Mechanisms of communication and foraging in select insects - new research opportunities

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We plan to study the biosynthetic origin, sensory reception, neuronal processing and behavioral effect of multi-modal signals and cues in 5 insect species that offer particularly intriguing research opportunities, as follows: (1) Having recently shown that bed bugs use a unique 6-component aggregation pheromone, we will test the hypothesis that 4 components stem from biosynthetic precursors in human blood. (2) Honey bees can sense local geomagnetic fields. We will test the hypothesis that the bees’ magnetic sense is based on single-domain ferromagnetic particles and plays a crucial role in their life history. (3) Bilateral symmetry with paired sense organs is common in all animals that depend on a comparison between left and right sensory input to locate prey or mates. We will test the hypothesis that the short-lived males of the strepsipreran