Overview
I graduated from the University of Sussex with a BSc Hons in Biology in 2015. In my final year project investigated the locomotion of tardigrades and compared it with those of other Ecdysozoa species. At the University of Sussex I developed a strong interest in the behaviour of social insects. This led me to complete a MSc by research in Animal Behaviour at the University of Exeter investigating the spatial aspects of foraging behaviour in Eastern honeybees, Apis cerana.
I am now continuing bee behaviour research at the University of Exeter. My PhD, under the supervision of Dr Natalie Hempel de Ibarra and Prof Kevin Gaston, is examining the behaviour of bees in dim light.
Research group links
Research
Research projects
Title: Behaviour of bees in dim light
Supervisors: Dr Natalie Hempel de Ibarra and Prof Kevin Gaston
Funding body: SWBio DTP BBSRC
Project description: My overarching aim for my PhD project is to establish key evidence of how dim light affects the activity and foraging behaviour of bees. My work will provide scientific evidence to support the evaluation of potential risks that come with the ongoing extension of artificial light in rural areas of the UK and Europe.
Publications
Key publications | Publications by category | Publications by year
Publications by category
Journal articles
Hall K, Robert T, Gaston K, Hempel De Ibarra N (2021). Onset of morning activity in bumblebee foragers under natural low light conditions.
Ecology and EvolutionAbstract:
Onset of morning activity in bumblebee foragers under natural low light conditions
Foraging on flowers in low light at dusk and dawn comes at an additional cost for insect pollinators with diurnal vision. Nevertheless, some species are known to be frequently active at these times. To explore how early and under which light levels colonies of bumblebees, Bombus terrestris, initiate their foraging activity, we tracked foragers of different body sizes using RFID over 5 consecutive days during warm periods of the flowering season. Bees that left the colony at lower light levels and earlier in the day were larger in size. This result extends the evidence for alloethism in bumblebees and shows that foragers differ in their task specialization depending on body size. By leaving the colony earlier to find and exploit flowers in low light, larger‐sized foragers are aided by their more sensitive eyes and can effectively increase their contributions to the colony's food influx. The decision to leave the colony early seems to be further facilitated by knowledge about profitable food resources in specific locations. We observed that experience accrued over many foraging flights determined whether a bee started foraging under lower light levels and earlier in the morning. Larger‐sized bees were not more experienced than smaller‐sized bees, confirming earlier observations of wide size ranges among active foragers. Overall, we found that most foragers left at higher light levels when they could see well and fly faster. Nevertheless, a small proportion of foragers left the colony shortly after the onset of dawn when light levels were below 10 lux. Our observations suggest that bumblebee colonies have the potential to balance the benefits of deploying large‐sized or experienced foragers during dawn against the risks and costs of foraging under low light by regulating the onset of their activity at different stages of the colony's life cycle and in changing environmental conditions.
Abstract.
Publications by year
2021
Hall K, Robert T, Gaston K, Hempel De Ibarra N (2021). Onset of morning activity in bumblebee foragers under natural low light conditions.
Ecology and EvolutionAbstract:
Onset of morning activity in bumblebee foragers under natural low light conditions
Foraging on flowers in low light at dusk and dawn comes at an additional cost for insect pollinators with diurnal vision. Nevertheless, some species are known to be frequently active at these times. To explore how early and under which light levels colonies of bumblebees, Bombus terrestris, initiate their foraging activity, we tracked foragers of different body sizes using RFID over 5 consecutive days during warm periods of the flowering season. Bees that left the colony at lower light levels and earlier in the day were larger in size. This result extends the evidence for alloethism in bumblebees and shows that foragers differ in their task specialization depending on body size. By leaving the colony earlier to find and exploit flowers in low light, larger‐sized foragers are aided by their more sensitive eyes and can effectively increase their contributions to the colony's food influx. The decision to leave the colony early seems to be further facilitated by knowledge about profitable food resources in specific locations. We observed that experience accrued over many foraging flights determined whether a bee started foraging under lower light levels and earlier in the morning. Larger‐sized bees were not more experienced than smaller‐sized bees, confirming earlier observations of wide size ranges among active foragers. Overall, we found that most foragers left at higher light levels when they could see well and fly faster. Nevertheless, a small proportion of foragers left the colony shortly after the onset of dawn when light levels were below 10 lux. Our observations suggest that bumblebee colonies have the potential to balance the benefits of deploying large‐sized or experienced foragers during dawn against the risks and costs of foraging under low light by regulating the onset of their activity at different stages of the colony's life cycle and in changing environmental conditions.
Abstract.
Katie_Hall Details from cache as at 2021-12-02 06:04:16
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Supervision / Group
Postgraduate researchers
- Kevin Gaston
- Natalie Hempel de Ibarra
