Ongoing Research
Projects
Here are just a few active projects in the Whitaker Lab. We are broadly interested in the role of psychoactive plant and fungal compounds on insect herbivores. If you have ideas for new projects, are interested in collaborating, or want to join the lab, please reach out!
Robotic Flowers
The Whitaker Lab is collaborating with ETSU engineers to develop multi-functional robotic flowers capable of automatic data collection to better study individual and group foraging behaviors in bumblebees. If you would like to construct your own robotic flowers, check out our recent publication in the Journal of Integrative and Comparative Biology. All of our code and construction files are available through the Lab's Github page.
Psychoactive alkaloids and pollinator behavior
Several projects in the lab are investigating the effects of psychoactive floral alkaloids on bumblebee foraging behavior and decision making.
Papaver pollination & biochemistry
We are investigating the chemical profiles of Papaver floral rewards and the importance of insect pollinators for poppy reproduction.
