Anne Leonard: What are the impacts of microplastics on bee health and behavior?
Title
What are the impacts of microplastics on bee health and behavior?
Mentor
Department
Biosketch
Anne Leonard, Ph.D. has been a professor in the Department of Biology at the ҹɫÊÓƵ since 2012. Originally from Berkeley, California, she began her study of animal behavior while an undergraduate at Brown University. After receiving her Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, she received an NIH postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Arizona and the Darwin Fellowship to study bee and spider behavior at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In addition to authoring numerous articles in scientific journals, Leonard’s research on interactions between bees and flowers has received coverage in The New York Times, NPR’s “Morning Edition”, Science News and BBC.com. Supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the USDA, her lab group asks basic questions about bee health and interactions between plants and pollinators. Mentees have tended to enjoy working with the lab's 3D printer to design experimental components and often enjoy participating in K-12 outreach events. Members of the lab group gather each spring for a (not very competitive) "Bee Bake Off" to celebrate the end of the semester, preparing bee-themed cookies, cakes and even pizza.
Project overview
The Pack Research Experience Program (PREP) student will be integrated into a project designed to characterize the effects of microplastics on bumble bee health and behavior. We are interested in understanding how these ubiquitous pollutants impact aspects of bee behavior and survival, and whether dietary factors can ameliorate their effects. Like other bees, bumble bees are ecologically and agriculturally important pollinators, but we know little about how microplastics are impacting their performance. The student will be trained on basic techniques relating to measuring cognitive performance in bees (including color learning assays), activity assays, and survival assays. The student will learn basic bee biology and natural history, which are required for keeping bumble bee colonies healthy in a laboratory setting. Depending on student interest, there may be opportunities to expand the taxonomic scope of our project by integrating field-collected native bees, or to pursue some physiological measurements (including dissections/microscopy).
Student Training Opportunities
- Discussing experimental design
- Knowledge of basic bee biology and natural history
- Running behavioral assays
- Preparing experimental diets
Required Qualifications
- Enthusiasm for working with bees.
- Good communication skills (e.g. ability to ask for help when needed).
- Reliable and able to do background readings as part of the onboarding process.
- Able to follow lab safety protocols.
Maximum hours per week
The PREP student will be expected to work on the project for a maximum of 8 hours per week.
Pack Research Experience Program information and application