Dissertation Research: Sleep in a Society: The Behavioral Ecology of Sleep within Colonies of Insects

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

Investigators

Abstract

Mueller, Ulrich Klein, Barrett Anthony NSF DDIG proposal number IOS-0710142 SLEEP IN A SOCIETY: the behavioral ecology of sleep within colonies of insects Sleep is a phenomenon that greatly impacts the lives of organisms, yet aspects of it are little understood, or greatly ignored by biologists. The very functions of sleep are still in question and few studies have explored how social organization and individual need for sleep may interact. This research will address questions relating to uniquely social aspects of sleep within colonies of honey bees (Apis mellifera). Objectives of this research include mapping sleep, spatially and through the day and night, and testing possible functions of sleep related to communication and acquisition of food. Researchers will individually mark and examine bees in glass observation hives and train bees to food sources, recording behaviors resulting from different experimental regimes within the colony. The expectation is that maps of sleep will reveal differences in sleep, depending on bees' age or function. Further, the researchers will test the hypothesis that sleep-deprived bees will show reduced communication and food collecting performance, suggestive of sleep's specific importance within a social context. The proposed research will contribute to the demystification of sleep and to promote integration across behavioral, societal, ecological, physiological, and medical disciplines. Many undergraduate students will be trained in various aspects of this research and scientific progress will be presented to a wide range of audiences. Sleep is a widespread phenomenon and the proposed research direction will strive to address its relevance across all audiences.