shape reproductive behaviour. By understanding how insects assess habitat quality, we gain valuable insights into the evolution of behaviour and insect–plant interactions.
Radio interview (in German): https://www.mdr.de/mdr-garten/pflegen/schaedlinge/audio-3300558.html
Air Pollution and Insect Chemical Ecology
Chemical communication is essential for many insect behaviours, including finding food, locating mates, avoiding predators, and selecting host plants. However, increasing levels of air pollution can alter or degrade volatile chemical signals before they reach their receivers. We investigate how atmospheric pollutants affect the production, transmission, and perception of these chemical cues, and how these changes influence insect behaviour and ecological interactions. Our work contributes to a better understanding of how anthropogenic environmental change impacts biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
Radio interview: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/audio/9.7089614
Towards Sustainable Integrated Pest Management
Our fundamental research on the effects of air pollution on insect chemical communication provides the basis for developing innovative approaches to Integrated Pest Management (IPM). By identifying how environmental conditions influence the detection and interpretation of semiochemicals, we aim to establish novel environmentally friendly pest control strategies. This includes, among other things, the targeted destruction of sex pheromones produced by certain insect pests through a spatially and temporally limited increase in ozone levels in both greenhouse and field crops. Ultimately, our goal is to translate advances in chemical ecology into sustainable solutions that reduce pesticide use while maintaining effective crop protection.
Project OzonEx (in German): https://www.validierungsfoerderung.de/validierungsprojekte/ozonex
Interested to join us?
If you are interested to join us, please contact me!