Neurobiology and the Behavior of the Honeybee
When animals and humans learn, the neural circuits in the brain change, thus establishing a memory trace. This allows the individual to better control its behavior in the future. The difficulty in locating memory within the gridwork of many thousands of neurons is due to the fact that the neurons involved in learning cannot be directly observed while they create the memory trace. It is therefore advantageous to study a relatively simple nerve system, which is however still able to learn quickly and form multiple memory traces including that of a stable long-term memory. We investigate this topic using the honeybee. Bees learn landmarks in order to navigate within their territory. They associate the odors, colors, shapes and locations of flowers which offer nectar and pollen. They learn from each other when they perform the waggle dance to indicate the direction and the distance of rich feeding spots or a new nest.

Type of institution:
Universität

Work focus:
Computational Neuroscience, Kognitive Neurowissenschaften, Verhaltensneurobiologie, Zelluläre Neurobiologie

Address:
Königin-Luise-Str. 28-30
14195 Berlin
DE

Phone:
0049 (0) 30-8385 6537

Homepage:
http://www.neurobiologie.fu-berlin.de

Sabine Funke

Position / Activity:
Sekretärin