Etya Amsalem Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Entomology

215 Life Science Building, University Park

Email eua6@psu.edu
Phone 814-863-7675
Elsevier Pure Profile

Areas of Expertise

Bumblebee Keyphrases
Queen Keyphrases
Bombus Impatiens Keyphrases
Bombus Impatiens Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Apoidea Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Bombus Terrestris Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Social Insect Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Pheromone Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Education

Ph.D. Zoology, Tel Aviv University
M.Sc. Zoology, Tel Aviv University
B.S. Medical and Life Science, Tel Aviv University

Websites

Dr. Amsalem's research focuses on the evolution of social behavior. Her group studies the evolutionary development and the mechanistic basis of social behavior in insects, combining perspectives from evolutionary biology, chemical ecology, behavior and physiology, functional and evolutionary genomics. Her group further combines applied aspects by studying health in managed bumblebees with a goal of improving management, productivity and health of bumble bee colonies.

Selected topics of research in her lab:

Pheromones regulating reproduction and social behavior in insect societies
The genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying pheromone production, perception and social organization
The evolution of reproductive signaling
The genetic and physiological factors underlying successful diapause in bumble bee queens
The impact of pesticides on mating behavior
The impacts and underlying mechanisms of carbon dioxide narcosis in bumble bees
Larva development and caste determination in bumble bees and the evolution of castes in social insects

ENT202 - Insect connections: Insect, Globalization and sustainability (every spring)
ENT530 - Supervised mentoring for graduate students, in collaboration with St. Francis University (every fall)
ENT484 - Insect Behavior (every other spring)

2025

Hormetic response to pesticides in diapausing bees
Etya Amsalem, Nathan Derstine, Cameron Murray, Jan 22 2025, In: Biology Letters

Sublethal pesticide exposure decreases mating and disrupts chemical signaling in a beneficial pollinator
Nathan Derstine, Cameron Murray, Freddy S. Purnell, Etya Amsalem, Mar 20 2025, In: Science of the Total Environment

The Evolution of Queen Pheromone Production and Detection in the Reproductive Division of Labor in Social Insects
Juergen Liebig, Etya Amsalem, Jan 28 2025, In: Annual Review of Entomology

2024

Post-transcriptional regulation of Dufour’s gland reproductive signals in bumble bees
Nathan Derstine, Tatiana Laremore, Etya Amsalem, Dec 2024, In: BMC genomics

2023

Impacts and mechanisms of CO2 narcosis in bumble bees
Anna Cressman, Etya Amsalem, Jan 2023, In: Journal of Experimental Biology

The influence of the social environment on larval development and resulting caste in Bombus impatiens
Katherine Barie, Etya Amsalem, Jun 2023, In: Animal Behaviour

Differential gene expression underlying the biosynthesis of Dufour's gland signals in Bombus impatiens
Nathan Derstine, David Galbraith, Gabriel Villar, Etya Amsalem, Jan 2023, In: Current Research in Insect Science

Symptomatic Infection with Vairimorpha spp. Decreases Diapause Survival in a Wild Bumble Bee Species (Bombus griseocollis)
Margarita Orlova, Monique Porter, Heather M. Hines, Etya Amsalem, May 2023, In: Animals

The effect of bumble bee gynes’ reproductive status on the response to CO2 narcosis
Rya Seltzer, Adi Domer, Levona Bodner, Sofia Bouchebti, Maya Malka, Etya Amsalem, Eran Levin, 2023, In: Journal of Apicultural Research

The Effect of Pollen Diet Composition and Quantity on Diapause Survival and Performance in an Annual Pollinator (Bombus Impatiens)
E. D. Treanore, A. V. Ramos-Medero, J. Garcia, E. Amsalem, 2023, In: Integrative Organismal Biology

2022

CO2 narcosis induces a metabolic shift mediated via juvenile hormone in Bombus impatiens gynes
Katherine Barie, Eran Levin, Etya Amsalem, Oct 2022, In: Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

A Gland of Many Uses
Margarita Orlova, Gabriel Villar, Abraham Hefetz, Jocelyn G. Millar, Etya Amsalem, Mar 2022, In: Journal of Chemical Ecology

The effect of the brood and the queen on early gene expression in bumble bee workers' brains
Priscila K.F. Santos, David A. Galbraith, Jesse Starkey, Etya Amsalem, Dec 2022, In: Scientific reports

Examining the individual and additive effects of cold storage and CO2 narcosis on queen survival and reproduction in bumble bees
Erin D. Treanore, Etya Amsalem, May 1 2022, In: Journal of Insect Physiology

2021

Dufour’s gland analysis reveals caste and physiology specific signals in Bombus impatiens
Nathan T. Derstine, Gabriel Villar, Margarita Orlova, Abraham Hefetz, Jocelyn Millar, Etya Amsalem, Dec 2021, In: Scientific reports

Built to change
Margarita Orlova, Erin Treanore, Etya Amsalem, Nov 1 2021, In: Behavioral Ecology

Bumble bee queen pheromones are context-dependent
Margarita Orlova, Etya Amsalem, Dec 2021, In: Scientific reports

Optimizing laboratory rearing of a key pollinator, bombus impatiens
Erin Treanore, Katherine Barie, Nathan Derstine, Kaitlin Gadebusch, Margarita Orlova, Monique Porter, Frederick Purnell, Etya Amsalem, Aug 2021, In: Insects

