November 3 2009
12:00 LSB 2320
Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCLA
Chemical Communication and Rules of Navigation
Summary:
Understanding how environmental chemical signals and cues mediate various life-history processes can indicate the forces driving the ecology and evolution of natural systems. For signals released into the environment, principles that govern chemical production and physical transport are critical for interpreting biological responses to these stimuli within appropriate natural historical contexts. Yet, mechanisms remain largely undescribed. To embrace this challenge, my laboratory is developing new instrumentation and analytical techniques for identifying the structures and concentrations of bioactive molecules, while measuring their distributions over the time and space scales relevant to chemosensory information processing. Through field and laboratory studies, we are devising new theories about chemical communication and navigation systems and their roles in mediating physiological mechanisms and ecological consequences at individual, population and community levels. Investigation is driven by a need to understand the sensory basis for behavioral performance. Armed with this knowledge, we seek to determine how, when, and where in nature such behavior makes a difference.