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Hema Somanthan
I did my PhD under supervision of Prof. Renee Borges, at the Indian Institute of Sciencein Bangalore studying nocturnal pollinators. 2005 - 2008, as a postdoctoral fellow, I studied visually guided behaviour and the eyes of the only bee known to fly in moonless nights. This carpenter bee lives in fragmented forests in the Western Ghats in India and forages all night, independent of moon phase. We compared behaviour and visual capabilities of this nocturnal species with those of sympatric diurnal species. In addition, we study possible ecological reasons for nocturnality including the availaibility of food and nest resources and pressures by predators and parasites. We are also interested in the consequences of nocturnal bee activity for the pollination in plants.
Now I am assistant professor at ISEER, Trivandrum, India, where I continue to study sensory ecology using various model systems.
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Last modified 3 Apr 2013
