Behavioural and neurophysiological adaptations for food localization using plant odours in bees and wasps: a comparison between specialists and generalists

植物释放的挥发物在引导昆虫寻找食物来源方面起着重要作用。花和营养气味模式描述了许多植物物种，但行为触发化合物之间的相互作用，植物和昆虫访客很少被确定。 本研究的目的是调查蜜蜂和黄蜂是否表现出特定的适应行为和嗅觉处理本地化的食物来源。将使用生物测定、电生理学和化学分析以及神经生理学实验的组合。我们将测试这样一个假设，即专业蜜蜂已经进化到使用宿主植物特有的气味识别其特定的宿主花。多面手蜜蜂和采蜜黄蜂可能会根据多面手花卉的线索进行定位。此外，我们将调查是否专业蜜蜂显示功能适应的神经处理的花挥发物的第一个大脑区域处理气味的水平，触角叶，在比较密切相关的通才蜜蜂物种。该项目的长期目标是了解专业和通才昆虫的行为和生理适应的演变。

Volatiles emitted by plants play a major role in guiding insects to food sources. Floral and vegetative odour patterns are described for many plant species but the behaviour-triggering compounds in interactions between plants and insect visitors have rarely been identified. The aim of this study is to investigate whether bees and wasps show specific adaptations in behaviour and olfactory processing to localize food sources. A combination of bioassays, electrophysiology and chemical analyses, as well as neurophysiological experiments will be used. We will test the hypothesis that specialist bees have evolved to recognize their specific host flowers using host-plant specific odour. Generalist bees and nectar-foraging wasps may orientate on generalist floral cues. Further, we will investigate whether specialist bees show functional adaptations in the neural processing of floral volatiles at the level of the first brain area processing odours, the antennal lobes, in comparison to a closely related generalist bee species. The long-term goal of this project is to understand the evolution of behavioural and physiological adaptations in specialist and generalist insects.