Elisa Frasnelli

Recent studies on bees and fruit flies have shown how gut-brain communication is able to influence their behavior. This opens interesting questions about the importance, not only in humans but also in insects, of healthy gut-brain interaction to properly carry out behaviors necessary for their survival. Honey bees are critical to the alpine ecosystem, but various stressors (e.g., pesticides, parasites, climate change) have challenged their survival. The project will explore another possible way in which the environment (through changes in the microbiota due to stressors, nutrient availability, and antibiotic treatments) can influence honey bee behavior and cognition. The study will focus on the role of the gut microbiota on locomotion and cognition. Previous work on fruit flies has shown that the absence of a gut microbiome affects host locomotion by causing the host to be hyperactive. Here we will study whether this effect can also be observed in bees and whether it can also influence their learning, with obvious crucial implications for their health and survival. The project, through manipulation of the bees' gut microbiome (monocolonization of the gut with specific bacteria such as Bartonella, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus), will also identify which bacteria are responsible for behavioral changes and discover how to restore normal behavior and cognition.

The different functional specialization of the right and left hemisphere is a characteristic shared by many animal species, from humans to bees. Through behavioural and comparative cognition studies it is possible to investigate the features of this phenomenon to understand its function and evolution.  

Bees are vital to our ecosystem for their fundamental role as pollinators, but unfortunately they are increasingly subject to many environmental stressors. In particular, the impact of climate change on bee welfare is an issue that requires the urgent attention of the entire community. We need to understand the bee's neurobiology in more detail and study its interactions with the environment in order to promote beekeeping that is more resilient to such stressors. 
This project aims to understand the effect of temperature, humidity and electromagnetic fields on the behavior and cognitive abilities of bees, abilities that enable them to navigate an increasingly hostile environment. This will take place in both natural, semi-natural (through the use of greenhouses) and more controlled environments (and then in the laboratory).  Through behavioral observations, physiological measurements, and neuroimaging we will study honey bee immunity, health, nutrition, and resistance to varying environmental conditions that characterize the changing climate we are experiencing.

The traditional view that only vertebrates can feel pain is slowly fading. Invertebrates display complex behaviours and responses to stimuli, raising questions about their capacity to experience pain. Our research aims to provide behavioural and neuropharmacological evidence for their conscious pain. Understanding their experience could have implications for their conservation and ethical treatment. In addition, a greater awareness of invertebrate sentience could broaden our perspective on the nature of consciousness and pain in animals.