DR. jaya sravanthi mokkapati
Research Assistant Professor
EDUCATION
2021-2026 - Postdoctoral Scholar, Grozinger Laboratory, Center for Pollinator Research, Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University
2021 - PhD in Exact and Biological Sciences, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland
2010 – MS in Biotechnology, Vellore Institute of Technology, India
WORK EXPERIENCE
2019 to 2020 – Erasmus+ trainee in the Wright lab, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK
2013 to 2017 - Research Associate in Cellular and Molecular Biology, Laila Nutraceuticals, India
2011 to 2013 - Junior Scientist in Molecular Plant Biology lab, Tulasi Seeds Private Limited, India
RESEARCH INTERESTS
My research lies at the intersection of organismal biology and ecology, using bees as model organisms - I study how environmental changes/stressors influence pollinator health, behavior, and reproduction. I investigate the individual and combined effects of pesticides, habitat loss, and climate change, with particular emphasis on how nutrition can help bees develop resilience to these challenges.
A central focus of my work is quantifying the reproductive and fitness outcomes of field-realistic stressors across different bee species. My research addresses questions such as:
How do pesticides, poor nutrition, and heat stress independently and interactively affect bee survival, fertility, and reproductive success?
Are reproductive effects detectable before changes in survival or population size become apparent?
Which physiological, behavioral, or reproductive biomarkers can provide early warning signs of environmental stress?
Do solitary bees, bumble bees, and honey bees differ in their reproductive sensitivity to the same stressors?
Can access to specific nutrients protect bees under pesticide exposure or climate-related stress?
Using an interdisciplinary approach that combines innovative computer vision methods, plant genetics, and pollinator behavioral ecology, I also explore how bees make foraging decisions in complex environments. I am particularly interested in understanding (1) how pollinators decide which plants to visit to meet their nutritional needs, (2) how they optimize their search for nutrients when competitors are present, and (3) how previous experience, learning, and environmental conditions influence these decisions.
Ultimately, my work seeks to understand what enables a bee to become a specialist or generalist forager - and how these foraging strategies affect its ability to cope with environmental change. By connecting nutrition, cognition, behavior, reproductive biology, and ecological stress, my research aims to generate mechanistic knowledge that can support more effective pollinator conservation and management.”
PUBLICATIONS
Mokkapati, J.S. and Grozinger, C.M., 2026. Dietary lipids shape honey bee (Apis mellifera) feeding and resilience to pesticide stress. Journal of Insect Physiology, p.105021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinsphys.2026.105021
Mokkapati, J.S., Boyle, N.K. and Grozinger, C.M., 2026. Larval deltamethrin exposure causes severe cross-stage carryover toxicity and male reproductive failure in Osmia cornifrons. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 320, p.120382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120382
Bennett, K.L., Mokkapati, J.S. and Boyle, N.K., 2026. Lethal and sublethal effects of chlorpyrifos exposure on mason bee (Osmia cornifrons) larval development. Apidologie, 57(3), p.33.
Mokkapati, J.S., Boyle, N., Grozinger, C.M., 2025. Short-term heat exposure at sublethal temperatures reduces sperm quality in males of a solitary bee species, Osmia cornifrons. Apidologie 56, 1. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-024-01128-x
Mokkapati, J.S., Boyle, N., Ouvrard, P., Sicard, A. and Grozinger, C.M., 2025. Can the nutritional geometric framework unveil how macronutrients in pollen shape solitary bee foraging and survival?. Royal Society Open Science, 12(8), pp.1-14. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.251093
Pizzini, O.L., Mokkapati, J.S., Lee, M.J., Boyle, N.K. and Grozinger, C.M., 2025. Nutritional, foraging, and nesting preferences of three species of solitary bees, Megachile rotundata, Megachile pugnata, and Megachile sculpturalis. Apidologie, 56(6), p.104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-025-01229-1
Mokkapati, J.S., Hill, M., Boyle, N., Ouvard, P., Sicard, A., Grozinger, C.M., 2024. Foraging bee species differentially prioritize quantity and quality of floral rewards. PNAS Nexus 10, pgae443. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae443
Mokkapati, J.S., Bednarska, A.J., Laskowski, R., 2022. Physiological and biochemical response of the solitary bee Osmia bicornis exposed to three insecticide-based agrochemicals. Ecotoxicol Environ Safety 230, 113095. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.113095
Mokkapati, J.S., Bednarska, A.J., Choczyński, M., Laskowski, R., 2022. Toxicokinetics of three insecticides in the female adult solitary bee Osmia bicornis. Environ Pollut 118610. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118610
Bednarska, A.J., Mokkapati, J.S., Laskowski, R., et al., 2022. Effects of agricultural landscape structure, insecticide residues, and pollen diversity on the life-history traits of the red mason bee Osmia bicornis. Sci Total Environ 151142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151142
Mokkapati, J.S., Bednarska, A.J., Laskowski, R., 2021. The development of the solitary bee Osmia bicornis is affected by some insecticide agrochemicals at environmentally relevant concentrations. Sci Total Environ 775, 145588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145588
Mokkapati, J.S., Wnęk, A., Bednarska, A.J., Laskowski, R., 2021. Acute oral and contact toxicity of three plant protection products to adult solitary bees Osmia bicornis. Pol J Environ Stud 30, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.15244/pjoes/130516
Mokkapati, R.P., Mokkapati, J.S., Ratnakaram, V.R., 2019. Mass transfer, kinetic, equilibrium, and thermodynamic study on removal of divalent lead from aqueous solutions using agrowaste biomaterials, Musa acuminata, Casuarina equisetifolia L., and Sorghum bicolor. Theor Found Chem Eng 53, 578–590. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0040579519040249
Mokkapati, R.P., Mokkapati, J.S., Ratnakaram, V.R., 2018. Utilization of agro-waste for removal of toxic hexavalent chromium: surface interaction and mass transfer studies. Int J Environ Sci Technol 15, 875–886. http://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-017-1443-7
Mokkapati, R.P., Mokkapati, J.S., Ratnakaram, V.R., 2016. Kinetic, thermodynamic and agro-waste biomaterials, Casuarina equisetifolia L. and Sorghum bicolor. Korean J Chem Eng 33, 2374– 2383. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11814-016-0078-6
Mokkapati, R.P., Mokkapati, J.S., Ratnakaram, V.R., 2016. Kinetic, isotherm and thermodynamics investigation on adsorption of divalent copper using agro-waste biomaterials, Musa acuminata, Casuarina equisetifolia L. and Sorghum bicolor. Pol J Chem Technol 18, 68-77. http://doi.org/10.1515/pjct-2016-0031
Mokkapati, R.P., Mokkapati, J.S., Dulla, B.J., Ratnakaram, V.R., 2015. Chemical oxygen demand reduction from coffee processing waste water – A comparative study on usage of biosorbents prepared from agricultural wastes. Global NEST J 17, 291- 300. https://doi.org/10.30955/gnj.001492
Swathi, J., Mokkapati, J.S., Satya, A.K., et al., 2014. Identification and assessment of frequency distribution in fungi isolated from coastal Andhra Pradesh. Malay J Microbio 10, 215-218. https://doi.org/10.21161/MJM.56513
AWARDS
2022 – HFSP postdoctoral Fellowship
2020 – Erasmus+ traineeship fellow
2019 – SETAC training award for the Environmental Exposure Assessment
2018 – SETAC training award during the 28th annual meeting Europe.
2017 – National Science Centre Poland Graduate Research Award
2017 – Jagiellonian University Poland Scholarship Award
2012 – Fellow of DBT Biotech Industrial Training Program, Govt. of India