Elke K. Buschbeck

Biography

My research is driven by a deep interest in how other organisms perceive the world, and how their sensory systems have evolved to adjust to specific needs. I am particularly interested in vision, since the nature of light makes it relatively easy to understand eye design, and almost all animal eyes follow a few, relatively well understood functional plans. Once in a while though an eye is discovered that diverges fundamentally from known types. I find that there is a lot to learn from the functional organization of such exceptional eyes. In addition we are interested in how highly specialized eyes develop, and how such eyes have evolved.

Research Interest

SBBE, Evolution and development of arthropod visual systems: Neuroethology, insect neurobiology, physiology, optics, behavior, molecular biology, evolution