Social behavior: The connection between sleep and division of labor in bumblebee colonies
Sleep is ubiquitous in the animal kingdom and it is found in diverse animals, from brainless jellyfish to insects and vertebrates. Although the exact function of sleep remains a mystery, it is known that sleep loss has negative implications on health and survival, specifically on cognitive function. Nevertheless, bumblebee workers show remarkable plasticity in their sleep: workers that are exposed to young larvae and pupae, tend them around-the-clock almost without sleeping. We plan to test the hypothesis that workers that give up sleep pay a cost in reducing their performance. This cost may affect the division of labor between the workers in the colony. Alternatively, the tending workers found a way to overcome sleep deficit without compromising their performance.
Pollination: New methods for monitoring pollinator activity in the field
Crop yields in Rosaceae orchards are dependent on insect pollination, specifically bees. Therefore, growers add commercial bee colonies to supplement pollination in the orchards and increase yields. Studies show that the bee visitation rate in orchard trees is correlated with fruit-set and fruit size. However, the growers only know about pollination deficit in hind-site, after the blooming season is over. To overcome this problem we will develop a method to automatically record pollinator activity in the orchard. This system will allow growers to find and correct pollination deficits in real-time, avoiding crop losses.
Insect ecology: Monitoring moth communities to find the causes for oak stand declines in northern Israel