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

Ants recognize their nestmates by “smelling” the waxy hydrocarbons on each other’s bodies—but ozone pollution can chemically alter these cues and confuse entire colonies. This project dives into the chemosensory mechanisms behind this phenomenon: How do antennal sensilla detect oxidized versus intact hydrocarbons? You will combine behavioral assays and chemical analysis to unravel how environmental change reshapes insect communication.