Mr Dominic Clarke

Summary

I use operant conditioning to study the sensory abilities of bumblebees, in particular, their newly discovered ability to perceive floral electric fields. 

I am currently investigating the ecological utility of this sense for bees and flowers in the wild, using large-scale field experiments with honeybee colonies, and large, purpose-built electric field generators in the laboratory.

Biography

I moved into biology after a gaining an MSci in physics from Bristol university in 2010. I aim to apply the physical intuition learned as an undergraduate to the biological problems I study as a graduate student.

Activities / Findings

Detection and learning of floral electric fields by bumblebees - Clarke DJ, Whitney HM, Sutton GP, Robert D - Science (2013)

Keywords

• Bee behaviour
• Bumblebees
• Honeybees
• Sensory ecology
• Physical ecology
• Electric Fields
• Biophysics

Methodologies

• operant conditioning
• electrophysiology

Memberships

Organisations

School of Biological Sciences

Recent publications

• Clarke, DJ, Whitney, HM, Sutton, GP & Robert, D 2013, ‘Detection and Learning of Floral Electric Fields by Bumblebees’. Science, vol 340., pp. 66-69
• JEPRAS, R, PERKINS, E, RARITY, J, CARR, R, CLARKE, D & ATKINSON, T 1991, ‘APPLICATION OF PHOTON-CORRELATION SPECTROSCOPY AS A TECHNIQUE FOR DETECTING CULTURE CONTAMINATION’. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, vol 38., pp. 929-940
• JEPRAS, R, RARITY, J, PERKINS, E, CLARKE, D, CARR, R & ATKINSON, T 1991, ‘ANALYSIS OF PH-INDUCED POPULATION OSCILLATIONS OF SACCHAROMYCES-CEREVISIAE AND ESCHERICHIA-COLI USING PHOTON-CORRELATION SPECTROSCOPY’. Biochemical Society Transactions, vol 19., pp. 513-514
• CARR, R, RARITY, J, STANSFIELD, A, BROWN, R, CLARKE, D & ATKINSON, T 1988, ‘DETERMINATION OF PROTEIN SIZE IN CHROMATOGRAPHY COLUMN ELUANTS BY ONLINE PHOTON-CORRELATION SPECTROSCOPY’. Analytical Biochemistry, vol 175., pp. 492-499

View complete publications list in the University of Bristol publications system

Networks & contacts

• Bionanoscience laboratory.