1
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Dan C, Hulse BK, Kappagantula R, Jayaraman V, Hermundstad AM. A neural circuit architecture for rapid learning in goal-directed navigation. Neuron 2024:S0896-6273(24)00326-X. [PMID: 38795708 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.04.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
Anchoring goals to spatial representations enables flexible navigation but is challenging in novel environments when both representations must be acquired simultaneously. We propose a framework for how Drosophila uses internal representations of head direction (HD) to build goal representations upon selective thermal reinforcement. We show that flies use stochastically generated fixations and directed saccades to express heading preferences in an operant visual learning paradigm and that HD neurons are required to modify these preferences based on reinforcement. We used a symmetric visual setting to expose how flies' HD and goal representations co-evolve and how the reliability of these interacting representations impacts behavior. Finally, we describe how rapid learning of new goal headings may rest on a behavioral policy whose parameters are flexible but whose form is genetically encoded in circuit architecture. Such evolutionarily structured architectures, which enable rapidly adaptive behavior driven by internal representations, may be relevant across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuntao Dan
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Brad K Hulse
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Ramya Kappagantula
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Vivek Jayaraman
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA.
| | - Ann M Hermundstad
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA.
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2
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Frye M, Coates A. Animal behavior: Mosquitos ride the wave. Curr Biol 2024; 34:R291-R293. [PMID: 38593776 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Some insects have a frustrating knack for avoiding a swatter. A new study shows that mosquitos not only evade the visual image of the looming threat, they also surf the wave of air the swatter creates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Frye
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, 610 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
| | - Athena Coates
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, 610 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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3
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Althaus V, Exner G, von Hadeln J, Homberg U, Rosner R. Anatomical organization of the cerebrum of the praying mantis Hierodula membranacea. J Comp Neurol 2024; 532:e25607. [PMID: 38501930 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Many predatory animals, such as the praying mantis, use vision for prey detection and capture. Mantises are known in particular for their capability to estimate distances to prey by stereoscopic vision. While the initial visual processing centers have been extensively documented, we lack knowledge on the architecture of central brain regions, pivotal for sensory motor transformation and higher brain functions. To close this gap, we provide a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the central brain of the Asian mantis, Hierodula membranacea. The atlas facilitates in-depth analysis of neuron ramification regions and aides in elucidating potential neuronal pathways. We integrated seven 3D-reconstructed visual interneurons into the atlas. In total, 42 distinct neuropils of the cerebrum were reconstructed based on synapsin-immunolabeled whole-mount brains. Backfills from the antenna and maxillary palps, as well as immunolabeling of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), further substantiate the identification and boundaries of brain areas. The composition and internal organization of the neuropils were compared to the anatomical organization of the brain of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and the two available brain atlases of Polyneoptera-the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) and the Madeira cockroach (Rhyparobia maderae). This study paves the way for detailed analyses of neuronal circuitry and promotes cross-species brain comparisons. We discuss differences in brain organization between holometabolous and polyneopteran insects. Identification of ramification sites of the visual neurons integrated into the atlas supports previous claims about homologous structures in the optic lobes of flies and mantises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Althaus
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Gesa Exner
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Marburg, Germany
| | - Joss von Hadeln
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Uwe Homberg
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Marburg, Germany
| | - Ronny Rosner
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Biology, Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Biosciences Institute, Henry Wellcome Building for Neuroecology, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
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4
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Goulard R, Heinze S, Webb B. Emergent spatial goals in an integrative model of the insect central complex. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011480. [PMID: 38109465 PMCID: PMC10760860 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The insect central complex appears to encode and process spatial information through vector manipulation. Here, we draw on recent insights into circuit structure to fuse previous models of sensory-guided navigation, path integration and vector memory. Specifically, we propose that the allocentric encoding of location provided by path integration creates a spatially stable anchor for converging sensory signals that is relevant in multiple behavioural contexts. The allocentric reference frame given by path integration transforms a goal direction into a goal location and we demonstrate through modelling that it can enhance approach of a sensory target in noisy, cluttered environments or with temporally sparse stimuli. We further show the same circuit can improve performance in the more complex navigational task of route following. The model suggests specific functional roles for circuit elements of the central complex that helps explain their high preservation across insect species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Goulard
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Stanley Heinze
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Barbara Webb
- Institute for Perception, Action, and Behaviour, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
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5
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Mathejczyk TF, Babo ÉJ, Schönlein E, Grinda NV, Greiner A, Okrožnik N, Belušič G, Wernet MF. Behavioral responses of free-flying Drosophila melanogaster to shiny, reflecting surfaces. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2023; 209:929-941. [PMID: 37796303 PMCID: PMC10643280 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01676-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Active locomotion plays an important role in the life of many animals, permitting them to explore the environment, find vital resources, and escape predators. Most insect species rely on a combination of visual cues such as celestial bodies, landmarks, or linearly polarized light to navigate or orient themselves in their surroundings. In nature, linearly polarized light can arise either from atmospheric scattering or from reflections off shiny non-metallic surfaces like water. Multiple reports have described different behavioral responses of various insects to such shiny surfaces. Our goal was to test whether free-flying Drosophila melanogaster, a molecular genetic model organism and behavioral generalist, also manifests specific behavioral responses when confronted with such polarized reflections. Fruit flies were placed in a custom-built arena with controlled environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, and light intensity). Flight detections and landings were quantified for three different stimuli: a diffusely reflecting matt plate, a small patch of shiny acetate film, and real water. We compared hydrated and dehydrated fly populations, since the state of hydration may change the motivation of flies to seek or avoid water. Our analysis reveals for the first time that flying fruit flies indeed use vision to avoid flying over shiny surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas F Mathejczyk
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie and Pharmazie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise Strasse 1-3, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Édouard J Babo
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie and Pharmazie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise Strasse 1-3, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Erik Schönlein
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie and Pharmazie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise Strasse 1-3, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nikolai V Grinda
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie and Pharmazie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise Strasse 1-3, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Greiner
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie and Pharmazie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise Strasse 1-3, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nina Okrožnik
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie and Pharmazie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise Strasse 1-3, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gregor Belušič
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Mathias F Wernet
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie and Pharmazie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise Strasse 1-3, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
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6
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Beetz MJ, Kraus C, El Jundi B. Neural representation of goal direction in the monarch butterfly brain. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5859. [PMID: 37730704 PMCID: PMC10511513 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41526-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural processing of a desired moving direction requires the continuous comparison between the current heading and the goal direction. While the neural basis underlying the current heading is well-studied, the coding of the goal direction remains unclear in insects. Here, we used tetrode recordings in tethered flying monarch butterflies to unravel how a goal direction is represented in the insect brain. While recording, the butterflies maintained robust goal directions relative to a virtual sun. By resetting their goal directions, we found neurons whose spatial tuning was tightly linked to the goal directions. Importantly, their tuning was unaffected when the butterflies changed their heading after compass perturbations, showing that these neurons specifically encode the goal direction. Overall, we here discovered invertebrate goal-direction neurons that share functional similarities to goal-direction cells reported in mammals. Our results give insights into the evolutionarily conserved principles of goal-directed spatial orientation in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Jerome Beetz
- Zoology II, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Christian Kraus
- Zoology II, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Animal Physiology, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Basil El Jundi
- Zoology II, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Animal Physiology, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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7
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Sun X, Fu Q, Peng J, Yue S. An insect-inspired model facilitating autonomous navigation by incorporating goal approaching and collision avoidance. Neural Netw 2023; 165:106-118. [PMID: 37285728 DOI: 10.1016/j.neunet.2023.05.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Being one of the most fundamental and crucial capacity of robots and animals, autonomous navigation that consists of goal approaching and collision avoidance enables completion of various tasks while traversing different environments. In light of the impressive navigational abilities of insects despite their tiny brains compared to mammals, the idea of seeking solutions from insects for the two key problems of navigation, i.e., goal approaching and collision avoidance, has fascinated researchers and engineers for many years. However, previous bio-inspired studies have focused on merely one of these two problems at one time. Insect-inspired navigation algorithms that synthetically incorporate both goal approaching and collision avoidance, and studies that investigate the interactions of these two mechanisms in the context of sensory-motor closed-loop autonomous navigation are lacking. To fill this gap, we propose an insect-inspired autonomous navigation algorithm to integrate the goal approaching mechanism as the global working memory inspired by the sweat bee's path integration (PI) mechanism, and the collision avoidance model as the local immediate cue built upon the locust's lobula giant movement detector (LGMD) model. The presented algorithm is utilized to drive agents to complete navigation task in a sensory-motor closed-loop manner within a bounded static or dynamic environment. Simulation results demonstrate that the synthetic algorithm is capable of guiding the agent to complete challenging navigation tasks in a robust and efficient way. This study takes the first tentative step to integrate the insect-like navigation mechanisms with different functionalities (i.e., global goal and local interrupt) into a coordinated control system that future research avenues could build upon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuelong Sun
- School of Mathematics and Information Science, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Machine Life and Intelligence Research Centre, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Qinbing Fu
- School of Mathematics and Information Science, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Machine Life and Intelligence Research Centre, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Jigen Peng
- School of Mathematics and Information Science, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Machine Life and Intelligence Research Centre, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
| | - Shigang Yue
- Computational Intelligence Lab (CIL)/School of Computer Science, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, LN6 7TS, United Kingdom; School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, United Kingdom.
