From society to genes My research group uses the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera , to understand the mechanisms governing social behavior.
Behavioral development occurs in many animals, including humans.
As animals age and pass through different life stages, their genetically determined behavioral responses to environmantal and and social stimuli change in predictable ways. Often these responses imcrease in complexity and involve learning. Our research is designed to explain the function and evolution of behavioral mechanisms that integrate the activity of individuals in a society, neural and neuroendocrine mechanisms that regulate behavior within the brain of the individual, and the genes that influence social behavior. Our work is devoted to showing that honey bees can be exemplars for the discovery of general principles of brain function and behavior. Bees undergo a series of transitions that culminates with foraging, a complex task that requires learning how to navigate in the environment and handle flowers.