CAREER: Neuroethology of Hygienic Behavior

建议编号：IBN-9722416这个项目开发了一个协调的教育和研究计划，为本科生提供一个积极参与到他们自己的科学发展中的改变。该项目是围绕旨在了解蜜蜂卫生行为的行为和神经基础的研究而建立的。卫生行为是一种防御寄生虫的机制，也是一种抗病机制，在这种机制中，蜜蜂识别并将寄生和患病的幼蜂从蜂箱中移走。该项目检查蜜蜂表达的行为，确定它们用来触发行为的感觉线索，并研究控制其表达的神经系统机制。本科生参与的研究项目范围从实用的蜜蜂繁育到实验室中的行为和神经生物学实验。蜜蜂是世界上许多地区包括农业地区重要的传粉者，理解调节蜜蜂卫生行为的因素至关重要，因为养蜂人正在寻找具有天然防御力的蜜蜂，以减少抗生素和杀虫剂的使用。

Lay Abstract PI: Spivak, Marla Proposal Number: IBN-9722416 This project develops a coordinated educational and research program that offers undergraduate students a change to become actively involved in their own scientific development. The project is build around research designed to understand the behavior and neural basis of hygienic behavior in honey bees. Hygienic behavior is a mechanism is a defense against a parasitic mite and a mechanism of disease resistance in which bees identify and remove parasitized and diseased brood from the hive. This project examines the behavior expressed by bees, identifies the sensory cues they use to trigger the behavior, and investigates the nervous system mechanisms that control its expression. Undergraduate students participate in research projects ranging from practical bee breeding to behavioral and neurobiological experiments in the laboratory. Understanding the factors that regulate hygienic behavior in honey bees, vital pollinators in may parts of the world including agricultural areas, is critical as beekeepers search for bees with natural defenses against diseases and mites with the goal of reducing antibiotic and pesticide application.