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8
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Mitchell R, Shaverdian S, Dacke M, Webb B. A model of cue integration as vector summation in the insect brain. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230767. [PMID: 37357865 PMCID: PMC10291719 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Ball-rolling dung beetles are known to integrate multiple cues in order to facilitate their straight-line orientation behaviour. Recent work has suggested that orientation cues are integrated according to a vector sum, that is, compass cues are represented by vectors and summed to give a combined orientation estimate. Further, cue weight (vector magnitude) appears to be set according to cue reliability. This is consistent with the popular Bayesian view of cue integration: cues are integrated to reduce or minimize an agent's uncertainty about the external world. Integration of orientation cues is believed to occur at the input to the insect central complex. Here, we demonstrate that a model of the head direction circuit of the central complex, including plasticity in input synapses, can act as a substrate for cue integration as vector summation. Further, we show that cue influence is not necessarily driven by cue reliability. Finally, we present a dung beetle behavioural experiment which, in combination with simulation, strongly suggests that these beetles do not weight cues according to reliability. We suggest an alternative strategy whereby cues are weighted according to relative contrast, which can also explain previous results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Mitchell
- Institute for Perception, Action, and Behaviour, The University of Edinburgh School of Informatics, Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AB, UK
| | - Shahrzad Shaverdian
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund SE-223 62, Sweden
| | - Marie Dacke
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund SE-223 62, Sweden
| | - Barbara Webb
- Institute for Perception, Action, and Behaviour, The University of Edinburgh School of Informatics, Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AB, UK
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9
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Ugolini A, Hariyama T, Wilcockson DC, Mercatelli L. The use of polarized light in the zonal orientation of the sandhopper Talitrus saltator (Montagu). ZOOLOGICAL LETTERS 2023; 9:10. [PMID: 37202801 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-023-00207-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
It is well known that the celestial polarization is used as a compass cue by many species of insects and crustaceans. Although it has been shown that the sandhopper Talitrus saltator perceives polarized light and possesses an arrangement of the rhabdomeres that could allow e-vector interpretation and utilization, T. saltator does not use the e-vector of the skylight polarization as a compass cue when making excursions along the sea-land axis of sandy shores. We performed tests in confined conditions to clarify if skylight polarization is somehow involved in the zonal recovery of T. saltator. We observed the directional responses of sandhoppers in a transparent bowl under an artificial sky (an opaline Plexiglas dome). The bowl was covered by a blue gelatin filter with a grey filter (control condition) and a linear polarizing filter (experimental conditions) positioned under the blue one in such a way as to occupy half of the upper surface of the Plexiglas bowl so as to create a linear polarization gradient. Our experiments confirm that T. saltator perceives polarized light and highlight that this visual capability determines the perception, or perhaps the increase, of the radiance and/or spectral gradient and their use as compass cues in the zonal orientation. Moreover, our findings confirm that the radiance gradient is used as a chronometric compass orienting reference in the absence of other celestial orienting cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Ugolini
- Dipartimento Di Biologia, Università Di Firenze, Via Romana 17-19, 50125, Florence, Italy.
| | - Takahiko Hariyama
- Institute for NanoSuit Research, Preeminent Medical Photonics Education and Research Center, Hamamatsu University, School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-Ku, Hamamatsu, 431-3192, Japan.
| | - David C Wilcockson
- Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Penglais, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DA, UK
| | - Luca Mercatelli
- Istituto Nazionale di Ottica - CNR, Largo E. Fermi 6, 50125, Florence, Italy
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10
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Deeti S, Cheng K, Graham P, Wystrach A. Scanning behaviour in ants: an interplay between random-rate processes and oscillators. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2023:10.1007/s00359-023-01628-8. [PMID: 37093284 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01628-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
At the start of a journey home or to a foraging site, ants often stop, interrupting their forward movement, turn on the spot a number of times, and fixate in different directions. These scanning bouts are thought to provide visual information for choosing a path to travel. The temporal organization of such scanning bouts has implications about the neural organisation of navigational behaviour. We examined (1) the temporal distribution of the start of such scanning bouts and (2) the dynamics of saccadic body turns and fixations that compose a scanning bout in Australian desert ants, Melophorus bagoti, as they came out of a walled channel onto open field at the start of their homeward journey. Ants were caught when they neared their nest and displaced to different locations to start their journey home again. The observed parameters were mostly similar across familiar and unfamiliar locations. The turning angles of saccadic body turning to the right or left showed some stereotypy, with a peak just under 45°. The direction of such saccades appears to be determined by a slow oscillatory process as described in other insect species. In timing, however, both the distribution of inter-scanning-bout intervals and individual fixation durations showed exponential characteristics, the signature for a random-rate or Poisson process. Neurobiologically, therefore, there must be some process that switches behaviour (starting a scanning bout or ending a fixation) with equal probability at every moment in time. We discuss how chance events in the ant brain that occasionally reach a threshold for triggering such behaviours can generate the results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudhakar Deeti
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2019, Australia
| | - Ken Cheng
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2019, Australia.
| | - Paul Graham
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Antoine Wystrach
- Centre de Recherches Sur La Cognition Animale, CBI, CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
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11
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Honkanen A, Hensgen R, Kannan K, Adden A, Warrant E, Wcislo W, Heinze S. Parallel motion vision pathways in the brain of a tropical bee. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2023:10.1007/s00359-023-01625-x. [PMID: 37017717 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01625-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023]
Abstract
Spatial orientation is a prerequisite for most behaviors. In insects, the underlying neural computations take place in the central complex (CX), the brain's navigational center. In this region different streams of sensory information converge to enable context-dependent navigational decisions. Accordingly, a variety of CX input neurons deliver information about different navigation-relevant cues. In bees, direction encoding polarized light signals converge with translational optic flow signals that are suited to encode the flight speed of the animals. The continuous integration of speed and directions in the CX can be used to generate a vector memory of the bee's current position in space in relation to its nest, i.e., perform path integration. This process depends on specific, complex features of the optic flow encoding CX input neurons, but it is unknown how this information is derived from the visual periphery. Here, we thus aimed at gaining insight into how simple motion signals are reshaped upstream of the speed encoding CX input neurons to generate their complex features. Using electrophysiology and anatomical analyses of the halictic bees Megalopta genalis and Megalopta centralis, we identified a wide range of motion-sensitive neurons connecting the optic lobes with the central brain. While most neurons formed pathways with characteristics incompatible with CX speed neurons, we showed that one group of lobula projection neurons possess some physiological and anatomical features required to generate the visual responses of CX optic-flow encoding neurons. However, as these neurons cannot explain all features of CX speed cells, local interneurons of the central brain or alternative input cells from the optic lobe are additionally required to construct inputs with sufficient complexity to deliver speed signals suited for path integration in bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Honkanen
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Ronja Hensgen
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Kavitha Kannan
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Andrea Adden
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Neural Circuits and Evolution Lab, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Eric Warrant
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - William Wcislo
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, República de Panamá
| | - Stanley Heinze
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
- NanoLund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
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12
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Kobayashi N, Hasegawa Y, Okada R, Sakura M. Visual learning in tethered bees modifies flight orientation and is impaired by epinastine. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2023:10.1007/s00359-023-01623-z. [PMID: 36930349 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01623-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
Visual-orientation learning of a tethered flying bee was investigated using a flight simulator and a novel protocol in which orientation preference toward trained visual targets was assessed in tests performed before and after appetitive conditioning. Either a blue or a green rectangle (conditioned stimulus, CS) was associated with 30% sucrose solution (unconditioned stimulus, US), whereas the other rectangle was not paired with US. Bees were tested in a closed-looped flight simulator 5 min after ten pairings of the US and CS. Conditioned bees were preferentially oriented to the CS after such training. This increase in preference for CS was maintained for 24 h, indicating the presence of long-term memory. Because the total orienting time was not altered by conditioning, conditioning did not enhance orientation activity itself but increased the relative time for orientation to CS. When 0.4 or 4 mM epinastine (an antagonist of octopamine receptors) was injected into the bee's head 30 min prior to the experiment, both short- and long-term memory formation were significantly impaired, suggesting that octopamine, which is crucial for appetitive olfactory learning in insects, is also involved in visual orientation learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norihiro Kobayashi
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, 657-8501, Japan
| | | | - Ryuichi Okada
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, 657-8501, Japan.
| | - Midori Sakura
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, 657-8501, Japan.
