Hi! My name is Nicolas Nagloo, I am a neuroethologist with a strong interest in the neural basis of visual behaviour. I have previously focused on the processing of colour information at the retinal level in vertebrates and more recently in invertebrates.
I will now be joining David O’Carroll as a postdoc to investigate the effects of sub-lethal doses of imidacloprid (a neonicotinoid pesticide) on hoverflies and honeybees. Neonicotinoid pesticides are widely used in an agricultural setting but are known to negatively impact the foraging behaviour of several important pollinators. Here, we propose to use a virtual reality flight arena to examine the effects of imidacloprid on visually mediated flight behaviours which have a direct impact on foraging ability. We will combine this approach with a series of eletrophysiological experiments to identify how and which neural circuits are affected by imidacloprid and whether they may be responsible for observed changes in flight behaviours.
Don’t hesitate to say hi if you run into me, always happy to have a chat about science or otherwise! I am really keen to get to know the hiking and biking trails of Sweden!
