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Chair of Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology

Chair of Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology

Welcome back Dr. Ayse Yilmaz!
Dr. Ayse Yilmaz returns to the University of Würzburg as a Humboldt fellow. She will conduct research for a year at the Department of Zoology II, where she studied as a Post-Doc ten years ago.

What is the basis of behavior?

As a center for insect behavioral sciences, we pursue an integrative research approach to understand the principles of behavior. The interplay of internal and environmental factors is investigated from the molecular, sensory and neuronal mechanisms to the function of ecological and social interactions up to their evolutionary foundations.

Research focus

Currently eight research groups are working at our chair on the following topics within the field of insect behavioral sciences:

Neuroethology of social insects (Rössler lab)
Behavioral ecology (Roces lab)
Sensory ecology (Spaethe lab)
Behavioral biology of the honeybee (Scheiner lab)
Molecular behaviroal physiology (Thamm lab)
Neuroethology of spatial orientation
(Pfeiffer lab)
Orientation of nocturnal insects and the impact of light pollution (Degen lab)
Behavioral strategies and neuronal mechanisms for robust navigation (Haberkern lab)

Upcoming events

Oct 10

Models of head direction and variability of landscape-scale honeybee flight
Dr. Rachael Stentiford, University of Freiburg

Oct 17

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Romita Trehan - PhD progress report

News / Archive

ERC Starting Grants were awarded to: Jerome Beetz and Jacqueline Degen. (Image: Robert Emmerich / Thomas Hovestadt)

Two new ERC Starting Grants approved

Two researchers from the Würzburg Biocentre have been awarded prestigious grants for their projects: The European Research Council's Starting Grants are worth €1.5 million each.

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When Beetles See Red

Hardly any insects can see the colour red. However, two beetle species from the Mediterranean region are an exception, as an international research team has discovered.

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Pauline Fleischmann during field research in Greece.

Desert ants use the polarity of the geomagnetic field for navigation

Many animals orient themselves using their sense of magnetism. However, this can be based on different physical mechanisms. A research team from Oldenburg and Würzburg has now investigated the navigation of the desert ant.

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Honeybees: Combinations of Pesticides Can be Dangerous

Dangerous mixtures: pesticides in combination can have unexpected effects on the development of honeybees. This is shown by a new study from the Biocenter.

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