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13
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Freas CA, Spetch ML. Varieties of visual navigation in insects. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:319-342. [PMID: 36441435 PMCID: PMC9877076 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01720-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The behaviours and cognitive mechanisms animals use to orient, navigate, and remember spatial locations exemplify how cognitive abilities have evolved to suit a number of different mobile lifestyles and habitats. While spatial cognition observed in vertebrates has been well characterised in recent decades, of no less interest are the great strides that have also been made in characterizing and understanding the behavioural and cognitive basis of orientation and navigation in invertebrate models and in particular insects. Insects are known to exhibit remarkable spatial cognitive abilities and are able to successfully migrate over long distances or pinpoint known locations relying on multiple navigational strategies similar to those found in vertebrate models-all while operating under the constraint of relatively limited neural architectures. Insect orientation and navigation systems are often tailored to each species' ecology, yet common mechanistic principles can be observed repeatedly. Of these, reliance on visual cues is observed across a wide number of insect groups. In this review, we characterise some of the behavioural strategies used by insects to solve navigational problems, including orientation over short-distances, migratory heading maintenance over long distances, and homing behaviours to known locations. We describe behavioural research using examples from a few well-studied insect species to illustrate how visual cues are used in navigation and how they interact with non-visual cues and strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody A. Freas
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB Canada ,School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW Australia
| | - Marcia L. Spetch
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB Canada
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14
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Zittrell F, Pabst K, Carlomagno E, Rosner R, Pegel U, Endres DM, Homberg U. Integration of optic flow into the sky compass network in the brain of the desert locust. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1111310. [PMID: 37187914 PMCID: PMC10175609 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1111310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Flexible orientation through any environment requires a sense of current relative heading that is updated based on self-motion. Global external cues originating from the sky or the earth's magnetic field and local cues provide a reference frame for the sense of direction. Locally, optic flow may inform about turning maneuvers, travel speed and covered distance. The central complex in the insect brain is associated with orientation behavior and largely acts as a navigation center. Visual information from global celestial cues and local landmarks are integrated in the central complex to form an internal representation of current heading. However, it is less clear how optic flow is integrated into the central-complex network. We recorded intracellularly from neurons in the locust central complex while presenting lateral grating patterns that simulated translational and rotational motion to identify these sites of integration. Certain types of central-complex neurons were sensitive to optic-flow stimulation independent of the type and direction of simulated motion. Columnar neurons innervating the noduli, paired central-complex substructures, were tuned to the direction of simulated horizontal turns. Modeling the connectivity of these neurons with a system of proposed compass neurons can account for rotation-direction specific shifts in the activity profile in the central complex corresponding to turn direction. Our model is similar but not identical to the mechanisms proposed for angular velocity integration in the navigation compass of the fly Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederick Zittrell
- Department of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Marburg, Germany
| | - Kathrin Pabst
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Elena Carlomagno
- Department of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Ronny Rosner
- Department of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Uta Pegel
- Department of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Dominik M. Endres
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Uwe Homberg
- Department of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Marburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Uwe Homberg
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15
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The sky compass network in the brain of the desert locust. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2022:10.1007/s00359-022-01601-x. [PMID: 36550368 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-022-01601-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Many arthropods and vertebrates use celestial signals such as the position of the sun during the day or stars at night as compass cues for spatial orientation. The neural network underlying sky compass coding in the brain has been studied in great detail in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. These insects perform long-range migrations in Northern Africa and the Middle East following seasonal changes in rainfall. Highly specialized photoreceptors in a dorsal rim area of their compound eyes are sensitive to the polarization of the sky, generated by scattered sunlight. These signals are combined with direct information on the sun position in the optic lobe and anterior optic tubercle and converge from both eyes in a midline crossing brain structure, the central complex. Here, head direction coding is achieved by a compass-like arrangement of columns signaling solar azimuth through a 360° range of space by combining direct brightness cues from the sun with polarization cues matching the polarization pattern of the sky. Other directional cues derived from wind direction and internal self-rotation input are likely integrated. Signals are transmitted as coherent steering commands to descending neurons for directional control of locomotion and flight.
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16
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Shaverdian S, Dirlik E, Mitchell R, Tocco C, Webb B, Dacke M. Weighted cue integration for straight-line orientation. iScience 2022; 25:105207. [PMID: 36274940 PMCID: PMC9583106 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals commonly integrate multiple sources of information to guide their behavior. Among insects, previous studies have suggested that the relative reliability of cues affects their weighting in behavior, but have not systematically explored how well alternative integration strategies can account for the observed directional choices. Here, we characterize the directional reliability of an ersatz sun at different elevations and wind at different speeds as guiding cues for a species of ball-rolling dung beetle. The relative reliability is then shown to determine which cue dominates when the cues are put in conflict. We further show through modeling that the results are best explained by continuous integration of the cues as a vector-sum (rather than switching between them) but with non-optimal weighting and small individual biases. The neural circuitry in the insect central complex appears to provide an ideal substrate for this type of vector-sum-based integration mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahrzad Shaverdian
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Elin Dirlik
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden,Corresponding author
| | - Robert Mitchell
- School of Informatics, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AB, UK
| | - Claudia Tocco
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Barbara Webb
- School of Informatics, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AB, UK
| | - Marie Dacke
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
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17
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Parlin AF, Stratton SM, Guerra PA. Oriented migratory flight at night: Consequences of nighttime light pollution for monarch butterflies. iScience 2022; 25:104310. [PMID: 35573206 PMCID: PMC9097705 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We show that light trespass—a form of nighttime light pollution (NLP)—elicits normal daytime clock-mediated migratory behavior in fall monarch butterflies during their night-cycle. In controlled indoor flight simulator studies isolating the role of NLP on the expression of oriented migratory flight using a time-compensated sun compass,a full-spectrum light source consistent with lights used outdoors at night by the public,triggered proper fall directional flight at night in monarchs. Monarchs remained quiescent when initially placed in the flight simulator in the dark, but flight was immediately triggered when our light source was turned on. This nighttime behavior was identical to that seen in outdoor free-flying fall conspecifics during the day. The light source provided directional cues equivalent to those provided by the sun and could either phase-advance or phase-delay monarchs. Our study highlights the negative consequences of NLP on diurnal animals, especially those that rely on clock-mediated behavior. Nighttime light pollution can disturb diurnal migratory monarch butterflies Exposure to this pollution induces abnormal activity in normally quiescent monarchs This pollution acts as sensory noise that perturbs the circadian clock of monarchs Conservation should consider susceptibility of habitat to nighttime light pollution
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam F. Parlin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Rieveschl Hall, 318 College Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| | - Samuel M. Stratton
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Rieveschl Hall, 318 College Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Biological Sciences Building, 1105 N University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Patrick A. Guerra
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Rieveschl Hall, 318 College Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
- Corresponding author
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18
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Kanwal JK, Parker J. The neural basis of interspecies interactions in insects. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 50:100891. [PMID: 35218937 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2022.100891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
As insects move through the world, they continuously engage in behavioral interactions with other species. These interactions take on a spectrum of forms, from inconsequential encounters to predation, defense, and specialized symbiotic partnerships. All such interactions rely on sensorimotor pathways that carry out efficient categorization of different organisms and enact behaviors that cross species boundaries. Despite the universality of interspecies interactions, how insect brains perceive and process salient features of other species remains unexplored. Here, we present an overview of major questions concerning the neurobiology and evolution of behavioral interactions between species, providing a framework for future research on this critical role of the insect nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessleen K Kanwal
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| | - Joseph Parker
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA, USA.
