Infochemicals

The aim of the Team is to obtain knowledge on chemistry and biochemistry of lipids in relation to production and perception of insect infochemicals. Special emphasis is laid on intraspecific (pheromonal) communication of social insects, namely bumblebees and termites. Attention is paid not only to pheromones regulating insect behaviour (releaser pheromones), but also to primer pheromones, involved in establishment and maintenance of colonies. The mechanisms of pheromone perception are studied to prove the communication role of isolated and identified pheromone candidates mediating maintenance and homogeneity of colonies. Particular attention is paid to perception of sexual and primer pheromones. Modern chemical approaches of lipidomics and proteomics are employed in combination with classical methods of chemical ecology to study biosynthetic pathways of pheromones.