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Loh YM, Su MP, Ellis DA, Andrés M. The auditory efferent system in mosquitoes. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1123738. [PMID: 36923250 PMCID: PMC10009176 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1123738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Whilst acoustic communication forms an integral component of the mating behavior of many insect species, it is particularly crucial for disease-transmitting mosquitoes; swarming males rely on hearing the faint sounds of flying females for courtship initiation. That males can hear females within the din of a swarm is testament to their fabulous auditory systems. Mosquito hearing is highly frequency-selective, remarkably sensitive and, most strikingly, supported by an elaborate system of auditory efferent neurons that modulate the auditory function - the only documented example amongst insects. Peripheral release of octopamine, serotonin and GABA appears to differentially modulate hearing across major disease-carrying mosquito species, with receptors from other neurotransmitter families also identified in their ears. Because mosquito mating relies on hearing the flight tones of mating partners, the auditory efferent system offers new potential targets for mosquito control. It also represents a unique insect model for studying auditory efferent networks. Here we review current knowledge of the mosquito auditory efferent system, briefly compare it with its counterparts in other species and highlight future research directions to unravel its contribution to mosquito auditory perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- YuMin M. Loh
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Matthew P. Su
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
- Institute for Advanced Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - David A. Ellis
- UCL Ear Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marta Andrés
- UCL Ear Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
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2
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Sansom TM, Oberst S, Richter A, Lai JCS, Saadatfar M, Nowotny M, Evans TA. Low radiodensity μCT scans to reveal detailed morphology of the termite leg and its subgenual organ. ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT 2022; 70:101191. [PMID: 35816830 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2022.101191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Termites sense tiny substrate-borne vibrations through subgenual organs (SGOs) located within their legs' tibiae. Little is known about the SGOs' structure and physical properties. We applied high-resolution (voxel size 0.45 μm) micro-computed tomography (μCT) to Australian termites, Coptotermes lacteus and Nasutitermes exitiosus (Hill) to test two staining techniques. We compared the effectiveness of a single stain of Lugol's iodine solution (LS) to LS followed by Phosphotungstic acid (PTA) solutions (1% and 2%). We then present results of a soldier of Nasutitermes exitiosus combining μCT with LS + 2%PTS stains and scanning electron microscopy to exemplify the visualisation of their SGOs. The termite's SGO due to its approximately oval shape was shown to have a maximum diameter of 60 μm and a minimum of 48 μm, covering 60 ± 4% of the leg's cross-section and 90.4 ± 5% of the residual haemolymph channel. Additionally, the leg and residual haemolymph channel cross-sectional area decreased around the SGO by 33% and 73%, respectively. We hypothesise that this change in cross-sectional area amplifies the vibrations for the SGO. Since SGOs are directly connected to the cuticle, their mechanical properties and the geometric details identified here may enable new approaches to determine how termites sense micro-vibrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travers M Sansom
- University of Technology Sydney, Centre for Audio, Acoustics and Vibration, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia.
| | - Sebastian Oberst
- University of Technology Sydney, Centre for Audio, Acoustics and Vibration, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia; School of Engineering and IT, University of New South Wales Canberra, Northcott Dr, Campbell ACT, 2612, Australia.