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19
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Robinson BS, Norman-Tenazas R, Cervantes M, Symonette D, Johnson EC, Joyce J, Rivlin PK, Hwang GM, Zhang K, Gray-Roncal W. Online learning for orientation estimation during translation in an insect ring attractor network. Sci Rep 2022; 12:3210. [PMID: 35217679 PMCID: PMC8881593 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05798-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect neural systems are a promising source of inspiration for new navigation algorithms, especially on low size, weight, and power platforms. There have been unprecedented recent neuroscience breakthroughs with Drosophila in behavioral and neural imaging experiments as well as the mapping of detailed connectivity of neural structures. General mechanisms for learning orientation in the central complex (CX) of Drosophila have been investigated previously; however, it is unclear how these underlying mechanisms extend to cases where there is translation through an environment (beyond only rotation), which is critical for navigation in robotic systems. Here, we develop a CX neural connectivity-constrained model that performs sensor fusion, as well as unsupervised learning of visual features for path integration; we demonstrate the viability of this circuit for use in robotic systems in simulated and physical environments. Furthermore, we propose a theoretical understanding of how distributed online unsupervised network weight modification can be leveraged for learning in a trajectory through an environment by minimizing orientation estimation error. Overall, our results may enable a new class of CX-derived low power robotic navigation algorithms and lead to testable predictions to inform future neuroscience experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian S Robinson
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, 20723, USA.
| | | | - Martha Cervantes
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, 20723, USA
| | - Danilo Symonette
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, 20723, USA
| | - Erik C Johnson
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, 20723, USA
| | - Justin Joyce
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, 20723, USA
| | - Patricia K Rivlin
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, 20147, USA
| | - Grace M Hwang
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, 20723, USA
- Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Kechen Zhang
- Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - William Gray-Roncal
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, 20723, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
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20
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Takahashi N, Zittrell F, Hensgen R, Homberg U. Receptive field structures for two celestial compass cues at the input stage of the central complex in the locust brain. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274503. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Successful navigation depends on an animal's ability to perceive its spatial orientation relative to visual surroundings. Heading direction in insects is represented in the central complex (CX), a navigation center in the brain, to generate steering commands. In insects that navigate relative to sky compass signals, CX neurons are tuned to celestial cues indicating the location of the sun. The desert locust CX contains a compass-like representation of two related celestial cues: the direction of unpolarized direct sunlight and the pattern of polarized light, which depends on the sun position. Whether congruent tuning to these two compass cues emerges within the CX network or is inherited from CX input neurons is unclear. To address this question, we intracellularly recorded from GABA-immunoreactive TL neurons, input elements to the locust CX (corresponding to R neurons in Drosophila), while applying visual stimuli simulating unpolarized sunlight and polarized light across the hemisphere above the animal. We show that TL neurons have large receptive fields for both types of stimuli. However, faithful integration of polarization angles across the dorsal hemisphere, or matched-filter ability to encode particular sun positions, was found in only two out of 22 recordings. Those two neurons also showed a good match in sun position coding through polarized and unpolarized light signaling, whereas 20 neurons showed substantial mismatch in signaling of the two compass cues. The data, therefore, suggest that considerable refinement of azimuth coding based on sky compass signals occurs at the synapses from TL neurons to postsynaptic CX compass neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Takahashi
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Frederick Zittrell
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Ronja Hensgen
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Uwe Homberg
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
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21
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Kind E, Longden KD, Nern A, Zhao A, Sancer G, Flynn MA, Laughland CW, Gezahegn B, Ludwig HDF, Thomson AG, Obrusnik T, Alarcón PG, Dionne H, Bock DD, Rubin GM, Reiser MB, Wernet MF. Synaptic targets of photoreceptors specialized to detect color and skylight polarization in Drosophila. eLife 2021; 10:e71858. [PMID: 34913436 PMCID: PMC8789284 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Color and polarization provide complementary information about the world and are detected by specialized photoreceptors. However, the downstream neural circuits that process these distinct modalities are incompletely understood in any animal. Using electron microscopy, we have systematically reconstructed the synaptic targets of the photoreceptors specialized to detect color and skylight polarization in Drosophila, and we have used light microscopy to confirm many of our findings. We identified known and novel downstream targets that are selective for different wavelengths or polarized light, and followed their projections to other areas in the optic lobes and the central brain. Our results revealed many synapses along the photoreceptor axons between brain regions, new pathways in the optic lobes, and spatially segregated projections to central brain regions. Strikingly, photoreceptors in the polarization-sensitive dorsal rim area target fewer cell types, and lack strong connections to the lobula, a neuropil involved in color processing. Our reconstruction identifies shared wiring and modality-specific specializations for color and polarization vision, and provides a comprehensive view of the first steps of the pathways processing color and polarized light inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emil Kind
- Instititut für Biologie – Abteilung Neurobiologie, Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie & Pharmazie, Freie Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Kit D Longden
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Aljoscha Nern
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Arthur Zhao
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Gizem Sancer
- Instititut für Biologie – Abteilung Neurobiologie, Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie & Pharmazie, Freie Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Miriam A Flynn
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Connor W Laughland
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Bruck Gezahegn
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Henrique DF Ludwig
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Alex G Thomson
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Tessa Obrusnik
- Instititut für Biologie – Abteilung Neurobiologie, Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie & Pharmazie, Freie Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Paula G Alarcón
- Instititut für Biologie – Abteilung Neurobiologie, Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie & Pharmazie, Freie Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Heather Dionne
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Davi D Bock
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Gerald M Rubin
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Michael B Reiser
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Mathias F Wernet
- Instititut für Biologie – Abteilung Neurobiologie, Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie & Pharmazie, Freie Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
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22
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Abstract
Animals navigate a wide range of distances, from a few millimeters to globe-spanning journeys of thousands of kilometers. Despite this array of navigational challenges, similar principles underlie these behaviors across species. Here, we focus on the navigational strategies and supporting mechanisms in four well-known systems: the large-scale migratory behaviors of sea turtles and lepidopterans as well as navigation on a smaller scale by rats and solitarily foraging ants. In lepidopterans, rats, and ants we also discuss the current understanding of the neural architecture which supports navigation. The orientation and navigational behaviors of these animals are defined in terms of behavioral error-reduction strategies reliant on multiple goal-directed servomechanisms. We conclude by proposing to incorporate an additional component into this system: the observation that servomechanisms operate on oscillatory systems of cycling behavior. These oscillators and servomechanisms comprise the basis for directed orientation and navigational behaviors. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Psychology, Volume 73 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody A Freas
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Ken Cheng
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia;
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23
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Garcia-Perez NC, Bucher G, Buescher M. Shaking hands is a homeodomain transcription factor that controls axon outgrowth of central complex neurons in the insect model Tribolium. Development 2021; 148:272435. [PMID: 34415334 PMCID: PMC8543150 DOI: 10.1242/dev.199368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Gene regulatory mechanisms that specify subtype identity of central complex (CX) neurons are the subject of intense investigation. The CX is a compartment within the brain common to all insect species and functions as a ‘command center’ that directs motor actions. It is made up of several thousand neurons, with more than 60 morphologically distinct identities. Accordingly, transcriptional programs must effect the specification of at least as many neuronal subtypes. We demonstrate a role for the transcription factor Shaking hands (Skh) in the specification of embryonic CX neurons in Tribolium. The developmental dynamics of skh expression are characteristic of terminal selectors of subtype identity. In the embryonic brain, skh expression is restricted to a subset of neurons, many of which survive to adulthood and contribute to the mature CX. skh expression is maintained throughout the lifetime in at least some CX neurons. skh knockdown results in axon outgrowth defects, thus preventing the formation of an embryonic CX primordium. The previously unstudied Drosophila skh shows a similar embryonic expression pattern, suggesting that subtype specification of CX neurons may be conserved. Summary: A detailed examination of the developmental expression of the homeodomain transcription factor Shaking hands in Tribolium reveals a role in the formation of the central complex primordium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Carolina Garcia-Perez
- Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute of Zoology, GZMB, Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, University of Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 11, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Gregor Bucher
- Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute of Zoology, GZMB, Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, University of Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 11, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Marita Buescher
- Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute of Zoology, GZMB, Department of Evolutionary Developmental Genetics, University of Goettingen, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 11, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
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24
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Goulard R, Buehlmann C, Niven JE, Graham P, Webb B. A unified mechanism for innate and learned visual landmark guidance in the insect central complex. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009383. [PMID: 34555013 PMCID: PMC8491911 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects can navigate efficiently in both novel and familiar environments, and this requires flexiblity in how they are guided by sensory cues. A prominent landmark, for example, can elicit strong innate behaviours (attraction or menotaxis) but can also be used, after learning, as a specific directional cue as part of a navigation memory. However, the mechanisms that allow both pathways to co-exist, interact or override each other are largely unknown. Here we propose a model for the behavioural integration of innate and learned guidance based on the neuroanatomy of the central complex (CX), adapted to control landmark guided behaviours. We consider a reward signal provided either by an innate attraction to landmarks or a long-term visual memory in the mushroom bodies (MB) that modulates the formation of a local vector memory in the CX. Using an operant strategy for a simulated agent exploring a simple world containing a single visual cue, we show how the generated short-term memory can support both innate and learned steering behaviour. In addition, we show how this architecture is consistent with the observed effects of unilateral MB lesions in ants that cause a reversion to innate behaviour. We suggest the formation of a directional memory in the CX can be interpreted as transforming rewarding (positive or negative) sensory signals into a mapping of the environment that describes the geometrical attractiveness (or repulsion). We discuss how this scheme might represent an ideal way to combine multisensory information gathered during the exploration of an environment and support optimal cue integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Goulard
