The aim of this proposal is to exploit two recent developments to break new ground in our understanding of mosquito swarming and courtship behaviour: (i) The unique large cage infrastructure developed in Research Unit 1 that allows robust natural swarming behaviour in a lab-based setting, and (ii) Cutting edge 3D imaging and analysis techniques, pioneered by Research Unit 2 that have proved capable of extracting biological meaning from other highly complex swarm systems. Building on pilot data generated from this ongoing collaboration, we will leverage the synergy in these two approaches to address three main objectives:
