Key PUBLICATIONS

Neural representation of goal direction in the monarch butterfly brain
​

Nature Communications 2023

Sun compass neurons are tuned to migratory orientation in monarch butterflies

Proceedings of the Royal Society B  2022

Flight-induced compass representation in the monarch butterfly heading network
​​

Current Biology 2023

Stimulus-dependent orientation strategies in monarch butterflies
​

Journal of Experimental Biology 2022

Multimodal cue integration in the dung beetle compass​
​

PNAS 2019

Neuroarchitecture of the dung beetle central complex
​

Journal of Comparative Neurology 2018

A snapshot-based mechanisms for celestial orientation
​

Current Biology 2016

Neural coding underlying the cue preference for celestial orientation
​

​PNAS 2015

FULL PUBLICATION LIST

1. Belušič G, el Jundi B (2024) Polarization sensitivity in butterflies. In: Horváth G (ed.), Polarization Vision and Environmental Polarized Light, Springer, pp. 73-87 [book chapter]. 

2. Dacke M, el Jundi B (2024) Polarization vision and orientation in ball-rolling dung beetles. In: Horváth G (ed.), Polarization Vision and Environmental Polarized Light, Springer, pp. 39-52 [book chapter]. 

3. Konnerth MM, Foster JJ, el Jundi B, Spaethe J, Beetz MJ (2023) Monarch butterflies memorize the spatial location of a food source. Proc R Soc B 290:20231574.

4. Beetz MJ, Kraus C, el Jundi B (2023) Neural representation of goal direction in the monarch butterfly brain. Nature Comm 14:5859.

5. Beetz MJ, el Jundi B (2023) The neurobiology of the Monarch butterfly compass. Curr Opin Insect Sci 60: 101109 [review].

6. Beetz MJ, el Jundi B (2023) The influence of stimulus history on the directional coding in the monarch butterfly brain. J Comp Physiol A 209: 663-677.

7. Grob R, el Jundi B (2023) Insect navigation: Where to face when moving through space. Curr Biol  33, R100–R103. [dispatch].

8. Yilmaz A, el Jundi B, Belušič G, Byrne M, Baird E, Dacke M (2022) Mechanisms of spectral orientation in a diurnal dung beetle. Phil Trans R Soc B 377: 20210287.

9. Nguyen TAT, Beetz MJ, Merlin C, Pfeiffer K, el Jundi B (2022) Weighting of celestial and terrestrial cues in the monarch butterfly central complex. Front Neural Circuits 16:862279.

10. Schmalz F, el Jundi B, Rössler W, Strube-Bloss MF (2022) Categorizing visual information in subpopulations of honeybee mushroom body output neurons. Front Physiol 13: 866807. 

11. Franzke M, Kraus C, Gayler M, Dreyer D, Pfeiffer K, el Jundi B (2022) Stimulus-dependent orientation strategies in monarch butterflies. J Exp Biol 225: jeb243687. 

12. Beetz MJ, Kraus C, Franzke M, Dreyer D, Strube-Bloss MF, Rössler W, Warrant EJ, Merlin C, el Jundi B (2022) Flight-induced compass representation in the monarch butterfly heading network. Curr Biol ​32: 338-349.

13. Heinze S, el Jundi B, Berg B, Homberg U, Menzel R, Pfeiffer K, Hensgen R, Zitrrell F, Dacke M, Warrant EJ, Pfuhl G, Rybak J, Tedore K (2021) A unified platform to manage, share and archive morphological and functional data. eLife 10: e65376.

14. Rother L, Kraft N, Smith DB, el Jundi B, Gill RJ, Pfeiffer K (2021) A micro-CT-based standard brain atals of the bumblebee. Cell Tissue Res 386: 29-45. 

15. Grob R, el Jundi B, Fleischmann P (2021) Towards a common terminology for arthropod spatial orientation (2021) Ethol Ecol Evol Special Issue: 1-21 [review].

16. Nguyen TAT, Beetz MJ, Merlin C, el Jundi B (2021) Sun compass neurons are tuned to migratory orientation in monarch butterflies. Proc R Soc B 288: 20202988.

17. el Jundi B, Dacke M (2021) Insect Orientation: The Drosophila wind compass pathway. Curr Biol 31:R83-R85 [dispatch].

18. Dacke M, Baird EJ, el Jundi B, Warrant EJ, Byrne MJ (2021) How dung beetles steer straight. Ann Rev Entomol 66:12.1-12.14 [review].

