Master thesis: Pollution and Perception - How ozone degrades social discrimination systems in ants

22.04.2026, Abschlussarbeiten, Bachelor- und Masterarbeiten

Ants rely on cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) to recognize nestmates and maintain colony cohesion. Recent findings show that oxidizing pollutants such as ozone selectively degrade CHC compounds, which disrupts social communication, alters colony behavior and leads to elevated aggression across multiple ant species.
However, it remains unknown how the ant olfactory system perceives the difference between oxidized and non oxidized CHC profiles. This gap is critical because the behavioral consequences imply that ants encode subtle chemical alterations at the sensory neural level.
This project aims to identify antennal sensilla responsive to oxidized vs. intact CHCs using single sensillum recordings (SSR), mirroring the behavioral disruptions observed after ozone exposure.

Time frame:
This project can be started year-round, start date flexible, project time can be adjusted according to thesis requirements.

Requirements:
Self-sufficient, reliable and precise work ethic in the lab. Experience with analytical chemistry not required as this will be taught in the project, but some experience with data analysis through statistical programs such as R would be beneficial.

Kontakt: jan.buellesbach@tum.de

Mehr Information

https://www.lss.ls.tum.de/pii/team/dr-jan-buellesbach/