Brian H. Smith
- s-mail: Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, 1735 Neil Ave., Columbus OH 43210
- phone: (614) 292-0465
- fax: (614) 292-2180
The general focus of my research involves the physiological bases of behavior in honey bees. One project
regards mechanisms of olfactory learning. Behavioral studies are used to describe how olfactory
information in processed once a honey bee has been exposed to the relationship between an odor and
an appetitive or aversive stimulus. Electrophysiological, pharmacological, and genetic techniques are then
employed to expose neural mechanisms that underlie the behavior. One goal is to find out how hone bees
might learn to avoid toxins such as pesticides. A second project regards physiological mechanisms that
regulate stinging behavior and development of the central nervous system of different castes (queens and
workers). The ventral nerve cord is used as a model system for understanding how nerve cells proliferate
and make contact with one another during development.
Key Citations:
Smith, B.H. 1993. Merging mechanism and adaptaion: learning, generalization, and the control of
behavior. Pages 126-157, in A.C. Lewis & D.R. Papaj (eds.), Insect Learning: Ecological
and Evolutionary Perspectives. Chapman and Hall, NY.
Smith, B.H. and W.M. Getz. 1994. Non-pheromonal olfactory processing in insects. Ann. Rev. Entomol.
39:351-375.
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