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Chair of Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology

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In their natural environment, wild bees are exposed to various pesticides that can have a potentially toxic effect. A study by the University of Würzburg has now shown that bumblebees are relatively resistant to these products.

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Ants are usually found in large numbers. But how many of them are there in total on earth?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? A team led by Würzburg biologists Dr. Patrick Schultheiss and Dr. Sabine Nooten now has the answer. In addition to the number, the distribution was also determined.

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A tethered flying monarch butterfly orients in the flight simulator with respect to a green light spot. While flying, microelectrodes record the butterflies’ brain activity.

Monarch butterflies employ a sun compass on their long-distance migration. Surprisingly, a new study shows that the compass is only established during flight.

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A nocturnal dung beetle climbing atop its dung ball to survey the stars before starting to roll.

Light pollution makes it difficult for dung beetles to find their way. This is probably also true for other nocturnal insects and birds, as researchers suspect.

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A buff-tailed bumblebee and a 3D model of the bumblebee brain, based on micro-CT. The blue regions symbolise the primary olfactory centres. The yellow/orange regions process visual information from the compound eyes, the turquoise coloured visual information from the ocelli. Shown in red/orange are the mushroom bodies important for learning. The insects' inner compass, the central complex, is green.

A three-dimensional atlas of the bumblebee brain is now available. It will allow to even better research how nerve cells are interconnected and how they process information.

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Measurements have shown how the hummingbird hawkmoth uses optic flow for flight control and orientation.

How do hawkmoths use visual patterns in different parts of their visual field? While researching this question, a team from the Würzburg Biocentre experienced a surprise.

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Desert ants (Cataglyphis) at the nest entrance.

Desert ants use the Earth's magnetic field for orientation, a new study has found which was conducted by scientists of the University of Würzburg. This provides ants the cue to find their way back to the nest.

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A honeybee on a cornflower

Scientists from the University of Würzburg have investigated the impact of a new pesticide on the honeybee. In high doses, it has a negative impact on the insects' taste and cognition ability.

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