Publications

2024

  • Somanathan,H. (2024). Why diversity matters for understanding the visual ecology and behaviour of bees. Current Opinion in Insect Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2024.101224

  • Vijayan, S. and Somanathan, H. (2024). Cog in the migration wheel: migratory waggle dances are necessary but not sufficient in the nest movement of the Asian giant honeybee Apis dorsata. Insectes Sociaux. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-024-00968-1 ·

2023

  • Warrit, N., Ascher, J., … Somanathan, H., … and Orr, M. (2023). Opportunities and challenges in Asian bee research and conservation. Biological Conservation. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110173
  • Vijayan, S., Balamurali G.S., Johnson, J., Kelber, A., Warrant, E.J. and Somanathan, H. (2023). Dim-light colour vision in the facultatively nocturnal Asian giant honeybee, Apis dorsata. Proceedings of the Royal Society B DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.1267
  • Somanathan, H. and Balamurali G.S. (2023). Comparative Psychophysics of Colour Preferences and Colour Learning in Bees with Special Focus on Asian Social Bees. Journal of the Indian Institute of Science. (Invited Review) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41745-023-00386-5 
  • Vijayan, S. and Somanathan, H. (2023). Migration in honey bees. Insectes Sociaux. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-022-00892-2
  • Murugavel, B., Kandula, S., Somanathan, H., and Kelber, A. (2023). Home ranges, directionality and the influence of moon phases on the movement ecology of Indian flying fox males in southern India. Biology Open. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.059513
  • Murugavel, B., Mitkus, M., Somanathan, H., & Kelber, A. (2023) Retinal ganglion cell-based spatial resolution in pteropodid bats of southern India. Brain Behavior and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1159/000528417
  • Murugavel, B., Rathinakumar, A., Baskaran, S., Marimuthu, G., Kelber, A., & Somanathan, H. (2023) Effect of artificial light on foraging activity in frugivorous bats (Pteropodidae). Journal of Ethology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-022-00771-0

2022

  • Vijayan, S., Warrant, E. J., & Somanathan, H. (2022). Defensive shimmering responses in Apis dorsata are triggered by dark stimuli moving against a bright background. Journal of Experimental Biology.  DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244716
  • Shivani, K., Elsa, M. J., & Somanathan, H. (2022)The adaptive function of touch-sensitive stigmas. Plant Ecology. DOI: 10.1007/s11258-022-01281-2
  • de Miranda, J. R., Brettell, L. E., Chejanovsky, N., Childers, A. K., Dalmon, A., Deboutte, W., … & Somanathan, H. (2022). Cold case: The disappearance of Egypt bee virus, a fourth distinct master strain of deformed wing virus linked to honeybee mortality in 1970’s Egypt. Virology journal, 19(1), 1-11.  DOI: 10.1186/s12985-022-01740-2
  • Warrant, E and Somanathan, H.(2022). Colour vision in nocturnal insects. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2021.0285

2021

  • Murugavel, B., Kelber, A., & Somanathan, H. (2021). Eclipsed: Emergence-return activity of two pteropodid bat species during lunar eclipse. Journal of Bat Research and Conservation, 14(1), 161-166. https://doi.org/10.14709/BarbJ.14.1.2021.14
  • Jezeera, M., Tichit, P., Balamurali, G. S., Baird, E., Kelber, A., & Somanathan, H. (2021). Spatial resolution and sensitivity of the eyes of the stingless bee, Tetragonula iridipennis. Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 1-14. DOI: 10.1007/s00359-021-01521-2
  • Beleyur, T., Murthy, T. G., Singh, S., Somanathan, H., Uma, D. Web architecture, dynamics and silk investment in the social spider Stegodyphus sarasinorum. Animal Behaviour, 179, 139-146.  doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.06.029
  • Balamurali GS, Reshnuraj RS, Johnson J, Kodandaramaiah U, Somanathan H. 2021. Visual associative learning and olfactory preferences of the greater banded hornet, Vespa tropica. Insectes Sociaux, pp.1-10. doi: 10.1007/s00040-021-00820-w
  • Meena A, Kumar AM, Balamurali GS, Somanathan H. 2021. Visual detection thresholds in the Asian honeybee, Apis cerana. Journal of Comparative Physiology A. 2021 Jun 21:1-8. doi: 10.1007/s00359-021-01496-0
  • Murugavel B, Kelber A, Somanathan H. 2021. Light, flight and the night: effect of ambient light and moon phase on flight activity of pteropodid bats. Journal of Comparative Physiology A. doi: 10.1007/s00359-020-01461-3
  • Yourstone, J., Gunnarsson, J., Smith, H. G., & Somanathan, H. (2021). High dependency of chilli fruit set on wild pollinators in southern India. Journal of Pollination Ecology, 28, 65-74.

