NeuroNex: From Odor to Action: Discovering Principles of Olfactory-Guided Natural Behavior

NeuroNex: From Odor to Action: Discovering Principles of Olfactory-Guided Natural Behavior NeuroNex: From Odor to Action: Discovering Principles of Olfactory-Guided Natural Behavior Introduction/Background Aim 3.2.1: Smith will perform experiments with honey bees using insights into the temporal properties of odors generated in Aim 3.1 to test predictions of Aim 3.2.1. He will use odor plume dynamics as measured in Aim 3.1 for psychophysical experiments and ask how discriminability of odor plumes is affected by active animal movements (sniffing, antennal movement). Overall, they will contribute to the understanding of how the interaction between individuals and the environment shapes psychophysical abilities, and how neural representations of sensory information is shaped by active sensing strategies. Aim 3.3.1: Smith will use head-fixed honey bees moving in olfactory virtual reality (VR) that allows spatiotemporal control of odor stimuli. He will perform large-scale electrophysiology of antennal lobe (AL) and cortical activity while honey bees are actively sampling during navigation. In addition, Smith will work with colleagues in IRG1 to perform behavioral choise experimetnsin semi-natural fields of flowers, followed by GC/MS analysis of floral profiels collected with pollen and nectar amounts