@article{StrubeBlossBrownSpaetheetal.2015,
  author    = {Strube-Bloss, Martin F. and Brown, Austin and Spaethe, Johannes and Schmitt, Thomas and R{\"o}ssler, Wolfgang},
  title     = {Extracting the Behaviorally Relevant Stimulus: Unique Neural Representation of Farnesol, a Component of the Recruitment Pheromone of Bombus terrestris},
  series = {PLoS One},
  volume    = {10},
  journal   = {PLoS One},
  number    = {9},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pone.0137413},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-125875},
  pages     = {e0137413},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {To trigger innate behavior, sensory neural networks are pre-tuned to extract biologically relevant stimuli. Many male-female or insect-plant interactions depend on this phenomenon. Especially communication among individuals within social groups depends on innate behaviors. One example is the efficient recruitment of nest mates by successful bumblebee foragers. Returning foragers release a recruitment pheromone in the nest while they perform a 'dance' behavior to activate unemployed nest mates. A major component of this pheromone is the sesquiterpenoid farnesol. How farnesol is processed and perceived by the olfactory system, has not yet been identified. It is much likely that processing farnesol involves an innate mechanism for the extraction of relevant information to trigger a fast and reliable behavioral response. To test this hypothesis, we used population response analyses of 100 antennal lobe (AL) neurons recorded in alive bumblebee workers under repeated stimulation with four behaviorally different, but chemically related odorants (geraniol, citronellol, citronellal and farnesol). The analysis identified a unique neural representation of the recruitment pheromone component compared to the other odorants that are predominantly emitted by flowers. The farnesol induced population activity in the AL allowed a reliable separation of farnesol from all other chemically related odor stimuli we tested. We conclude that the farnesol induced population activity may reflect a predetermined representation within the AL-neural network allowing efficient and fast extraction of a behaviorally relevant stimulus. Furthermore, the results show that population response analyses of multiple single AL-units may provide a powerful tool to identify distinct representations of behaviorally relevant odors.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{StreinzerChakravortyNeumayeretal.2019,
  author    = {Streinzer, Martin and Chakravorty, Jharna and Neumayer, Johann and Megu, Karsing and Narah, Jaya and Schmitt, Thomas and Bharti, Himender and Spaethe, Johannes and Brockmann, Axel},
  title     = {Species composition and elevational distribution of bumble bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombus Latreille) in the East Himalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, India},
  series = {ZooKeys},
  volume    = {851},
  journal   = {ZooKeys},
  doi       = {10.3897/zookeys.851.32956},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-201937},
  pages     = {71-89},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {The East Himalaya is one of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems. However, very little is known about the abundance and distribution of many plant and animal taxa in this region. Bumble bees are a group of cold-adapted and high elevation insects that fulfil an important ecological and economical function as pollinators of wild and agricultural flowering plants and crops. The Himalayan mountain range provides ample suitable habitats for bumble bees. Systematic study of Himalayan bumble bees began a few decades ago and the main focus has centred on the western region, while the eastern part of the mountain range has received little attention and only a few species have been verified. During a three-year survey, more than 700 bumble bee specimens of 21 species were collected in Arunachal Pradesh, the largest of the north-eastern states of India. The material included a range of species that were previously known from a limited number of collected specimens, which highlights the unique character of the East Himalayan ecosystem. Our results are an important first step towards a future assessment of species distribution, threat, and conservation. Clear elevation patterns of species diversity were observed, which raise important questions about the functional adaptations that allow bumble bees to thrive in this particularly moist region in the East Himalaya.},
  language  = {en}
}