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发挥着重要作用。许多植物物种的花香和植物气味模式被描述，但在植物和昆虫访客之间的相互作用中触发行为的化合物很少被识别。这项研究的目的是调查蜜蜂和黄蜂是否在行为和嗅觉处理方面表现出特定的适应，以定位食物来源。将结合生物检测、电生理学和化学分析，以及神经生理学实验。我们将测试这一假设，即专业蜜蜂已经进化到使用寄主植物特有的气味识别它们特定的寄主花朵。多面手蜜蜂和觅食花蜜的黄蜂可能会根据多面手的花卉线索进行定位。此外，我们将调查与密切相关的多面手蜜蜂物种相比，专业蜜蜂是否在处理气味的第一脑区-触角叶的水平上表现出对花挥发物的神经处理的功能适应。该项目的长期目标是了解专科昆虫和通才昆虫的行为和生理适应的进化。

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.