19. Fabian JM, el Jundi B, Wiederman SD, O'Carroll DC (2020) The complex optic lobes of dragonflies. BioRxiv doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.10.087437.

20. el Jundi B, Wystrach A (2020) Neuroecology of insects: when ultimate and proximate explanations unite. Curr Opin Insect Sci 42: iii-v [editorial].

21. Dacke M, el Jundi B, Gagnon Y, Ylmaz A, Byrne M, Baird E (2020) A dung beetle that path integrates without the use of landmarks, Anim Cogn 23: 1161-1175.

22. el Jundi B, Heinze S (2020) Atlasing of insect brains. In: Pelc R, Doucette JR, Walz W (eds.), Neurohistology and Imaging: Basic techniques. Springer, pp. 73-124 [book chapter].

23. el Jundi B (2020) Underwater path integration: using the celestial dome to get back home. Curr Biol 30:R639-R642. [dispatch].

24. Franzke M, Kraus C, Dreyer D, Pfeiffer K, Beetz MJ, Stoeckl AL, Foster JJ, Warrant EJ, el Jundi B (2020) Spatial orientation based on multiple visual cues in non-migratory monarch butterflies. J Exp Biol 223: jeb223800.​

25. Habenstein J, Amini E, Gruebel K, el Jundi B, Roessler W (2020) The brain of Cataglyphis ants: neurnal organization and visual projections. J Comp Neurol 528: 3479-3506. 

26. Groothuis J, Pfeiffer K, el Jundi B, Smid HM (2019) The jewel wasp standard brain: average shape atlas and morphology of the female Nasonia vitripennis brain. Arthropod Struct Dev, 100878.

27. Dacke M, Bell ATA, Foster JJ, Baird EJ, Strube-Bloss MF, Byrne MJ, el Jundi B (2019) Multimodal cue integration in the dung beetle compass. PNAS 116:14248-14253.

​28. el Jundi B, Baird E, Byrne M, Dacke M (2019) The brain behind straight-line orientation in dung beetles. J Exp Biol 222: jeb192450 [review].

29. Kelber A, Webb B, el Jundi B (2019) Linking brain and behaviour in animal navigation: navigation from genes to maps. J Exp Biol 222: jeb197756 [editorial].

30. Pauls D, Blechschmidt C, Frantzmann F, el Jundi B, Selcho M (2018) A comprehensive anatomical map of the peripheral octopaminergic/tyraminergic system of Drosophila melanogaster. Sci Rep 8:15314.

31. Beetz MJ, el Jundi B (2018) Insect Orientation: stay on course with the sun. Curr Biol 28:R933-R936 [dispatch].

32. el Jundi B, Warrant EJ, Pfeiffer K, Dacke M (2018) Neuroarchitecture of the dung beetle central complex. J Comp Neurol 526:2612-2630.

33. Dacke M, el Jundi B (2018) The dung beetle compass. Curr Biol 28:R993-R997 [primer].

34. Dreyer D, el Jundi B, Kishkinev D, Suchentrunk C, Campostrini L, Frost BJ, Zechmeister T, Warrant EJ (2018) Evidence for a directed autumn migration of nocturnal noctuid moths in Central Europe. J Exp Biol 221: jeb179218.

35. Foster JJ , Kirwan JD, el Jundi B, Smolka J, Khaldy L, Baird EJ, Byrne M, Nilsson D-E, Johnsen S, Dacke M (2018) Orienting to polarized light at night - matching lunar skylight to performance in a nocturnal beetle. J Exp Biol  221:jeb188532.

36. el Jundi B (2017) Insect navigation: how flies keep track of their snack. Curr Biol 27: R748-R750. [dispatch].

37. Immonen EV, Dacke M, Heinze S, el Jundi B (2017) Anatomical organization of the brain of a diurnal and a nocturnal dung beetle. J Comp Neurol 525:1879-1908.

38. Foster JJ, el Jundi B, Smolka J, Khaldy L, Nilsson DE, Byrne MJ, Dacke M (2017) Stellar performance – Mechanisms underlying Milky Way orientation in dung beetles. Phil Trans R Soc B 372:20160079.

39. el Jundi B, Foster JJ, Khaldy L, Byrne MJ, Dacke M, Baird, E (2016) A snapshot-based mechanisms for celestial orientation. Curr Biol 26:1-7.