| | - Adrian Richter
- Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany
| | - Joseph C S Lai
- School of Engineering and IT, University of New South Wales Canberra, Northcott Dr, Campbell ACT, 2612, Australia
| | - Mohammad Saadatfar
- School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, 2006, Sydney, Australia
| | - Manuela Nowotny
- Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany
| | - Theodore A Evans
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
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Nakata T, Simões P, Walker SM, Russell IJ, Bomphrey RJ. Auditory sensory range of male mosquitoes for the detection of female flight sound. J R Soc Interface 2022; 19:20220285. [PMID: 36000227 PMCID: PMC9399701 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Male mosquitoes detect and localize conspecific females by their flight-tones using the Johnston's organ (JO), which detects antennal deflections under the influence of local particle motion. Acoustic behaviours of mosquitoes and their JO physiology have been investigated extensively within the frequency domain, yet the auditory sensory range and the behaviour of males at the initiation of phonotactic flights are not well known. In this study, we predict a maximum spatial sensory envelope for flying Culex quinquefasciatus by integrating the physiological tuning response of the male JO with female aeroacoustic signatures derived from numerical simulations. Our sensory envelope predictions were tested with a behavioural assay of free-flying males responding to a female-like artificial pure tone. The minimum detectable particle velocity observed during flight tests was in good agreement with our theoretical prediction formed by the peak JO sensitivity measured in previous studies. The iso-surface describing the minimal detectable particle velocity represents the quantitative auditory sensory range of males and is directional with respect to the female body orientation. Our results illuminate the intricacy of the mating behaviour and point to the importance of observing the body orientation of flying mosquitoes to understand fully the sensory ecology of conspecific communication.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Simon M Walker
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Ian J Russell
- Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK
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Ziemer T, Wetjen F, Herbst A. The Antenna Base Plays a Crucial Role in Mosquito Courtship Behavior. FRONTIERS IN TROPICAL DISEASES 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fitd.2022.803611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mosquitoes are vectors of pathogens that cause diseases like malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, chikungunya and Zika. For mosquito control it is crucial to understand their hearing system, as mosquitoes’ courting behavior is mostly auditory. Many nonlinear characteristics of the mosquito hearing organ have been observed through behavioral studies and neural measurements. These enable mosquitoes to detect and synchronize to other mosquitoes. Many hypotheses concerning the role of the flagellum and the fibrillae of the antenna in mosquito hearing have been made, and neural processes have been considered as the origin of the nonlinearities. In this study we introduce a geometric model based on the morphology of the mosquito antenna base. The model produces many of the observed nonlinear characteristics, providing evidence that the base of the antenna plays a crucial role in mosquito hearing. Even without neural processing, the antenna response to sound produces behaviorally relevant cues that can inform about the presence, location, and sex of other mosquitoes.
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Dou Z, Madan A, Carlson JS, Chung J, Spoleti T, Dimopoulos G, Cammarato A, Mittal R. Acoustotactic response of mosquitoes in untethered flight to incidental sound. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1884. [PMID: 33479423 PMCID: PMC7820424 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81456-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Mosquitoes are vectors for some of the most devastating diseases on the planet. Given the centrality of acoustic sensing in the precopulatory behavior of these vectors, the use of an exogenous acoustic stimulus offers the potential of interfering with the courtship behavior of these insects. Previous research on the acoustotactic response of mosquitoes has been conducted on tethered preparations using low-intensity sound stimuli. To quantify differences in acoustotactic responses between mosquitos of distinct sex and species, we examined the effects of incidental sound stimuli on the flight behavior of free-flying male vs. female Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes. The key variables were sound frequency (100–1000 Hz) and intensity (67–103 dB, measured at 12.5 cm from the source), and the acoustotactic response was measured in terms of the relative increase in flight speed in response to the stimulus. The data show, for the first time, significant sex- and species-specific differences in acoustotactic responses. A. aegypti exhibited a greater response to sound stimulus compared to An. gambiae, and the response also extended over a larger range of frequencies. Furthermore, the males of both species displayed a greater acoustotactic response than females, with An. gambiae females exhibiting minimal response to sound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongwang Dou
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Aditi Madan
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jenny S Carlson
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Joseph Chung
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Tyler Spoleti
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - George Dimopoulos
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Anthony Cammarato
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rajat Mittal
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Report on the First Symposium on Invertebrate Neuroscience held on 13-17th August 2019 at the Balaton Limnological Institute, MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Tihany, Hungary. INVERTEBRATE NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 20:13. [PMID: 32816072 DOI: 10.1007/s10158-020-00245-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/11/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
This meeting report provides an overview of the oral and poster presentations at the first international symposium for invertebrate neuroscience. The contents reflect the contributions of invertebrate neuroscience in addressing fundamental and fascinating challenges in understanding the neural substrates of animal behaviour.
