CASCB Talk: Nest design, construction, and spatial organization in the superorganism nest
Time
Monday, 20. January 2025
11:45 - 13:00
Location
ZT702 and online
Organizer
CASCB
Speaker:
Michael Smith, Auburn University, USA
Abstract: An organism’s appearance is the result of evolutionary pressures, and those same pressures apply to the structures organisms build, such as nests. Superorganism nests function as extended phenotypes to perform key biological processes (to survive, grow, and reproduce). Social insects are masters of solving organizational problems because they must coordinate thousands of individuals to accomplish these goals. One such problem is how to construct nests, and then, how to organize resources within that nest. In this talk, we will explore the evolution of nest architecture and spatial organization, using the honey bee, Apis mellifera, as a model superorganism.
Bio: Michael Smith is an Assistant Professor at Auburn University, and currently on a College for Life Sciences Fellowship at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (Institute for Advanced Study). He completed his PhD at Cornell University, and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Couzin Group from 2018-2020. His greatest educational achievement, however, is to be the photo icon for the WhatsApp group "Konstanz Hot Goss" alongside Edward and Nina's two cats, Radish and Turnip.
Twitter: @SmithBeeLab