- Institute for Perception, Action, and Behaviour, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Cornelia Buehlmann
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, John Maynard Smith Building, Falmer, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy E. Niven
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, John Maynard Smith Building, Falmer, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Graham
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, John Maynard Smith Building, Falmer, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Barbara Webb
- Institute for Perception, Action, and Behaviour, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
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25
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Abstract
Every aspect of vision, from the opsin proteins to the eyes and the ways that they serve animal behavior, is incredibly diverse. It is only with an evolutionary perspective that this diversity can be understood and fully appreciated. In this review, I describe and explain the diversity at each level and try to convey an understanding of how the origin of the first opsin some 800 million years ago could initiate the avalanche that produced the astonishing diversity of eyes and vision that we see today. Despite the diversity, many types of photoreceptors, eyes, and visual roles have evolved multiple times independently in different animals, revealing a pattern of eye evolution strictly guided by functional constraints and driven by the evolution of gradually more demanding behaviors. I conclude the review by introducing a novel distinction between active and passive vision that points to uncharted territories in vision research. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Vision Science, Volume 7 is September 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan-E Nilsson
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden;
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26
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Sung JY, Harris OK, Hensley NM, Chemero AP, Morehouse NI. Beyond cognitive templates: re-examining template metaphors used for animal recognition and navigation. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:825-841. [PMID: 33970266 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The term 'cognitive template' originated from work in human-based cognitive science to describe a literal, stored, neural representation used in recognition tasks. As the study of cognition has expanded to non-human animals, the term has diffused to describe a wider range of animal cognitive tools and strategies that guide action through the recognition of and discrimination between external states. One potential reason for this non-standardized meaning and variable employment is that researchers interested in the broad range of animal recognition tasks enjoy the simplicity of the cognitive template concept and have allowed it to become shorthand for many dissimilar or unknown neural processes without deep scrutiny of how this metaphor might comport with underlying neurophysiology. We review the functional evidence for cognitive templates in fields such as perception, navigation, communication, and learning, highlighting any neural correlates identified by these studies. We find that the concept of cognitive templates has facilitated valuable exploration at the interface between animal behavior and cognition, but the quest for a literal template has failed to attain mechanistic support at the level of neurophysiology. This may be the result of a misled search for a single physical locus for the 'template' itself. We argue that recognition and discrimination processes are best treated as emergent and, as such, may not be physically localized within single structures of the brain. Rather, current evidence suggests that such tasks are accomplished through synergies between multiple distributed processes in animal nervous systems. We thus advocate for researchers to move towards a more ecological, process-oriented conception, especially when discussing the neural underpinnings of recognition-based cognitive tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Y Sung
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati
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27
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Grob R, el Jundi B, Fleischmann PN. Towards a common terminology for arthropod spatial orientation. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2021.1905075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robin Grob
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg 97074, Germany
| | - Basil el Jundi
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg 97074, Germany
| | - Pauline N. Fleischmann
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg 97074, Germany
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28
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Nguyen TAT, Beetz MJ, Merlin C, el Jundi B. Sun compass neurons are tuned to migratory orientation in monarch butterflies. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202988. [PMID: 33622121 PMCID: PMC7935079 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Every autumn, monarch butterflies migrate from North America to their overwintering sites in Central Mexico. To maintain their southward direction, these butterflies rely on celestial cues as orientation references. The position of the sun combined with additional skylight cues are integrated in the central complex, a region in the butterfly's brain that acts as an internal compass. However, the central complex does not solely guide the butterflies on their migration but also helps monarchs in their non-migratory form manoeuvre on foraging trips through their habitat. By comparing the activity of input neurons of the central complex between migratory and non-migratory butterflies, we investigated how a different lifestyle affects the coding of orientation information in the brain. During recording, we presented the animals with different simulated celestial cues and found that the encoding of the sun was narrower in migratory compared to non-migratory butterflies. This feature might reflect the need of the migratory monarchs to rely on a precise sun compass to keep their direction during their journey. Taken together, our study sheds light on the neural coding of celestial cues and provides insights into how a compass is adapted in migratory animals to successfully steer them to their destination.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - M. Jerome Beetz
- University of Wuerzburg, Biocenter, Zoology II, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christine Merlin
- Department of Biology and Center for Biological Clocks Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Basil el Jundi
- University of Wuerzburg, Biocenter, Zoology II, Würzburg, Germany
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Kobayashi N, Okada R, Sakura M. Orientation to polarized light in tethered flying honeybees. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb228254. [PMID: 33106299 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.228254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Many insects exploit the partial plane polarization of skylight for visual compass orientation and/or navigation. In the present study, using a tethering system, we investigated how flying bees respond to polarized light stimuli. The behavioral responses of honeybees (Apis mellifera) to a zenithal polarized light stimulus were observed using a tethered animal in a flight simulator. Flight direction of the bee was recorded by monitoring the horizontal movement of its abdomen, which was strongly anti-correlated with its torque. When the e-vector orientation of the polarized light was rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, the bee responded with periodic right-and-left abdominal movements; however, the bee did not show any clear periodic movement under the static e-vector or depolarized stimulus. The steering frequency of the bee was well coordinated with the e-vector rotation frequency of the stimulus, indicating that the flying bee oriented itself to a certain e-vector orientation, i.e. exhibited polarotaxis. The percentage of bees exhibiting clear polarotaxis was much smaller under the fast stimulus (3.6 deg s-1) compared with that under a slow stimulus (0.9 or 1.8 deg s-1). Bees did not demonstrate any polarotactic behavior after the dorsal rim area of the eyes, which mediates insect polarization vision in general, was bilaterally covered with black paint. Preferred e-vector orientations under the clockwise stimulus varied among individuals and distributed throughout -90 to 90 deg. Some bees showed similar preferred e-vector orientations for clockwise and counterclockwise stimuli whereas others did not. Our results strongly suggest that flying honeybees utilize the e-vector information from the skylight to deduce their heading orientation for navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norihiro Kobayashi
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Rokkodai 1-1, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan
| | - Ryuichi Okada
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Rokkodai 1-1, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan
- School of Human Science and Environment, University of Hyogo, 1-1-12 Shinzaike-Honcho, Himeji, Hyogo 670-0092, Japan
| | - Midori Sakura
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Rokkodai 1-1, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan
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30
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Pfeffer S, Wolf H. Arthropod spatial cognition. Anim Cogn 2020; 23:1041-1049. [PMID: 33170438 PMCID: PMC7700064 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01446-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The feats of arthropods, and of the well-studied insects and crustaceans in particular, have fascinated scientists and laymen alike for centuries. Arthropods show a diverse repertoire of cognitive feats, of often unexpected sophistication. Despite their smaller brains and resulting lower neuronal capacity, the cognitive abilities of arthropods are comparable to, or may even exceed, those of vertebrates, depending on the species compared. Miniature brains often provide parsimonious but smart solutions for complex behaviours or ecologically relevant problems. This makes arthropods inspiring subjects for basic research, bionics, and robotics. Investigations of arthropod spatial cognition have originally concentrated on the honeybee, an animal domesticated for several thousand years. Bees are easy to keep and handle, making this species amenable to experimental study. However, there are an estimated 5–10 million arthropod species worldwide, with a broad diversity of lifestyles, ecology, and cognitive abilities. This high diversity provides ample opportunity for comparative analyses. Comparative study, rather than focusing on single model species, is well suited to scrutinise the link between ecological niche, lifestyle, and cognitive competence. It also allows the discovery of general concepts that are transferable between distantly related groups of organisms. With species diversity and a comparative approach in mind, this special issue compiles four review articles and ten original research reports from a spectrum of arthropod species. These contributions range from the well-studied hymenopterans, and ants in particular, to chelicerates and crustaceans. They thus present a broad spectrum of glimpses into current research on arthropod spatial cognition, and together they cogently emphasise the merits of research into arthropod cognitive achievements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Pfeffer
- Institute of Neurobiology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
| | - Harald Wolf
- Institute of Neurobiology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
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31
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Matched-filter coding of sky polarization results in an internal sun compass in the brain of the desert locust. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:25810-25817. [PMID: 32989147 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2005192117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals use celestial cues for spatial orientation. These include the sun and, in insects, the polarization pattern of the sky, which depends on the position of the sun. The central complex in the insect brain plays a key role in spatial orientation. In desert locusts, the angle of polarized light in the zenith above the animal and the direction of a simulated sun are represented in a compass-like fashion in the central complex, but how both compasses fit together for a unified representation of external space remained unclear. To address this question, we analyzed the sensitivity of intracellularly recorded central-complex neurons to the angle of polarized light presented from up to 33 positions in the animal's dorsal visual field and injected Neurobiotin tracer for cell identification. Neurons were polarization sensitive in large parts of the virtual sky that in some cells extended to the horizon in all directions. Neurons, moreover, were tuned to spatial patterns of polarization angles that matched the sky polarization pattern of particular sun positions. The horizontal components of these calculated solar positions were topographically encoded in the protocerebral bridge of the central complex covering 360° of space. This whole-sky polarization compass does not support the earlier reported polarization compass based on stimulation from a small spot above the animal but coincides well with the previously demonstrated direct sun compass based on unpolarized light stimulation. Therefore, direct sunlight and whole-sky polarization complement each other for robust head direction coding in the locust central complex.
