Felicity Muth, PhD
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Peer-reviewed publications

Barker, J.L., Dornhaus, A., Bronstein, J.L., Muth, F. (2018) Learning about larceny: experience can bias bumble bees to rob nectar. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 72:68.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-018-2478-6. pdf

Pritchard, D.J., Tello-Ramos, M.C., Muth, F., Healy, S.D. (2017) Treating hummingbirds as feathered bees: a case of ethological cross-pollination. Biology Letters. 13: 20170610. Doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0610. pdf

Muth, F., Cooper, T., Bonilla, R.F. & Leonard, A.S. (2017) A novel protocol for studying bee cognition in the wild. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 1-10. doi:10.1111/2041-210X.12852. pdf
  • Video describing this paper

Muth, F. Papaj, D.R. & Leonard, A.S. (2017) Multiple rewards have asymmetric effects on learning in bumblebees. Animal Behaviour 126, 123–133. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.01.010. pdf 

Muth, F., Francis, J.S. & Leonard, A.S. (2016) Bees use the taste of pollen to determine which flowers to visit. Biology Letters, 12, 20160356. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0356. pdf. 
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  • Science Magazine News
  • Nature Research Highlights pdf 
  • Phys.org
  • Scientific American 60-Second Science

Francis, J.S., Muth, F., Papaj, D.R. & Leonard, A.S. (2016) Nutritional complexity and the structure of bee foraging bouts. Behavioral Ecology. 27, 903–911. doi:10.1093/beheco/arv229. pdf

Muth, F., Papaj, D.R. & Leonard, A.S. (2016). Bees remember flowers for more than one reason: Pollen mediates associative learning. Animal Behaviour 111, 93-100. pdf
  • Video describing this paper
  • Scientific American blog post 
  • Research featured in interactive New York Times article 'You’re a Bee. This Is What It Feels Like.'
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Muth, F., Papaj, D.R. & Leonard, A.S. (2015). Colour learning when foraging for nectar and pollen: Bees learn two colours at once. Biology Letters 11, 20150628.​ pdf
  • featured on phys.org
  • Scientific American blog post

Muth, F., Keasar, T. & Dornhaus, A.  (2015) Trading off short-term costs for long-term gains: How do bumblebees decide to learn morphologically complex flowers? Animal Behaviour 101, 191-199. pdf
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Muth, F., Scampini, A. & Leonard, A.S. (2015) The effects of acute stress on learning and memory in bumblebees. Learning and Motivation, 50, 39-47. pdf

Bailey, I.E., Muth, F., Morgan, K., Meddle, S.L. & Healy, S.D. (2015) Birds build camouflaged nests. The Auk 132, 11-15. Published online ahead of print: doi: 10.1642/AUK-14-77.1. 
  • The Guardian 
  • Discovery News
  • IFLscience
  • SciLogs

Muth, F. & Healy, S.D.  (2014) Zebra finches select nest material appropriate for a building task. Animal Behaviour 90, 237-244. pdf

Muth, F., Steele, M. & Healy, S.D. (2013) Colour preferences in nest-building zebra finches. Behavioural Processes 99, 106-111. pdf

Boogert, N.J., Arbilly, M., Muth, F. & Seed, A.M. (2013) Do crows reason about causes or agents? The devil is in the controls PNAS Letter 110(4), E273-E273, doi:10.1073/pnas.1219664110. ​

Muth, F. & Healy, S.D.  (2012)  Zebra finches build nests that do not resemble their natal nest. Avian Biology Research 5, 218-226. pdf

Muth, F. & Healy, S.D. (2011) The role of adult experience in nest building in the zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata. Animal Behaviour 82 (2): 185-189. pdf

Other academic publications


​Healy, S.D., Muth, F. & Hall, Z. Nest building in birds: a window onto the evolution of cognition? Book chapter in Basketry and Beyond: Constructing Cultures (in press)

Invitations to review

​Reviewer for American Journal of Botany, American Naturalist, Animal Behaviour, Animal Cognition, Avian Biology Research, Behavioural Ecology, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Behavioural Processes, Current Biology, Ecological Entomology, Evolutionary Ecology, Functional Ecology, International Journal of Comparative Psychology, Journal of Avian Biology, Journal of Insect Behavior, Journal of Visualized Experiments, Naturwissenschaften (The Science of Nature), Oikos, PLOS one, Scientific Reports, Science and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: Biological Sciences.


​Presentations (presenter & author)

Muth, F. Francis, J.F., Leonard, A.S. (2017) Bees taste the pollen they collect. International Union for the Study of Social Insects NW European Winter Meeting, University of York, UK. 

Muth, F.
 (2017) Learning in ecologically relevant scenarios​. Invited talk, Royal Holloway University of London, UK. 

Muth, F.
(2017) A means to investigate cognition in wild bumblebees. Building Our Methods Using Sound Science (BOMBUSS), Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA.
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Muth, F. (2017) Investigating cognition in wild bumblebees (flash talk). 2017 Bee Symposium, UC Davis Conference Center, USA.

