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Smart foraging: neuronal complexity, cognition and foraging in honey bees (NEUROBEECOG2012)
Start date: Mar 1, 2014, End date: Feb 29, 2016 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Metacognition is monitoring one's own thoughts and using that knowledge to guide decision-making; for example, knowing one lacks the knowledge needed to solve a problem. Do non-human animals have metacognition? I will investigate how honey bees solve choice tasks when available information is limited. Do they use metacognition or alternative simpler strategies? I will examine how bees recognize and communicate uncertainty about floral resources when foraging socially. I will determine how natural and manipulated changes in neuronal complexity relate to the abilities of bees to solve cognitive demanding tasks and foraging. Finally, I will examine how cognitive differences, natural and otherwise, relate to neuronal complexity by determining the anatomical changes that occur in key regions of the honey bee brain. This study will determine the relationship between neuronal complexity and cognitive ability and foraging performance and will advance understanding of the evolution and biology of cognition.
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