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32
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Timaeus L, Geid L, Sancer G, Wernet MF, Hummel T. Parallel Visual Pathways with Topographic versus Nontopographic Organization Connect the Drosophila Eyes to the Central Brain. iScience 2020; 23:101590. [PMID: 33205011 PMCID: PMC7648135 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
One hallmark of the visual system is a strict retinotopic organization from the periphery toward the central brain, where functional imaging in Drosophila revealed a spatially accurate representation of visual cues in the central complex. This raised the question how, on a circuit level, the topographic features are implemented, as the majority of visual neurons enter the central brain converge in optic glomeruli. We discovered a spatial segregation of topographic versus nontopographic projections of distinct classes of medullo-tubercular (MeTu) neurons into a specific visual glomerulus, the anterior optic tubercle (AOTU). These parallel channels synapse onto different tubercular-bulbar (TuBu) neurons, which in turn relay visual information onto specific central complex ring neurons in the bulb neuropil. Hence, our results provide the circuit basis for spatially accurate representation of visual information and highlight the AOTU's role as a prominent relay station for spatial information from the retina to the central brain. A Drosophila visual circuit conveys input from the periphery to the central brain Several synaptic pathways form parallel channels using the anterior optic tubercle Some pathways maintain topographic relationships across several synaptic steps Different target neurons in the central brain are identified
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorin Timaeus
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Laura Geid
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gizem Sancer
- Department of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mathias F Wernet
- Department of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Ren H, Yang J, Liu X, Huang P, Guo L. Sensor Modeling and Calibration Method Based on Extinction Ratio Error for Camera-Based Polarization Navigation Sensor. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 20:E3779. [PMID: 32640538 PMCID: PMC7374381 DOI: 10.3390/s20133779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The performance of camera-based polarization sensors largely depends on the estimated model parameters obtained through calibration. Limited by manufacturing processes, the low extinction ratio and inconsistency of the polarizer can reduce the measurement accuracy of the sensor. To account for the challenges, one extinction ratio coefficient was introduced into the calibration model to unify the light intensity of two orthogonal channels. Since the introduced extinction ratio coefficient is associated with degree of polarization (DOP), a new calibration method considering both azimuth of polarization (AOP) error and DOP error for the bionic camera-based polarization sensor was proposed to improve the accuracy of the calibration model parameter estimation. To evaluate the performance of the proposed camera-based polarization calibration model using the new calibration method, both indoor and outdoor calibration experiments were carried out. It was found that the new calibration method for the proposed calibration model could achieve desirable performance in terms of stability and robustness of the calculated AOP and DOP values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haonan Ren
- School of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China; (H.R.); (X.L.); (L.G.)
| | - Jian Yang
- School of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China; (H.R.); (X.L.); (L.G.)
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Big Data-Based Precision Medicine, School of Medicine and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
- Key Laboratory of Big Data-Based Precision Medicine (Beihang University), Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Beijing 100804, China
| | - Xin Liu
- School of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China; (H.R.); (X.L.); (L.G.)
| | - Panpan Huang
- Hangzhou Innovation Institute, Beihang University, Hangzhou 310051, China;
| | - Lei Guo
- School of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China; (H.R.); (X.L.); (L.G.)
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Big Data-Based Precision Medicine, School of Medicine and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
- Key Laboratory of Big Data-Based Precision Medicine (Beihang University), Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Beijing 100804, China
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34
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Sun X, Yue S, Mangan M. A decentralised neural model explaining optimal integration of navigational strategies in insects. eLife 2020; 9:e54026. [PMID: 32589143 PMCID: PMC7365663 DOI: 10.7554/elife.54026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect navigation arises from the coordinated action of concurrent guidance systems but the neural mechanisms through which each functions, and are then coordinated, remains unknown. We propose that insects require distinct strategies to retrace familiar routes (route-following) and directly return from novel to familiar terrain (homing) using different aspects of frequency encoded views that are processed in different neural pathways. We also demonstrate how the Central Complex and Mushroom Bodies regions of the insect brain may work in tandem to coordinate the directional output of different guidance cues through a contextually switched ring-attractor inspired by neural recordings. The resultant unified model of insect navigation reproduces behavioural data from a series of cue conflict experiments in realistic animal environments and offers testable hypotheses of where and how insects process visual cues, utilise the different information that they provide and coordinate their outputs to achieve the adaptive behaviours observed in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuelong Sun
- Computational Intelligence Lab & L-CAS, School of Computer Science, University of LincolnLincolnUnited Kingdom
| | - Shigang Yue
- Computational Intelligence Lab & L-CAS, School of Computer Science, University of LincolnLincolnUnited Kingdom
- Machine Life and Intelligence Research Centre, Guangzhou UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Michael Mangan
- Sheffield Robotics, Department of Computer Science, University of SheffieldSheffieldUnited Kingdom
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35
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Kreiser R, Renner A, Leite VRC, Serhan B, Bartolozzi C, Glover A, Sandamirskaya Y. An On-chip Spiking Neural Network for Estimation of the Head Pose of the iCub Robot. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:551. [PMID: 32655350 PMCID: PMC7325709 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In this work, we present a neuromorphic architecture for head pose estimation and scene representation for the humanoid iCub robot. The spiking neuronal network is fully realized in Intel's neuromorphic research chip, Loihi, and precisely integrates the issued motor commands to estimate the iCub's head pose in a neuronal path-integration process. The neuromorphic vision system of the iCub is used to correct for drift in the pose estimation. Positions of objects in front of the robot are memorized using on-chip synaptic plasticity. We present real-time robotic experiments using 2 degrees of freedom (DoF) of the robot's head and show precise path integration, visual reset, and object position learning on-chip. We discuss the requirements for integrating the robotic system and neuromorphic hardware with current technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaela Kreiser
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alpha Renner
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Vanessa R. C. Leite
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Baris Serhan
- Lincoln Centre for Autonomous Systems, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Yulia Sandamirskaya
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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36
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Patel RN, Cronin TW. Mantis Shrimp Navigate Home Using Celestial and Idiothetic Path Integration. Curr Biol 2020; 30:1981-1987.e3. [PMID: 32275879 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Path integration is a robust mechanism that many animals employ to return to specific locations, typically their homes, during navigation. This efficient navigational strategy has never been demonstrated in a fully aquatic animal, where sensory cues used for orientation may differ dramatically from those available above the water's surface. Here, we report that the mantis shrimp, Neogonodactylus oerstedii, uses path integration informed by a hierarchical reliance on the sun, overhead polarization patterns, and idiothetic (internal) orientation cues to return home when foraging, making them the first fully aquatic path-integrating animals yet discovered. We show that mantis shrimp rely on navigational strategies closely resembling those used by insect navigators, opening a new avenue for the investigation of the neural basis of navigation behaviors and the evolution of these strategies in arthropods and potentially other animals as well. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rickesh N Patel
- UMBC Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA.
