Research

A main research field is the thermal behaviour of individual in­sects as well as the social ther­moregulation in the honeybee colony and in wasp societies. These investigations aim at a better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of individual and colonial thermoregulation. The method of infrared thermography enables us to measure the body temperature of insects without impairment and without disturbance of their behaviour. 

For an energetic view on foraging efficiency we per­form eco­phy­si­ologi­cal in­ves­tigations of forag­ing bees and wasps in the field, including measure­ment of body tempe­ra­ture, respiration and en­viron­men­­tal parameters at the mi­cro­clim­atologi­cal level. The aim of these studies is to un­derstand the energetic optimization strategies of insects during foraging, and to develop a heat exchange model of foraging he­tero­ther­mic insects like bees and wasps. 

A further field of research is the comparative res­pi­rati­on physi­ology of insects. We investigate the tem­perature depend­ent me­­chanisms of insect gas ex­change both in the resting and in the active state. Measured quan­tities are CO₂ production and O₂ consumption. 

Climate change is one of the main challenges of man­kind. How­ever, it is also a great challenge for insect survival. We compare the energetic requirements and the thermal limits of native and invasive insect species with the microclimatological situation in their habitats. This field of research is of special interest for the assessment of fitness and survival of insects in a changing environment due to global warming. 

The Arum lily (Arum maculatum L.) is a typical gliding trap inflorescence ("Gleitfallenblume"). The spadix of the inflorescence consists of separate male and female flowers at the base and a sterile club at the tip - the appendix. During flowering the spathe (a bract or enveloping leaf) unfolds in its upper part and exposes the appendix, whereas the lower part, forming the floral chamber (basal bulb) with the male and female flower parts, remains closed to trap small insects. The appendix and parts of the sexual organs heat up via combustion of starch, to improve 'odour' vaporisation, which attracts the insects. We (Edith and Anton Stabentheiner) compare the (thermal) characteristics and temporal patterns of flowering phases of different Aroid plants.