Muth, F. (2017) Learning under ecologically relevant conditions: an investigation into pollen rewards for bees. Annual Meeting of the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America, DoubleTree by Hilton, Portland, Oregon, USA.

Muth, F., Leonard, A.S. (2016) Learning in ecologically relevant scenarios in bees​. Invited talk, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA.
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Muth, F., Leonard, A.S. (2016) An unusual reinforcer: How do bees learn about the pollen they collect? The 53rd annual conference of the Animal Behavior Society, University of Columbia, Missouri, USA. 

Muth, F., Papaj, D.R., Leonard, A.S. (2015) Coping with multiple rewards: the dynamics of bee learning with both nectar and pollen. Presented at the International Union for the Study of Social Insects NW European Winter Meeting, University of Bristol, UK. 

​Muth, F., Papaj, D.R., Leonard, A.S. (2015) Coping with multiple rewards: the dynamics of bee learning with both nectar and pollen. Presented at the Society for Neuroscience meeting, Sierra Nevada chapter. University of Nevada, Reno, USA. 

Muth, F., Papaj, D.R., Leonard, A.S. (2015) Coping with multiple rewards: the dynamics of bee learning with both nectar and pollen. Presented at The 52nd annual conference of the Animal Behavior Society, University of Anchorage, Alaska, USA. 

Muth, F., Papaj, D.R., Leonard, A.S. (2015) Coping with multiple rewards: bumblebee learning dynamics with both nectar and pollen. Presented at the UC Davis Animal Behavior regional conference, University of California, Davis, USA. 

Muth, F., Papaj, D.R., Leonard, A.S. (2014) In An Investigation Into Pollen Learning, Bees Remember The Anther. Presented at the International Union for the Study of Social Insects NW European Winter Meeting, Natural History Museum, London, UK. 

Muth, F., Papaj, D.R., Leonard, A.S. (2014) Coping with multiple rewards: the effect of pollen on learning in bumblebees. Presented at the International Society of Behavioral Ecology (ISBE) meeting, New York City, New York, USA.

Muth, F., Papaj, D.R., Leonard, A.S. (2014) Coping with multiple rewards: the effect of pollen on learning in bumblebees. Presented at the Entomological Society of America Pacific Branch annual meeting, Tucson, Arizona, USA.   

Muth, F., Keasar, T. & Dornhaus, A. (2013) Overcoming the ‘frustration’ of learning: How do bumblebees learn to handle complex flowers? Presented at the International Union for the Study of Social Insects NW European Winter Meeting, Royal Holloway University of London, UK. 

Muth, F., Keasar, T. & Dornhaus, A. (2013) Decision-making in bumblebees: choosing between simple and complex flowers. Presented at The 50th conference of the Animal Behavior Society, Boulder, Colorado, USA. 

Muth, F. & Healy, S.D. (2012) Zebra finches build nests that do not resemble their natal nest. Presented at Nest construction and function conference, University of Lincoln, UK.

Muth, F. (2012) Cognition in nest construction. Invited talk at Cambridge University, UK.

Muth, F. & Healy, S.D. (2012) The right tool for the nest: do birds choose material suitable for building? Presented at The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Easter meeting, Aberystwyth University, UK.

Muth, F. & Healy, S.D. (2011) The role of adult experience in nest building in the zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata. Presented at The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Summer meeting, University of St Andrews, UK.

Muth, F. & Healy, S.D. (2011) The role of experience in nest construction in the zebra finch. Presented at the 18th International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne, Florida, USA.

Muth, F., Walsh, P.T., Hansell, M., Borello, W. & Healy, S.D. (2010) Nest building in a weaverbird – how flexible is their behaviour? Presented at The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Easter meeting, University of Exeter, UK.


Presentations (author only)


​Francis, J.S., Muth, F., Papaj, D.R. & Leonard, A.S. (2015) Bumble bees balance colony demand and floral feedback when structuring foraging bouts. 100th Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Barker, J., Dornhaus, A. & Muth, F., (2015) Learning larceny: previous experience affects bumblebee preferences for nectar robbing. The 52nd annual conference of the Animal Behavior Society, University of Anchorage, Alaska, USA.

Francis, J.S., Muth, F., Papaj, D.R. & Leonard, A.S. (2014) Separating pollinator constancy into flowers and rewards: A new look at an old phenomenon. The Ecological Society of America (ESA) 99th Annual meeting, Sacramento,    California, USA.

​Francis, J.S., Muth, F., Papaj, D.R. & Leonard, A.S. (2014) Bumblebee foraging on complex floral rewards. The Entomological Society of America Pacific Branch annual meeting, Tucson, Arizona, USA.   

  

Department of Biology,
University of Nevada, Reno,
1664 N. Virginia St.
Reno, NV 89557-0314.
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