2020

  • Somanathan H, Krishna S, Jos EM, Gowda V, Kelber A, Borges RM. 2020. Nocturnal bees feed on diurnal leftovers and pay the price of day-night lifestyle transition. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2020.566964
  • Balamurali GS, Rose S, Somanathan H, Kodandaramaiah U. 2020. Complex multi-modal sensory integration and context specificity in colour preferences of a pierid butterfly. Journal of Experimental Biology 223: jeb223271 doi: 10.1242/jeb.223271
  • Parthasarathy B, Somanathan H. 2019. When and why do sit-and-wait social spiders disperse? Israel Journal of Ecology and Evolution 1.aop (2019): 1-11. doi: 10.1163/22244662-20191068
  • Dubey S, Joshi CH, Veer S, Uma D, Somanathan H, Majumdar S, Pullarkat PA. 2020. Strain softening and stiffening responses of spider silk fibers probed using a Micro-Extension Rheometer. Soft Matter. 2020;16(2):487-93. doi: 10.1039/C9SM01572H

2019

  • Kelber A, Somanathan H. 2019. Spatial Vision and Visually Guided Behavior in Apidae. Insects 2019, 10(12), 418. doi: 10.3390/insects10120418
  • de Ibarra NH, Somanathan H. 2019. How are pollinators guided by colourful floral structures? A commentary on Ison et al. (2019). Annals of Botany. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcz080
  • Nicholls E, Krishna S,  Wright O, Stabler D, Krefft A, Somanathan H,  de Ibarra NH. 2019. A matter of taste: the adverse effect of pollen compounds on the pre-ingestive gustatory experience of sugar solutions for bees. Journal of Comparative Physiology A. doi: 10.1007/s00359-019-01347-z
  • Somanathan H, Saryan P, Balamurali GS. 2019. Foraging strategies and physiological adaptations in large carpenter bees. Journal of Comparative Physiology A. Special Issue: Insects and Flowers. doi:10.1007/s00359-019-01323-7
  • Balamurali GS, Edison A, Somanathan H, Kodandaramaiah U. 2019. Spontaneous colour preferences and colour learning in the fruit-feeding butterfly, Mycalesis mineus. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology. doi:10.1007/s00265-019-2648-1
  • Parthasarathy B, Somanathan H. 2019. Behavioural responses vary with prey species in the social spider Stegodyphus sarasinorum. Behavioural Ecology doi: 10.1093/beheco/arz032
  • Parthasarathy B, Joshi CH, Sreedharan S, Somanathan H. 2019. Early ontogenic emergence of personality and its long term persistence in a social spider. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. doi:10.1007/s00265-019-2645-4

2018

  • Krishna S, Somanathan H. 2018. Intersexual mimicry and flowering phenology facilitate pollination in a dioecious habitat specialist species, Myristica fatua (Myristicaceae). Plant Ecology. doi:10.1007/s11258-018-0875-6
  • Parthasarathy B, Somanathan H. 2018. A method for accurately estimating social spider numbers without colony damage. The Journal of Arachnology, 46(2): 373-375. doi:10.1636/JoA-S-17-075.1
  • Parthasarathy B, Somanathan H. 2018. Body condition and food shapes group dispersal but not solitary dispersal in a social spider. Behavioral Ecology. 29:619–627. doi:10.1093/beheco/ary013.
  • Balamurali GS, Nicholls E, Somanathan H, Hempel de Ibarra N. 2018. A comparative analysis of colour preferences in temperate and tropical social bees. The Science of Nature. 105. doi:10.1007/s00114-017-1531-z.