What can mechanisms underlying derived traits tell us about the evolution of social behavior?
Erin Treanore, Nathan Derstine, Etya Amsalem, Sep 1 2021, In: Annals of the Entomological Society of America

2020

One problem, many solutions
Etya Amsalem, Jan 2020, In: Advances in Insect Physiology

A small family business
Margarita Orlova, Jesse Starkey, Etya Amsalem, Feb 2020, In: Journal of Experimental Biology

Shift in worker physiology and gene expression pattern from reproductive to diapause-like with colony age in the bumble bee Bombus impatiens
Erin D. Treanore, Jacklyn M. Kiner, Mackenzie E. Kerner, Etya Amsalem, May 2020, In: Journal of Experimental Biology

The effect of intrinsic physiological traits on diapause survival and their underlying mechanisms in an annual bee species Bombus impatiens
Erin Treanore, Etya Amsalem, 2020, In: Conservation Physiology

2019

Context matters
Margarita Orlova, Etya Amsalem, Oct 2019, In: Current Opinion in Insect Science

Do Bumble Bees Produce Brood Pheromones?
Jesse Starkey, Nathan Derstine, Etya Amsalem, Jan 1 2019, In: Journal of Chemical Ecology

The road to sociality
Jesse Starkey, Ahja Brown, Etya Amsalem, Aug 2019, In: Animal Behaviour

2018

Erratum to
Etya Amsalem, Christina M. Grozinger, Nov 27 2018, In: Behavioral Ecology

The importance of holistically evaluating data
Etya Amsalem, Christina M. Grozinger, Nov 27 2018, In: Behavioral Ecology

Preface
Etya Amsalem, Abraham Hefetz, Jul 16 2018, In: Journal of Chemical Ecology

Evolution of olfactory functions on the fire ant social chromosome
Amir B. Cohanim, Etya Amsalem, Rana Saad, De Wayne Shoemaker, Eyal Privman, 2018, In: Genome biology and evolution

2017

Do Bumble Bee, Bombus impatiens, Queens Signal their Reproductive and Mating Status to their Workers?
Etya Amsalem, Mario Padilla, Paul M. Schreiber, Naomi S. Altman, Abraham Hefetz, Christina M. Grozinger, Jun 1 2017, In: Journal of Chemical Ecology

Evaluating the molecular, physiological and behavioral impacts of CO2 narcosis in bumble bees (Bombus impatiens)
Etya Amsalem, Christina M. Grozinger, Aug 2017, In: Journal of Insect Physiology

2016

Chemical communication is not sufficient to explain reproductive inhibition in the bumblebee bombus impatiens
Mario Padilla, Etya Amsalem, Naomi Altman, Abraham Hefetz, Christina M. Grozinger, Oct 19 2016, In: Royal Society Open Science

2015

A conserved class of queen pheromones? Re-evaluating the evidence in bumblebees (Bombus impatiens)
Etya Amsalem, Margarita Orlova, Christina M. Grozinger, Oct 22 2015, In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Conservation and modification of genetic and physiological toolkits underpinning diapause in bumble bee queens
Etya Amsalem, David A. Galbraith, Jonathan Cnaani, Peter E.A. Teal, Christina M. Grozinger, Nov 1 2015, In: Molecular ecology

The Physiological and Genomic Bases of Bumble Bee Social Behaviour
Etya Amsalem, Christina M. Grozinger, Mario Padilla, Abraham Hefetz, 2015, In: Advances in Insect Physiology

2014

Exploring the role of juvenile hormone and vitellogenin in reproduction and social behavior in bumble bees
Etya Amsalem, Osnat Malka, Christina Grozinger, Abraham Hefetz, Mar 11 2014, In: BMC Evolutionary Biology

Precocene-I inhibits juvenile hormone biosynthesis, ovarian activation, aggression and alters sterility signal production in bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) workers
E. Amsalem, P. Teal, C. M. Grozinger, A. Hefetz, Sep 1 2014, In: Journal of Experimental Biology

The Effect of Caste and Reproductive State on the Chemistry of the Cephalic Labial Glands Secretion of Bombus Terrestris
Etya Amsalem, Julia Kiefer, Stefan Schulz, Abraham Hefetz, Aug 1 2014, In: Journal of Chemical Ecology

Gonadotropic and physiological functions of juvenile hormone in bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) workers
Hagai Shpigler, Etya Amsalem, Zachary Y. Huang, Mira Cohen, Adam J. Siegel, Abraham Hefetz, Guy Bloch, Jun 24 2014, In: PloS one

2013

Aggression or ovarian development as determinants of reproductive dominance in Bombus terrestris
E. Amsalem, D. Shamia, A. Hefetz, May 2013, In: Insectes Sociaux

Dufour's gland secretion, sterility and foraging behavior
Etya Amsalem, Hagai Shpigler, Guy Bloch, Abraham Hefetz, Dec 2013, In: Journal of Insect Physiology

2011

The effect of group size on the interplay between dominance and reproduction in Bombus terrestris
Etya Amsalem, Abraham Hefetz, 2011, In: PloS one

2010

The appeasement effect of sterility signaling in dominance contests among Bombus terrestris workers
Etya Amsalem, Abraham Hefetz, 2010, In: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

2009

Reproductive competition in the bumble-bee Bombus terrestris
Etya Amsalem, Robert Twele, Wittko Francke, Abraham Hefetz, Apr 7 2009, In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences