Ajay Narendra
SCIENTIFIC CAREER
2007-2008. Postdoctoral Fellow. ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Australia
2003-2007. Ph.D. Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia
2000-2003. Research Assistant. Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, India
2000-2002. M.Sc. Environmental Remote Sensing & Cartography, Madurai Kamaraj University, India
2000. Summer Research Fellow, Indian Academy of Sciences, India
1998-1999. Entomology Honors, St Joseph’s College of Arts and Science, India
1997-2000. B.Sc. Environmental Sciences, Chemistry & Zoology, St Joseph’s College of Arts & Science, India
Reviewer for: Annals of the Entomological Society of America; Asian Myrmecology; Behavioral Ecology; Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology; Behavioral Processes; Myrmecological News; New Zealand Journal of Zoology
PUBLICATIONS
2006. Narendra A & Kumar SM. On A Trail With Ants: A Handbook of the Ants of Peninsular India. Tholasi Prints, Bangalore. 208 Pages; 189 Figures. [Excerpts]
For sales & distribution contact: antbook.india@gmail.com
Journal Articles
2009. Cheng K, Narendra A, Sommer S & Wehner R. Traveling in clutter: navigation in the Central Australian desert ant, Melophorus bagoti. Behavioral Processes 80: 261-268. [abstract]
2007. Greiner B, Narendra A, Reid SF, Dacke M, Ribi WA & Zeil J. Eye structure correlates with distinct foraging bout timing in primitive ants. Current Biology 17: R879-R880. [pdf]
2007. Narendra A. Homing strategies of the Australian desert ant Melophorus bagoti I. Proportional path-integration takes the ant half-way home. Journal of Experimental Biology 210: 1798-1803. [pdf]
2007. Narendra A, Cheng K & Wehner R. Acquiring, retaining and integrating memories of the outbound distance in the Australian desert ant Melophorus bagoti. Journal of Experimental Biology 210: 570-577. [pdf]
2006. Cheng K, Narendra A & Wehner R. Behavioral ecology of odometric memories in desert ants: acquisition, retention and integration. Behavioral Ecology 17: 227-235. [pdf]
2003. Narendra A. Responses of the Asian Weaver Ant, Oecophylla smaragdina towards high quality and quantity food substances. Insect Environment 9: 89-90.
2000. Viswanathan G & Narendra A. Impact of urbanization on the diversity of ants in Bangalore. Journal of Ecobiology 12: 115-122.
2000. Viswanathan G & Narendra A. Food preference in different species of ants. Insect Environment 6: 34-35.
1999. Viswanathan G & Narendra A. A study of the behaviour of the ant Myrmicaria brunnea Saunders towards pheromones. Insect Environment 5: 23-25.
RESEARCH
I am interested in how insects find their way to places of significant interest. This task gets extremely challenging for social insects like ants since they have to return to their nesting place after finding food as if they do not, they die. In addition, whenever these ants find large supply of food deposits they need to ensure they know enough of that region to revisit it. How ants manage to “know where they are” and “know where to go” is what I address. More recently I have become interested in what factors limit activity to specific ecological and temporal niches and how the visual system of ants have adapted to these niches.
AWARDS
2008. Young Tall Poppy Science Award, Australia
2006. Photograph selected for display at the Up Close and Spineless Photography exhibition in the Professional category at the Australian Museum
2004. Best student talk award at the Australasian Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour, Adelaide
2003-2006. International Macquarie University Scholarship, Macquarie University
2002. Award for securing highest marks in M.Sc. Environmental Remote Sensing and Cartography, Madurai Kamaraj University
2000. Lija Jocob Award for securing highest marks in B.Sc Environmental Sciences, St Joseph’s College of Arts and Science
PHOTOGRAPHY
In comparison to our knowledge about distribution of large mammals & birds, there is little known about distribution of ants. This is certainly owing to great interest shown by non-specialists in vertebrates, something which the field of myrmecology has for some reason or other lacked. I make a small effort towards popularising ants with the hope that it could result in developing better knowledge about species distribution. A picture is worth a thousand words, and I find it to be an fantastic tool to attract people to watch ants. It often ensures people actually go closer to observe their behaviour. I primarily shoot ants in the outdoors and have set up a gallery of some of my pictures here.
My pictures have been used in Scientific Journals, Technical Books, Theses, Posters, Magazines and Daily Newspapers.
MEDIA COVERAGE
2008. Bug eyes boost young researcher to prize. ANU News. Oct-24. [link]
2008. Book review: by Dinesh Rao in International Society of Behavioral Ecology Newsletter 20 (1). [pdf]
2008. Book review: by John Fellowes in Myrmecological News 11: 37-38. [pdf]
2008. Book review: by Hans Peter Katzmann & Martin Pfeiffer at http://antbase.net. Apr-15.
2008. Ants up close. Frontline. Jan-19. [link]
2007. Highlighted as the Emerging Talent. The Week. Aug-25.
2007. The world of ants. The Hindu. May-01.
2007. Victory on a trail of ants. Kungumum. Mar-01.
2006. Book review: by Bittu Sahgal in Sanctuary Asia. Dec. [link]
2006. Ant thereby hangs a tale. The Hindu. Dec-09.
2006. Meticulous Effort. The Hindu. Dec-04.
2006. On ant trail? Good news in store. Times of India. Nov-13.
2006. IISc research team detect new species of ants in Bangalore. The Hindu. Sep-26.
2005. He just loves their antics. The Hindu Metro Plus. Sep-28.
2005. Two youths on the ant trail. Times of India. Sep-25.
2004. A day out with ants, in WWF Newsletter 12: 5-6. [invited contribution - popular science article]
ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science, Research School of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.