Dr Christoph Grueter
PD, PhD, MSc
Current positions
Senior Lecturer
School of Biological Sciences
Contact
Press and media
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Research interests
We study the behaviour, ecology and evolution of social insects. We are particularly interested in the role of communication and learning in individual and collective decision-making, different forms of division of labour and colony organisation.
Our main objectives are:
- To investigate how worker insects integrate multiple sources of information
- To understand variation among species in the degree of division of labour
- To understand the molecular basis of worker behaviour
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
Mechanisms that facilitate the coexistence of stingless bees in a hyper competitive, human-modified tropical habitat
Principal Investigator
Description
All experiments will take place in March 2023 on the campus of the University of São Paulo in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. We plan to perform 3 independent experiments to explore…Managing organisational unit
School of Biological SciencesDates
01/02/2023 to 31/07/2023
Habitat change as key a challenge for honeybee foraging and health
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of Biological SciencesDates
01/02/2022 to 31/10/2024
Publications
Selected publications
24/06/2020Octopamine increases individual and collective foraging in a neotropical stingless bee
Biology Letters
Honeybees forage more successfully without the “dance language” in challenging environments
Science Advances
Repeated evolution of soldier sub-castes suggests parasitism drives social complexity in stingless bees
Nature Communications
Recent publications
06/06/2023Diverse communication strategies in bees as a window into adaptations to an unpredictable world
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Mechanisms and adaptations that shape division of labour in stingless bees
Current Opinion in Insect Science
Social and individual learners use different pathways to success in an ant mini society
Animal Behaviour
Correlated expression of phenotypic and extended phenotypic traits across stingless bee species
Journal of Apicultural Research
Sociality is a key driver of foraging ranges in bees
Current Biology