Nieh, James - University of California, San Diego - Division of Biological Sciences

个人简介

Dr. Nieh received his BA from Harvard in 1991 and his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1997. He completed a NSF-NATO postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Würzburg, Germany and was a Harvard Junior Fellow from 1998-2000.

研究领域

Research in the Nieh lab focuses on how natural and man-made stressors affect the biology of and cognitively sophisticated behaviors exhibited by bees. Our research focuses on two areas: (1) the selective pressures that may have shaped the evolution of communication in highly social bees and (2) honey bee health. We use the tools of Behavioral Ecology, Chemical Ecology, Animal Communication and Neuroethology to work with bumble bees, stingless bees, and honey bees. Five different topic areas are detailed below. For further information, please view the Nieh Lab Homepage. Selective pressures from competitors and predators has shaped social bee communication. Our lab studies multiple bee groups: honey bees, stingless bees, and bumble bees to learn how this communication works and why it may have evolved. Concern is growing over pollinator declines. Our lab examines the effects of natural stressors, such as pathogens, and man-made stressors, such as pesticides, on honey bee health, foraging, flight, and orientation. What happens if conditions change and the communicated food source becomes depleted, contested, or dangerous? The honey bee stop signal provides inhibition that counteracts the positive feedback of honey bee waggle dances. Using field studies and modeling, we are studying this signal in detail and exploring conditions under which inhibitory signals may evolve. We study olfactory eavesdropping in stingless bees and honey bees and examine the advantages of eavesdropping upon competitors and predators. Despite their small brain size and limited number of neurons relative to the central nervous systems of many vertebrates, social insects have evolved sophisticated learning and memory abilities and are therefore important models for animal cognition. However, these abilities can be impaired by field-realistic exposure to pesticides and other man-made stressors.

