Dr. Paul Siefert
Research assistant | |
Institut für Bienenkunde, | |
Tel. | +49-(0)6171-212 78 |

Research assistant | |
Institut für Bienenkunde, | |
Tel. | +49-(0)6171-212 78 |
Risk evaluations for agricultural chemicals are necessary to preserve healthy populations of honey bee colonies. Field studies on whole colonies cannot detect behavioural impacts, while lab studies don’t allow conclusions on potential colony impacts. The solution, non-disturbing long-term recordings of within-hive behaviour, were hitherto missing. I developed a video registration method that enables within-cell analysis in honey bee (Apis mellifera) observation hives to conduct impact analyses of chemicals, pests and other stressors on worker behaviour and development using our machine learning algorithm.
The cholinergic system is a popular target of insecticides, because the pharmacology of insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) differs substantially from their vertebrate counterparts. Besides its effects on behavior, it becomes increasingly evident that neonicotinoids affect developmental processes in bees that appear to be independent of neuronal AChRs. Brood food (royal jelly, worker jelly or drone jelly) produced in the hypopharyngeal glands of nurse bees contains millimolar concentrations of ACh, which is required for proper larval development. I investigate the underlying modes of actions of acetylcholine in honeybee development.
Grünewald, B. & Siefert, P. Acetylcholine and its receptors in honeybees: Involvement in development and impairments by neonicotinoids. Insects 10, 420 (2019). https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/10/12/420 |
Siefert, P., Hota, R., Ramesh, V. & Grünewald, B. Chronic within-hive video recordings detect altered nursing behaviour and retarded larval development of neonicotinoid treated honey bees. Sci. Rep. 10, 8727 (2020). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-65425-y |
Siefert P, Buling N, Grünewald B. Honey bee behaviours within the hive: Insights from long-term video analysis. PLoS ONE 16(3): e0247323 (2021). https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0247323 |
2017 | Tagung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Bienenforschung e.V. (Celle) | Impacts of clothianidin and thiacloprid on brood care and larval development of Apis mellifera |
2018 | Arthropod Neuroscience Network Spring Meeting (Altleiningen) | Neonicotinoid effects at field realistic concentrations on brood development and worker behavior |
2018 | EurBee 8 (Ghent) | Neonicotinoid effects at field realistic concentrations on brood development and worker behavior |
2019 | Deutscher Berufs- und Erwerbsimkerbund (Donaueschingen) | Die Bienenentwicklung unter der Lupe: Videos und Verhaltensanalysen aus dem Bienenvolk |
since 2018 | Research assistant at the Bee Research Institute of the Polytechnische Gesellschaft, Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main |
2018 | Doctoral degree , PhD, Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main |
2014 - 2018 | Doctoral research study at the Bee Research Institute |
2012 / 2013 | Stay abroad, Work & Travel in New Zealand |
2011 | Diploma thesis „Cholinergic influence on the rat's auditory attetion“, Bernhard Gaese / Kössl workgroup |
2007 / 2008 | Stay abroad & practical work in Australia, Schleucher / Prinzinger workgroup |
2005 - 2011 | Studies in biology at the Goethe-University Frankfurt. Degree: Diploma |