Peter Marting

Behavioral ecology of ant-plant mutualisms, bees, and more. Postdoc at Auburn Uni with @SmithBeeLab. Also sci-art, creative data viz, outreach, and photography.

[U.S. National Science Foundation @NSF]

Symmetry is vital to bees & their hives reflect it. 🐝

#NSFfunded researchers discovered that bees build their hives in mirroring patterns, which speeds up growth, resulting in more baby bees & a stable temperature. https://t.co/6nceODHyCA

📷: @SmithBeeLab, by Peter R. Marting

[Peter Marting @AztecaCecropia]

@Lhesperus Wow, you are too kind, thanks so much Chad!

[Peter Marting @AztecaCecropia]

New pub! Honeybee nests are super symmetrical, the pattern of cell contents is mirrored on either side of the comb. This symmetry
1 is unique to each comb in the nest
2 evolves over time while maintaining symmetry
3 aids in thermoregulation and rearing
4 conserved across Apis🔗⬇️

[Peter Marting @AztecaCecropia]

Check out this nicely told tale of discovering and manipulating architectural symmetry in honeybee nests through all 4 Tinbergen questions for our latest Current Bio pub!

[Michael Smith @SmithBeeLab]

Thrilled to see our new @SmithBeeLab paper out in @CurrentBiology!

Buckle up, this one’s a wild dive into the world of architectural symmetry…

https://t.co/UIVwFYBosE

[Peter Marting @AztecaCecropia]

Current Bio paper: https://t.co/RSPcKYwj6d Congrats to the whole team @SmithBeeLab @ben_koger @csbailey128 @prathibha897 @EricaMaul Bajaree Chuttong, Roberto Molinari, Ethan Rowe, Maritza Spott

[Michael Smith @SmithBeeLab]

Thrilled to see our new @SmithBeeLab paper out in @CurrentBiology!

Buckle up, this one’s a wild dive into the world of architectural symmetry…

https://t.co/UIVwFYBosE

[Peter Marting @AztecaCecropia]

As to WHY they prefer the entrance? Ventilation, defense, thermoregulation, and commute time (all must be tested). We estimate that colonies nesting at the entrance of the infinity nest save a total of 360 forager hours per day by not having to walk the distance to the ceiling.

[Peter Marting @AztecaCecropia]

Contrary to this poll (and even most of us in the @SmithBeeLab), turns out most colonies prefer to initiate their nest near the entrance instead of the ceiling, even if that means they build their comb from a vertical wall! At least in our infinity nest: https://t.co/NPsTAoNBNL

[Peter Marting @AztecaCecropia]

Where would honeybees prefer to initiate their nest after they move into a large cavity? A really large cavity, let's say an 8ft tall cavity, with the the entrance at the bottom. Answer the poll then see the data in our latest pub below!

[Peter Marting @AztecaCecropia]

AND combs built from the wall have a much more elongated shape, which changes the shape of the whole nest.

[Peter Marting @AztecaCecropia]

Behold, the infinity nest: designed to test honeybee colony preferences for initiating their nest within a cavity.

[Peter Marting @AztecaCecropia]

Where would honeybees prefer to initiate their nest after they move into a large cavity? A really large cavity, let's say an 8ft tall cavity, with the the entrance at the bottom. Answer the poll then see the data in our latest pub below!

[Peter Marting @AztecaCecropia]

The infinity nest answer is here (NO CHEATING): https://t.co/lnwYdb5pNn

[Michael Smith @SmithBeeLab]

We're recruiting!!! 🚨🐝🚨

See advert below, for a grad student opening in the Smith Bee Lab.

We welcome applicants from all types of fields, no prior bee experience is required or expected.

Open-ended research topics, driven by curiosity (after all, it's *YOUR* PhD!)

[Ben Koger @ben_koger]

Are you or someone you know looking for a postdoc? Consider joining my lab at University of Wyoming where we use imaging and computer vision to study animal behavior in complex natural ecosystems. Collective behavior, salmon, migration, machine learning! https://t.co/TYkCibj5zj

[Insectes Sociaux @InsSociaux]

The study by Bailey @csbailey128 and colleagues @SmithBeeLab @AztecaCecropia shows that the #nest of a #superorganism is not static, but alterations happen through constant #interaction of #workers with the structure.
Link: https://t.co/hwyubutVZC
@IUSSI_NAS @secbras @IUSSI_NWES

[Peter Marting @AztecaCecropia]

Some shots from the thrilling solar eclipse this weekend

[Peter Marting @AztecaCecropia]

Happy #sciartportfolioweek! I'm a biologist creating artwork that illustrates the narrative of my research by using data from the actual experiments to inform patterns in the pieces, usually displayed as light and sculpture. #SciArt #dataviz https://t.co/RDS0mIWzc2

[Michael Smith @SmithBeeLab]

So cool to see @ScienceMagazine covering our recent paper in @PLOSBiology about convergent collective construction in the bees and wasps.

Manuscript here: https://t.co/9HLXBXD7qn

https://t.co/VFd7zbTDul

[Peter Marting @AztecaCecropia]

@juanseapi @UFhoneybeelab @HiDrNic I don't think the talk was recorded unfortunately, but I discussed in part our most recent paper: https://t.co/ECD1LtVI4E

[Peter Marting @AztecaCecropia]

I was honored to give an invited seminar on nest architecture and colony behavior this week at Dr. Jamie Ellis's world class bee facility on UF's lush campus. What an amazing group! Thanks for hosting @UFhoneybeelab and thanks for the invite @HiDrNic, unforgettable and inspiring!