The role of cognition in the ability of insects to cope with environmental adversity

Ants are remarkable creatures that support their colonies by retrieving items of food in an often complex landscape. There is an extensive amount of research on how various species of ant navigate their surrounding environment, but very little has been done on the common meat ant and virtually no study has investigated the cognitive abilities of problem solving as it relates to efficient foraging behaviour in any ant species.The impacts of temperature on ant activity is well established, but the impact of temperature and climate change on the cognitive ability (and subsequent foraging efficiency) of ants is unknown.

This project offers numerous opportunities to fill this knowledge gap and provide a broad assessment of the likely consequence of climate change on an ecologically important and dominant Australian invertebrate.

How to Apply

Express your interest in this project by emailing Associate Professor Terry Ord. Include a copy of your CV and your academic transcript(s).