近期论文

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Andrey Rubanov, Kaleigh A. Russell, Jason A. Rothman, James C. Nieh, and Quinn S. McFrederick (accepted) Intensity of Nosema ceranae infection is associated with specific honey bee gut bacteria but not overall gut microbiome structure. Scientific Reports. 9:3820 Dong S., Tan K., Zhang Q., and Nieh J.C. (2019) Playbacks of Asian honey bee stop signals demonstrate referential inhibitory communication. Animal Behaviour. 148: 29-37. Kheradmand, B., Cassano J., Gray, S., and Nieh, J. C. (2018). Influence of visual targets and landmarks on honey bee foraging and waggle dancing. Insect Science. 00, 1–12, DOI 10.1111/1744-7917.12651. Gong, Z., Tan, K., and Nieh, J. C. (2018) First demonstration of olfactory learning and long term memory in honey bee queens. The Journal of Experimental Biology. 221:1-10. PMID: 29776994 Dong, S., Wen, P., Zhang, Q., Wang, Y., Cheng, Y., Tan, K., and Nieh, J. C. (2018) Olfactory eavesdropping of predator alarm pheromone by sympatric but not allopatric prey. Animal Behaviour. 141: 115-125. Zhang, J., Wang, Z., Wen, P., Qu, Y., Tan, K., and Nieh, J.C. (2018) The reluctant visitor: a terpenoid in toxic nectar can reduce olfactory learning and memory in Asian honey bees. Journal of Experimental Biology. 221, doi:10.1242/jeb.168344. Tosi, S., Nieh, J. C., Sgolastra, F., Cabbri R., and Medrzycki, P. (2017) Neonicotinoid pesticides and nutritional stress synergistically reduce survival in honey bees. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 284. 20171711. Tan, K., Wang, C., Dong, S., Li, X., and Nieh, J.C. (2017) The pesticide flupyradifurone impairs olfactory learning in Asian honey bees (Apis cerana) exposed as larvae or as adults. Scientific Reports 7:17772: DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-18060-z. Tosi, S. and Nieh, J. C. (2017) A common neonicotinoid pesticide, thiamethoxam, alters honey bee activity, motor functions, and phototaxis. Scientific Reports. 7: 15132, DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-15308-6. BenVau, L. R., and Nieh, J. C. (2017) Larval honey bees infected with Nosema ceranae have age-accelerated vitellogenin levels as young adults. Scientific Reports. DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-14702-4 Ping Wen, Ya-Nan Cheng, Shi-Hao Dong, Zheng-Wei Wang, Ken Tan, James C. Nieh. (2017) The sex pheromone of a globally invasive honey bee predator, the Asian eusocial hornet, Vespa velutina. Scientific Reports. DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-13509-7. Ping Wen, Yanan Cheng, Yufeng Qu, Hongxia Zhang, Jianjun Li, Heather Bell, Ken Tan, and Nieh, J.C. (2017) Foragers of sympatric Asian honey bee species intercept competitor signals by avoiding benzyl acetate from Apis cerana alarm pheromone. Scientific Reports. DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-03806-6. Park, B. and Nieh, J.C. (2017) Seasonal trends in honey bee pollen foraging revealed through DNA barcoding of bee-collected pollen. Insectes Sociaux. 64(3): 425-437. DOI 10.1007/s00040-017-0565-8 Lam, C., Li., Y., Landgraf, T., and Nieh, J.C. (2017) Dancing attraction: followers of honey bee tremble and waggle dances exhibit similar behaviors. Biology Open. 6: 810-817, DOI:10.1242/bio.025445 Tosi, S., G. Burgio, and Nieh, J.C. (2017) A common neonicotinoid pesticide, thiamethoxam, impairs honey bee flight ability. Scientific Reports. DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-01361-8. PMID: 28446783 Huey, S., and Nieh, J. C. (accepted) Foraging at a safe distance: crab spider effects on pollinators. Ecological Entomology. Dong Shihao, Wen Ping, Xinyu Li, Tan Ken, and Nieh, J.C. (2017) Resisting majesty: Apis cerana, has lower antennal sensitivity and decreased attraction to queen mandibular pheromone than Apis mellifera. Scientific Reports. DOI: 10.1038/srep44640. Ya-nan Cheng, Wen Ping, Shi-hao Dong, Ken Tan, Nieh, J.C. (2017) Poison and alarm: The Asian hornet Vespa velutina uses sting venom volatiles as an alarm pheromone. Journal of Experimental Biology. 220: 645-651. Gong, Z, Wang, C., Nieh, J.C., and Tan, K. (2016) Inhibiting DNA methylation alters olfactory learning extinction but not acquisition in Apis cerana and Apis mellifera. Journal of Insect Physiology. 90:43-49. Wang, Z., Wen, P., Yufeng, Q., Dong, S., Li, J. Tan, K., and Nieh, J.C. (2016) Bees eavesdrop upon informative and persistent signal compounds in alarm pheromones. Scientific Reports. 6: 25693 EP. Tan, K., Dong, S., Liu, X., Wang, C., Li, J., and Nieh J.C. (2016) Honey bee inhibitory signaling is tuned to threat severity and can act as a colony alarm signal. PLOS Biology. 14(3): e1002423-19. Lecocq, A., Jensen, A.B., Kryger, P., and Nieh, J.C. (2016) Parasite infection accelerates age polyethism in young honey bees. Scientific Reports. 6: 11. DOI:10.1038/srep22042. Lau, P. and Nieh J.C. (2016) Salt preferences of honey bee water foragers. Journal of Experimental Biology 219: 790-796. Zhang, E. and Nieh, J.C. (2015) A neonicotinoid, imidacloprid, impairs honey bee aversive learning of simulated predation. Journal of Experimental Biology 218 3199-3205. Jack-McCollough R.T. and Nieh, J.C. (2015) Honey bees tune excitatory and inhibitory recruitment signaling to resource value and predation risk. Animal Behaviour. 110: 9-17.