2017

  • Somanathan H, Borges RM, Warrant EJ, Kelber A. 2017. Visual Adaptations for Mate Detection in the Male Carpenter Bee Xylocopa tenuiscapa. PLOS ONE. 12:e0168452. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0168452.

2016

  • Borges RM, Somanathan H, Kelber A. 2016. Patterns and Processes in Nocturnal and Crepuscular Pollination Services. The Quarterly Review of Biology. 91:389–418. doi:10.1086/689481.
  • Krishna S, Somanathan H. 2016. Spatiotemporal strategies that facilitate recruitment in a habitat specialist tree species. Annals of Botany Plants. 8:plw033. doi:10.1093/aobpla/plw033.
  • Ramesh A, Vijayan S, Sreedharan S, Somanathan H, Uma D. 2016. Similar yet different: differential response of a praying mantis to ant-mimicking spiders. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 119:158–165. doi:10.1111/bij.12793.

2015

  • Varma V, Ratnam J, Viswanathan V, Osuri AM, Biesmeijer JC, Madhusudan MD, Sankaran M, Krishnadas M, Barua D, Budruk M, et al. 2015. Perceptions of priority issues in the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems in India. Biological Conservation. 187:201–211. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2015.04.031.
  • Beleyur T, Bellur DU, Somanathan H. 2015. Long-term behavioural consistency in prey capture but not in web maintenance in a social spider. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 69:1019–1028. doi:10.1007/s00265-015-1915-z.
  • Balamurali GS, Somanathan H, Hempel de Ibarra N. 2015. Motion cues improve the performance of harnessed bees in a colour learning task. Journal of Comparative Physiology A. 201:505–511. doi:10.1007/s00359-015-0994-7.
  • Balamurali GS, Krishna S, Somanathan H. 2015. Senses and signals:evolution of floral signals,pollinator sensory systems and the structure of plant–pollinator interactions. Current Science. 108:1852–1861.

2014

  • Krishna S, Somanathan H. 2014. Secondary removal of Myristica fatua (Myristicaceae) seeds by crabs in Myristica swamp forests in India. Journal of Tropical Ecology. 30:259–263. doi:10.1017/S0266467414000091.

2009

  • Somanathan H, Warrant EJ, Borges RM, Wallen R, Kelber A. 2009. Resolution and sensitivity of the eyes of the Asian honeybees Apis florea, Apis cerana and Apis dorsata. Journal of Experimental Biology. 212:2448–2453. doi:10.1242/jeb.031484.
  • Somanathan H, Kelber A, Borges RM, Wallén R, Warrant EJ. 2009. Visual ecology of Indian carpenter bees II: adaptations of eyes and ocelli to nocturnal and diurnal lifestyles. Journal of Comparative Physiology A. 195:571–583. doi:10.1007/s00359-009-0432-9.

2008

  • Somanathan H, Borges RM, Warrant EJ, Kelber A. 2008. Nocturnal bees learn landmark colours in starlight. Current Biology. 18:R996–R997. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2008.08.023.
  • Somanathan H, Borges RM, Warrant EJ, Kelber A. 2008. Visual ecology of Indian carpenter bees I: Light intensities and flight activity. Journal of Comparative Physiology A. 194:97–107. doi:10.1007/s00359-007-0291-1.

2007 and before

  • Somanathan H, Mali S, Borges RM. 2007. Arboreal larder-hoarding in the tropical Indian giant squirrel Ratufa indica. Ecoscience. 14:165–169.
  • Somanathan H, Borges RM, Chakravarthy VS. 2004. Does neighborhood floral display matter? Fruit set in carpenter bee-pollinated Heterophragma quadriloculare and beetle-pollinated Lasiosiphon eriocephalus. Biotropica. 36:139–147.
  • Somanathan H, Borges RM. 2001. Nocturnal Pollination by the Carpenter Bee Xylocopa tenuiscapa (Apidae) and the Effect of Floral Display on Fruit Set of Heterophragma quadriloculare (Bignoniaceae) in India1. Biotropica. 33:78–89. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2001.tb00159.x
  • Somanathan H, Borges RM. 2000. Influence of exploitation on population structure, spatial distribution and reproductive success of dioecious species in a fragmented cloud forest in India. Biological Conservation. 94:243–256. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(99)00170-6.