| | - Thomas W Cronin
- UMBC Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
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37
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Mathejczyk TF, Wernet MF. Modular assays for the quantitative study of visually guided navigation in both flying and walking flies. J Neurosci Methods 2020; 340:108747. [PMID: 32339523 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The quantitative study of behavioral responses to visual stimuli provides crucial information about the computations executed by neural circuits. Insects have long served as powerful model systems, either when walking on air suspended balls (spherical treadmill), or flying while glued to a needle (virtual flight arena). NEW METHOD Here we present detailed instructions for 3D-printing and assembly of arenas optimized for visually guided navigation, including codes for presenting both celestial and panorama cues. These modular arenas can be used either as virtual flight arenas, or as spherical treadmills and consist entirely of commercial and 3D-printed components placed in a temperature and humidity controlled environment. COMPARISON TO EXISTING METHOD(S) Previous assays often include a combination of rather cost-intensive and technically complex, custom-built mechanical, electronic, and software components. Implementation amounts to a major challenge when working in an academic environment without the support of a professional machine shop. RESULTS Robust optomotor responses are induced in flyingDrosophila by displaying moving stripes in a cylinder surrounding the magnetically tethered fly. Similarly, changes in flight heading are induced by presenting changes in the orientation of linearly polarized UV light presented from above. Finally, responses to moving patterns are induced when individual flies are walking on an air-suspended ball. CONCLUSION These modular assays allow for the investigation of a diverse combination navigational cues (sky and panorama) in both flying and walking flies. They can be used for the molecular dissection of neural circuitry in Drosophila and can easily be rescaled for accommodating other insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas F Mathejczyk
- Freie Universität Berlin, Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie und Pharmazie, Institut für Biologie - Neurobiologie, Königin-Luise Strasse 1-3, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Mathias F Wernet
- Freie Universität Berlin, Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie und Pharmazie, Institut für Biologie - Neurobiologie, Königin-Luise Strasse 1-3, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
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38
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Steinbeck F, Adden A, Graham P. Connecting brain to behaviour: a role for general purpose steering circuits in insect orientation? J Exp Biol 2020; 223:223/5/jeb212332. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.212332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The lateral accessory lobes (LALs), paired structures that are homologous among all insect species, have been well studied for their role in pheromone tracking in silkmoths and phonotaxis in crickets, where their outputs have been shown to correlate with observed motor activity. Further studies have shown more generally that the LALs are crucial both for an insect's ability to steer correctly and for organising the outputs of the descending pathways towards the motor centres. In this context, we propose a framework by which the LALs may be generally involved in generating steering commands across a variety of insects and behaviours. Across different behaviours, we see that the LAL is involved in generating two kinds of steering: (1) search behaviours and (2) targeted steering driven by direct sensory information. Search behaviours are generated when the current behaviourally relevant cues are not available, and a well-described LAL subnetwork produces activity which increases sampling of the environment. We propose that, when behaviourally relevant cues are available, the LALs may integrate orientation information from several sensory modalities, thus leading to a collective output for steering driven by those cues. These steering commands are then sent to the motor centres, and an additional efference copy is sent back to the orientation-computing areas. In summary, we have taken known aspects of the neurophysiology and function of the insect LALs and generated a speculative framework that suggests how LALs might be involved in steering control for a variety of complex real-world behaviours in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Steinbeck
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Andrea Adden
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Paul Graham
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK
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39
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Currier TA, Nagel KI. Multisensory control of navigation in the fruit fly. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2019; 64:10-16. [PMID: 31841944 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2019.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 11/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Spatial navigation is influenced by cues from nearly every sensory modality and thus provides an excellent model for understanding how different sensory streams are integrated to drive behavior. Here we review recent work on multisensory control of navigation in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, which allows for detailed circuit dissection. We identify four modes of integration that have been described in the literature-suppression, gating, summation, and association-and describe regions of the larval and adult brain that have been implicated in sensory integration. Finally we discuss what circuit architectures might support these different forms of integration. We argue that Drosophila is an excellent model to discover these circuit and biophysical motifs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy A Currier
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Medical Center, 435 E 30th St., New York, NY 10016, USA; Center for Neural Science, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Katherine I Nagel
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Medical Center, 435 E 30th St., New York, NY 10016, USA; Center for Neural Science, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003, USA.
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40
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Cellular and synaptic adaptations of neural circuits processing skylight polarization in the fly. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2019; 206:233-246. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-019-01389-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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41
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Heading choices of flying Drosophila under changing angles of polarized light. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16773. [PMID: 31727972 PMCID: PMC6856357 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53330-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Many navigating insects include the celestial polarization pattern as an additional visual cue to orient their travels. Spontaneous orientation responses of both walking and flying fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) to linearly polarized light have previously been demonstrated. Using newly designed modular flight arenas consisting entirely of off-the-shelf parts and 3D-printed components we present individual flying flies with a slow and continuous rotational change in the incident angle of linear polarization. Under such open-loop conditions, single flies choose arbitrary headings with respect to the angle of polarized light and show a clear tendency to maintain those chosen headings for several minutes, thereby adjusting their course to the slow rotation of the incident stimulus. Importantly, flies show the tendency to maintain a chosen heading even when two individual test periods under a linearly polarized stimulus are interrupted by an epoch of unpolarized light lasting several minutes. Finally, we show that these behavioral responses are wavelength-specific, existing under polarized UV stimulus while being absent under polarized green light. Taken together, these findings provide further evidence supporting Drosophila’s abilities to use celestial cues for visually guided navigation and course correction.
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Abstract
Continuously monitoring its position in space relative to a goal is one of the most essential tasks for an animal that moves through its environment. Species as diverse as rats, bees, and crabs achieve this by integrating all changes of direction with the distance covered during their foraging trips, a process called path integration. They generate an estimate of their current position relative to a starting point, enabling a straight-line return, following what is known as a home vector. While in theory path integration always leads the animal precisely back home, in the real world noise limits the usefulness of this strategy when operating in isolation. Noise results from stochastic processes in the nervous system and from unreliable sensory information, particularly when obtaining heading estimates. Path integration, during which angular self-motion provides the sole input for encoding heading (idiothetic path integration), results in accumulating errors that render this strategy useless over long distances. In contrast, when using an external compass this limitation is avoided (allothetic path integration). Many navigating insects indeed rely on external compass cues for estimating body orientation, whereas they obtain distance information by integration of steps or optic-flow-based speed signals. In the insect brain, a region called the central complex plays a key role for path integration. Not only does the central complex house a ring-attractor network that encodes head directions, neurons responding to optic flow also converge with this circuit. A neural substrate for integrating direction and distance into a memorized home vector has therefore been proposed in the central complex. We discuss how behavioral data and the theoretical framework of path integration can be aligned with these neural data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Allen Cheung
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute, Upland Road, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
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43
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Neuroethology of the Waggle Dance: How Followers Interact with the Waggle Dancer and Detect Spatial Information. INSECTS 2019; 10:insects10100336. [PMID: 31614450 PMCID: PMC6835826 DOI: 10.3390/insects10100336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2019] [Revised: 09/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Since the honeybee possesses eusociality, advanced learning, memory ability, and information sharing through the use of various pheromones and sophisticated symbol communication (i.e., the "waggle dance"), this remarkable social animal has been one of the model symbolic animals for biological studies, animal ecology, ethology, and neuroethology. Karl von Frisch discovered the meanings of the waggle dance and called the communication a "dance language." Subsequent to this discovery, it has been extensively studied how effectively recruits translate the code in the dance to reach the advertised destination and how the waggle dance information conflicts with the information based on their own foraging experience. The dance followers, mostly foragers, detect and interact with the waggle dancer, and are finally recruited to the food source. In this review, we summarize the current state of knowledge on the neural processing underlying this fascinating behavior.
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Abstract
South African ball-rolling dung beetles exhibit a unique orientation behavior to avoid competition for food: after forming a piece of dung into a ball, they efficiently escape with it from the dung pile along a straight-line path. To keep track of their heading, these animals use celestial cues, such as the sun, as an orientation reference. Here we show that wind can also be used as a guiding cue for the ball-rolling beetles. We demonstrate that this mechanosensory compass cue is only used when skylight cues are difficult to read, i.e., when the sun is close to the zenith. This raises the question of how the beetles combine multimodal orientation input to obtain a robust heading estimate. To study this, we performed behavioral experiments in a tightly controlled indoor arena. This revealed that the beetles register directional information provided by the sun and the wind and can use them in a weighted manner. Moreover, the directional information can be transferred between these 2 sensory modalities, suggesting that they are combined in the spatial memory network in the beetle's brain. This flexible use of compass cue preferences relative to the prevailing visual and mechanosensory scenery provides a simple, yet effective, mechanism for enabling precise compass orientation at any time of the day.
