Teaching Bumblebees to Differentiate Flower Patterns
- Beschreibung
Are you interested in how animal behavior experiments are done in practice, not just in theory?
In this project, you will conduct a behavioral experiment testing whether bumblebees can learn to distinguish between different flower patterns of the Siberian iris (Iris sibirica) and how they respond to them.No prior experience with animal experiments is required, just curiosity, reliability, and a willingness to engage in hands-on teamwork!
Background
Pollination biology and learning in bees
Flower colour and pattern play an important role in how pollinators locate and handle flowers. Many plant species display distinct pigmentation patterns, such as veins, spots, or contrasting colour regions that may function as "nectar guides" and help pollinators forage more efficiently. Experimental studies have shown that bumblebees can learn and use such visual cues, including discriminating between flowers that differ only slightly in their pattern. These preferences are often not innate but learned through experience, so controlled training and testing experiments are essential to understand how bees perceive and use floral signals.Why Iris sibirica?
The Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica) is an excellent model species for studying visual pattern recognition. Its flowers display striking and variable patterns, including contrasting colors and venation, which are likely relevant for pollinator attraction. At the same time, these patterns are visually distinct enough to serve as experimental stimuli for behavioral tests.
Tasks
- Stimulus preparation: Prepare and standardize the pattern stimuli (artificial flowers) for the different Iris sibirica patterns.
- Colony maintenance: Monitor and maintain bumblebee hives (feeding) and prepare the hives for the experiments (marking).
- Training: Conduct conditioning experiments in which one pattern is rewarded and another is not, following established protocol.
- Data management and analysis: Document all trials consistently, compile the data and conduct basic statistical analysis in R under supervision.
Expected Outcome
- A dataset on bumblebee responses to different Iris sibirica patterns.
- A statistical analysis and interpretation of whether and how bees discriminate between the patterns.
- Documentation of the protocols used, including any refinements made during the experiment.
- Projektzeitraum
- Wintersemester 2026/2027 und Sommersemester 2027
- Bewerbungszeitraum
- 12. bis 26.10.2026
- Durchführung
- semesterbegleitend
- Details zu Projektzeitraum und Durchführung
This is a hands-on research project that aims to collect reliable and reproducible data, which requires consistent procedures and careful documentation. The project runs over the winter and summer semester and requires a notable time investment. Preparations start early in 2027 (WS 2026/2027) and the experiments begin in April 2027 (SS 2027). Bumble bees are living animals that need continuous care and trials must be run at consistent times. This requires regular in-person presence, including weekends, since the bees do not follow the human calendar and experiments can only be carried out on days with good weather. The project is therefore carried out in small teams that share responsibilities and ensure reliable coverage.
- Studienfach
- offen für alle Studienfächer
- Betreuende
- Ryck Leberecht
- Institut
- Institut für Biologie (190) (190b)
- Sprache
- deutsch/englisch
- Teilnehmendenanzahl
-
min. 2, max. 6
(3 Kleingruppen mit max. 2 Teilnehmenden ) - Arbeitsaufwand
-
ca. 180 Stunden pro Teilnehmende:r
| 6
ECTS-Punkte
Arbeitsaufwand (Stunden und ggf. ECTS) sind ungefähre Angaben. Die tatsächlich vergebenen ECTS-Punkte ergeben sich aus der tatsächlich geleisteten Arbeit.
- Für dieses Projekt ist kein Motivationsschreiben des Studierenden erforderlich
- Projektart
- experimentell
- Lernziele
-
Die Teilnehmende lernen in diesem Projekt:
- Understanding how behavioral experiments with animals are designed and implemented
- Gaining hands-on experience with running a standardized experimental protocol
- Learning basic principles of pollination biology and insect perception
- Developing practical skills in teamwork, planning, and experimental documentation
- Learning to interpret behavioral data critically, including its limitations
- Anmerkungen für Studierende
The project is planned to be in English but you’re going to be supervised by a native German speaker so don´t worry. Take it as an opportunity to practice your English.
If you have questions regarding the project, you can always contact me via:
ryck.leberecht@uni-hohenheim.de