LOCUSt SWARMS
In a joint effort of the centre for the advanced study of collective behaviour we combine expertise to advance the understanding of locust swarms. Why and how do locust swarm? Where are they heading and how? To addressed these questions field observations, lab experiments and virtual reality tools are combined with neurophysiological recordings and pharmacological manipulations.
LAB EXPERIMENTS - BEHAVIOUR
FIELD STUDIES
CALCIUM IMAGING
Will they still know where to head after Inga's field manipulations?
Answers soon...
Co-labeling olfactory receptor neurons and projection neurons in the locusts antennal lobe
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Günzel Y., Oberhauser F. and Couzin-Fuchs E. Information integration for nutritional decision-making in desert locusts, bioRxiv
From ODour to Action: SENSORY coding and movement decisions
We are interested in olfactory perception and how do odours impact behaviour. Using calcium imaging, intra- and extra- cellular recordings we study the neural representations of ecologically relevant olfactory signals in the antennal lobe and pre-motor regions.
Couzin-Fuchs E. and Ayali A. The social brain of non-social insects (in-press) Curr. Opin. Insect Sci.
Günzel Y., McCollum J., Paoli M., Galizia C.G., Petelski I., and Couzin-Fuchs E. (2021). Social modulation of individual preferences in cockroaches. iScience, 101964.
Paoli M., Nishino H., Couzin-Fuchs E and Galizia G. (2020) Coding of odour and space in the hemimetabolous insect Periplaneta americana, J. Exp. Biol. 223 (3): jeb218032.
From AcTion to odour: Active sensing
Compared to touch or vision, olfaction has long been seen as a passive sense. However, throughout the animal kingdom self-generated movement (e.g., sniffing, antenna movement, flight maneuvers) are used to bring new odorants to the olfactory organs. Using computer vision and electrophysiology we study the mechanisms by which insects sample their olfactory environment and make movement decisions.
Hoffmann A. and Couzin-Fuchs E. Active smelling in the American Cockroach, biorxiv
Pequeno-Zurro A et al., 2018: Modeling active antennal movements of the American cockroach: towards biorobotic models of active sensing.