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45
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Neural Evolution of Context-Dependent Fly Song. Curr Biol 2019; 29:1089-1099.e7. [PMID: 30880014 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
It is unclear where in the nervous system evolutionary changes tend to occur. To localize the source of neural evolution that has generated divergent behaviors, we developed a new approach to label and functionally manipulate homologous neurons across Drosophila species. We examined homologous descending neurons that drive courtship song in two species that sing divergent song types and localized relevant evolutionary changes in circuit function downstream of the intrinsic physiology of these descending neurons. This evolutionary change causes different species to produce divergent motor patterns in similar social contexts. Artificial stimulation of these descending neurons drives multiple song types, suggesting that multifunctional properties of song circuits may facilitate rapid evolution of song types.
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Sullivan LF, Warren TL, Doe CQ. Temporal identity establishes columnar neuron morphology, connectivity, and function in a Drosophila navigation circuit. eLife 2019; 8:43482. [PMID: 30706848 PMCID: PMC6386519 DOI: 10.7554/elife.43482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The insect central complex (CX) is a conserved brain region containing 60 + neuronal subtypes, several of which contribute to navigation. It is not known how CX neuronal diversity is generated or how developmental origin of subtypes relates to function. We mapped the developmental origin of four key CX subtypes and found that neurons with similar origin have similar axon/dendrite targeting. Moreover, we found that the temporal transcription factor (TTF) Eyeless/Pax6 regulates the development of two recurrently-connected CX subtypes: Eyeless loss simultaneously produces ectopic P-EN neurons with normal axon/dendrite projections, and reduces the number of E-PG neurons. Furthermore, transient loss of Eyeless during development impairs adult flies’ capacity to perform celestial navigation. We conclude that neurons with similar developmental origin have similar connectivity, that Eyeless maintains equal E-PG and P-EN neuron number, and that Eyeless is required for the development of circuits that control adult navigation. Every task that an animal performs, even a simple one, typically requires numerous signals to pass across complex networks of cells called neurons. These networks develop early in an animal’s life, beginning when progenitor cells called neural stem cells divide over and over to produce new cells. Specific molecular signals then induce these new cells to become different types of neurons. However, in many animals, it is poorly understood what these critical molecular signals are and how they work. Fruit flies, for example, have a network of neurons that control how they navigate when flying. The same type of progenitor cell gives rise to at least four types of neurons in this network; these progenitor cells make an increasing amount of a protein called Eyeless as they age. Sullivan et al. have now specifically disrupted production of the Eyeless protein in the progenitor cells, and found that this altered the relative numbers of navigation neurons. The fruit flies had too many of some types of navigation neurons and too few of others. Fruit flies normally navigate in a variety of directions relative to the sun, which may allow them to disperse and find food. This was not the case in experiments where the production of Eyeless was briefly disrupted when the flies were larvae. In these experiments, the adult flies tended to head towards a bright light (that represented the sun) much more often than normal, which would presumably keep them from dispersing effectively. This was true even if the disruption of Eyeless was not long enough to change the numbers of neuron types, showing the protein is important in determining both how these navigation neurons form networks, and whether they are born at all. A better understanding of the complexities of how healthy networks of neurons develop may give scientists more insight into what goes wrong during human developmental disorders that affect the brain. In theory, it may also someday lead to tools that can help to repair the brain if it is damaged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis F Sullivan
- Institute of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States.,Institute of Molecular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Timothy L Warren
- Institute of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States.,Institute of Molecular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Chris Q Doe
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
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47
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Honkanen A, Adden A, da Silva Freitas J, Heinze S. The insect central complex and the neural basis of navigational strategies. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:222/Suppl_1/jeb188854. [PMID: 30728235 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.188854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Oriented behaviour is present in almost all animals, indicating that it is an ancient feature that has emerged from animal brains hundreds of millions of years ago. Although many complex navigation strategies have been described, each strategy can be broken down into a series of elementary navigational decisions. In each moment in time, an animal has to compare its current heading with its desired direction and compensate for any mismatch by producing a steering response either to the right or to the left. Different from reflex-driven movements, target-directed navigation is not only initiated in response to sensory input, but also takes into account previous experience and motivational state. Once a series of elementary decisions are chained together to form one of many coherent navigation strategies, the animal can pursue a navigational target, e.g. a food source, a nest entrance or a constant flight direction during migrations. Insects show a great variety of complex navigation behaviours and, owing to their small brains, the pursuit of the neural circuits controlling navigation has made substantial progress over the last years. A brain region as ancient as insects themselves, called the central complex, has emerged as the likely navigation centre of the brain. Research across many species has shown that the central complex contains the circuitry that might comprise the neural substrate of elementary navigational decisions. Although this region is also involved in a wide range of other functions, we hypothesize in this Review that its role in mediating the animal's next move during target-directed behaviour is its ancestral function, around which other functions have been layered over the course of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Honkanen
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden
| | - Andrea Adden
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Stanley Heinze
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden
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48
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Warren TL, Giraldo YM, Dickinson MH. Celestial navigation in Drosophila. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:222/Suppl_1/jeb186148. [PMID: 30728228 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.186148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Many casual observers typecast Drosophila melanogaster as a stationary pest that lurks around fruit and wine. However, the omnipresent fruit fly, which thrives even in desert habitats, likely established and maintained its cosmopolitan status via migration over large spatial scales. To perform long-distance dispersal, flies must actively maintain a straight compass heading through the use of external orientation cues, such as those derived from the sky. In this Review, we address how D. melanogaster accomplishes long-distance navigation using celestial cues. We focus on behavioral and physiological studies indicating that fruit flies can navigate both to a pattern of linearly polarized light and to the position of the sun - the same cues utilized by more heralded insect navigators such as monarch butterflies and desert ants. In both cases, fruit flies perform menotaxis, selecting seemingly arbitrary headings that they then maintain over time. We discuss how the fly's nervous system detects and processes this sensory information to direct the steering maneuvers that underlie navigation. In particular, we highlight recent findings that compass neurons in the central complex, a set of midline neuropils, are essential for navigation. Taken together, these results suggest that fruit flies share an ancient, latent capacity for celestial navigation with other insects. Furthermore, they illustrate the potential of D. melanogaster to help us to elucidate both the cellular basis of navigation and mechanisms of directed dispersal on a landscape scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy L Warren
- Institute of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Ysabel M Giraldo
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Michael H Dickinson
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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49
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El Jundi B, Baird E, Byrne MJ, Dacke M. The brain behind straight-line orientation in dung beetles. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:222/Suppl_1/jeb192450. [PMID: 30728239 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.192450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
For many insects, celestial compass cues play an important role in keeping track of their directional headings. One well-investigated group of celestial orientating insects are the African ball-rolling dung beetles. After finding a dung pile, these insects detach a piece, form it into a ball and roll it away along a straight path while facing backwards. A brain region, termed the central complex, acts as an internal compass that constantly updates the ball-rolling dung beetle about its heading. In this review, we give insights into the compass network behind straight-line orientation in dung beetles and place it in the context of the orientation mechanisms and neural networks of other insects. We find that the neuronal network behind straight-line orientation in dung beetles has strong similarities to the ones described in path-integrating and migrating insects, with the central complex being the key control point for this behavior. We conclude that, despite substantial differences in behavior and navigational challenges, dung beetles encode compass information in a similar way to other insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basil El Jundi
- University of Wuerzburg, Biocenter, Zoology II, Emmy-Noether Group, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Emily Baird
- Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, Division of Functional Morphology, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marcus J Byrne
- University of the Witwatersrand, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, Wits 2050, South Africa
| | - Marie Dacke
- University of the Witwatersrand, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, Wits 2050, South Africa.,Lund University, Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, 22362 Lund, Sweden
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50
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Sommerlandt FMJ, Brockmann A, Rössler W, Spaethe J. Immediate early genes in social insects: a tool to identify brain regions involved in complex behaviors and molecular processes underlying neuroplasticity. Cell Mol Life Sci 2019; 76:637-651. [PMID: 30349993 PMCID: PMC6514070 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-018-2948-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Social insects show complex behaviors and master cognitive tasks. The underlying neuronal mechanisms, however, are in most cases only poorly understood due to challenges in monitoring brain activity in freely moving animals. Immediate early genes (IEGs) that get rapidly and transiently expressed following neuronal stimulation provide a powerful tool for detecting behavior-related neuronal activity in vertebrates. In social insects, like honey bees, and in insects in general, this approach is not yet routinely established, even though these genes are highly conserved. First studies revealed a vast potential of using IEGs as neuronal activity markers to analyze the localization, function, and plasticity of neuronal circuits underlying complex social behaviors. We summarize the current knowledge on IEGs in social insects and provide ideas for future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank M J Sommerlandt
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Axel Brockmann
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bellary Road, Bangalore, 560065, India
| | - Wolfgang Rössler
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Spaethe
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
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