40. Stoeckl A, Heinze S, Charalabidis A, el Jundi B, Warrant E, Kelber A (2016) A trade-off between vision and olfaction: Brain volume predicts the importance of sensory cues in hawkmoth foraging. Sci Rep 17;626041

41. el Jundi B, Warrant EJ, Byrne MJ, Khaldy L, Baird E, Smolka J, Dacke M (2015) Neural coding underlying the cue preference for celestial orientation. PNAS 112:11395-11400.

42. Smolka J, Baird E, el Jundi B, Byrne MJ, Reber T, Dacke M (2015) Night-sky orientation with diurnal and nocturnal eyes: dim-light adaptations are critical when the moon is out of sight. Anim Behav 111, 127-146.

43. el Jundi B, Foster JJ, Baird E, Byrne MJ, Dacke M (2015) Spectral information as an orientation cue in dung beetles. Biol Letters 11:20150656.

44. Beetz MJ, el Jundi B, Heinze S, Homberg U (2015) Topographic organization and possible function of the posterior optic tubercle in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. J Comp Neurol 523:1589-1607.

45. el Jundi B, Smolka J, Baird E, Byrne M, Dacke M (2014) Diurnal dung beetles use the intensity gradient and the polarization pattern of the sky for orientation. J Exp Biol 217:2422-2429.

46. el Jundi B, Pfeiffer K, Heinze S, Homberg U (2014) Integration of polarization and chromatic cues in the insect sky compass. J Comp Physiol A 200:575-589 [review].

47. Dacke M, el Jundi B, Smolka J, Byrne MJ, Baird E (2014) The role of the sun in the celestial compass of dung beetles, Phil Trans R Soc B 369:20130036.

48. Homberg U, el Jundi B (2013) Polarization vision in arthropods. In: Chalupa LM, Werner JS (eds.), The Visual Neuroscience, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 1207-1217 [book chapter]. 

49. Heinze S, Florman J, Asokaraj S, el Jundi B, Reppert SM (2013) Anatomical basis of sun compass navigation II: The neuronal composition of the central complex of the monarch butterfly, J Comp Neurol 521:267-298.

50. Smolka J, Baird E, el Jundi B, Byrne MJ, Warrant EJ, Dacke M (2012) Dung beetles use their dung ball as a mobile thermal refuge, Curr Biol 22: R863-864.

51. el Jundi B, Homberg U (2012) Receptive field properties and intensity-response functions of polarization-sensitive neurons of the optic tubercle in gregarious and solitarious locusts, J Neurophysiol 108: 1695-1710. 

52. Selcho M, Pauls D, el Jundi B, Stocker RF, Thum AS (2012) The role of octopamine and tyramine in Drosophila larval locomotion. J Comp Neurol 520: 3764-3785.

53. Homberg U, Heinze S, Pfeiffer K, Kinoshita M, el Jundi B (2011) Central neural coding of sky polarization in insects. Phil Trans R Soc B 366: 680-687 [review].

54. el Jundi B, Pfeiffer K, Homberg U (2011) A distinct layer of the medulla integrates sky compass signals in the brain of an insect. PLoS One 6(11): e27855. 2010

55. Wei H, el Jundi B, Homberg U, Stengl M (2010) Implementation of pigment-dispersing factor-immunoreactive neurons in a standardized atlas of the brain of the cockroach Leucophaea maderae. J Comp Neurol 518: 4113-4133.

56. el Jundi B, Homberg U (2010) Evidence for the possible existence of a second polarization vision pathway in the locust brain. J Insect Physiol 56: 971-979.  

57. Huetteroth W, el Jundi B, el Jundi S, Schachtner J (2010) 3D-reconstructions and virtual 4D-visualization to study metamorphic brain development in the sphinx moth Manduca sexta. Front Syst Neurosci 4:7.

58. Dreyer D, Vitt H, Dippel S, Goetz B, el Jundi B, Kollmann M, Huetteroth W, Schachtner J (2010) 3D standard brain of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum: A tool to study metamorphic development and adult plasticity. Front Syst Neurosci 4:3.

59. el Jundi B, Heinze S, Lenschow C, Kurylas A, Rohlfing T, Homberg U (2010) The locust standard brain: a 3D standard of the central complex as a platform for neural network analysis. Front Syst Neurosci 3:21.

60. el Jundi B, Huetteroth W, Kurylas AE, Schachtner J (2009) Anisometric brain dimorphism revisited: implementation of a volumetric 3D standard brain in Manduca sexta. J Comp Neurol 517: 210-225. ​

Other Contributions

61. el Jundi B (2019) Basil el Jundi. Curr Biol 29:R305-306 [Q&A].