Professor Dr Friedrich G. Barth

The main research interests of Friedrich G. Barth are twofold. (i) Neurobiology of sensors and sensing as interfaces between the environment and behaviour in a broad organismal context. The emphasis of this work is on mechanoreception in spiders which not only turned out to be exquisitely fine-tuned to the biologically relevant stimulus patterns but could also successfully be subjected to quantitative mathematical modeling and computational biomechanics. In addition to providing numerous new insights in the workings of mechanoreception (strain, vibration, touch and medium flow sensing) this interdisciplinary work promoted the interest in bio-inspired synthetic sensors.
(ii) A second line of research has been the communication related to the recruitmernt behaviour of stingless bees. This work, mainly carried out in Brazil, has had its focus on the signals and cues which these bees use with remarkable success and without evidence for any kind of a “dance language“  as in honeybees.Image: mediendienst.com / Foto Wilke