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Ng R, Wu ST, Su CY. Neuronal Compartmentalization: A Means to Integrate Sensory Input at the Earliest Stage of Information Processing? Bioessays 2020; 42:e2000026. [PMID: 32613656 PMCID: PMC7864560 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202000026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
In numerous peripheral sense organs, external stimuli are detected by primary sensory neurons compartmentalized within specialized structures composed of cuticular or epithelial tissue. Beyond reflecting developmental constraints, such compartmentalization also provides opportunities for grouped neurons to functionally interact. Here, the authors review and illustrate the prevalence of these structural units, describe characteristics of compartmentalized neurons, and consider possible interactions between these cells. This article discusses instances of neuronal crosstalk, examples of which are observed in the vertebrate tastebuds and multiple types of arthropod chemosensory hairs. Particular attention is paid to insect olfaction, which presents especially well-characterized mechanisms of functional, cross-neuronal interactions. These examples highlight the potential impact of peripheral processing, which likely contributes more to signal integration than previously considered. In surveying a wide variety of structural units, it is hoped that this article will stimulate future research that determines whether grouped neurons in other sensory systems can also communicate to impact information processing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Chih-Ying Su
- Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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Choi N, Bern M, Elias DO, McGinley RH, Rosenthal MF, Hebets EA. A mismatch between signal transmission efficacy and mating success calls into question the function of complex signals. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Raboin M, Elias DO. Anthropogenic noise and the bioacoustics of terrestrial invertebrates. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:222/12/jeb178749. [PMID: 31217253 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.178749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is an important issue of environmental concern owing to its wide-ranging effects on the physiology, behavior and ecology of animals. To date, research has focused on the impacts of far-field airborne noise (i.e. pressure waves) on vertebrates, with few exceptions. However, invertebrates and the other acoustic modalities they rely on, primarily near-field airborne and substrate-borne sound (i.e. particle motion and vibrations, respectively) have received little attention. Here, we review the literature on the impacts of different types of anthropogenic noise (airborne far-field, airborne near-field, substrate-borne) on terrestrial invertebrates. Using literature on invertebrate bioacoustics, we propose a framework for understanding the potential impact of anthropogenic noise on invertebrates and outline predictions of possible constraints and adaptations for invertebrates in responding to anthropogenic noise. We argue that understanding the impacts of anthropogenic noise requires us to consider multiple modalities of sound and to cultivate a broader understanding of invertebrate bioacoustics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maggie Raboin
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Damian O Elias
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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Menda G, Nitzany EI, Shamble PS, Wells A, Harrington LC, Miles RN, Hoy RR. The Long and Short of Hearing in the Mosquito Aedes aegypti. Curr Biol 2019; 29:709-714.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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Lapshin DN, Vorontsov DD. Directional and frequency characteristics of auditory neurons in Culex male mosquitoes. J Exp Biol 2019; 222:jeb.208785. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.208785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The paired auditory organ of mosquito, the Johnston's organ (JO), being the receiver of particle velocity component of sound, is directional by its structure. However, to date almost no physiological measurements of its directionality was done. In addition, the recent finding on the grouping of the JO auditory neurons into the antiphase pairs demanded confirmation by different methods. Using the vector superposition of the signals produced by two orthogonally oriented speakers, we measured the directional characteristics of individual units as well as their relations in physiologically distinguishable groups – pairs or triplets. The feedback stimulation method allowed to discriminate responses of the two simultaneously recorded units, and to show that they indeed responded in antiphase. Units of different frequency tuning as well as high-sensitive units (thresholds of 27 dB SPVL and below) were found in every angular sector of the JO, providing the mosquito with the ability to produce complex auditory behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry N. Lapshin
- Institute for Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Kharkevich Institute) Bolshoy Karetny per. 19, Moscow, 127994, Russia
| | - Dmitry D. Vorontsov
- Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology Russian Academy of Sciences Vavilova 26, Moscow, 119334, Russia
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Su MP, Andrés M, Boyd-Gibbins N, Somers J, Albert JT. Sex and species specific hearing mechanisms in mosquito flagellar ears. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3911. [PMID: 30254270 PMCID: PMC6156513 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06388-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Hearing is essential for the courtship of one of the major carriers of human disease, the mosquito. Males locate females through flight-tone recognition and both sexes engage in mid-air acoustic communications, which can take place within swarms containing thousands of individuals. Despite the importance of hearing for mosquitoes, its mechanisms are still largely unclear. We here report a multilevel analysis of auditory function across three disease-transmitting mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti, Anopheles gambiae and Culex quinquefasciatus). All ears tested display transduction-dependent power gain. Quantitative analyses of mechanotransducer function reveal sex-specific and species-specific variations, including male-specific, highly sensitive transducer populations. Systemic blocks of neurotransmission result in large-amplitude oscillations only in male flagellar receivers, indicating sexually dimorphic auditory gain control mechanisms. Our findings identify modifications of auditory function as a key feature in mosquito evolution. We propose that intra-swarm communication has been a driving force behind the observed sex-specific and species-specific diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew P Su
- Ear Institute, University College London, 332 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8EE, UK
- Centre for Mathematics and Physics in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology (CoMPLEX), University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Marta Andrés
- Ear Institute, University College London, 332 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8EE, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Nicholas Boyd-Gibbins
- Ear Institute, University College London, 332 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8EE, UK
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan
| | - Jason Somers
- Ear Institute, University College London, 332 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8EE, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Joerg T Albert
- Ear Institute, University College London, 332 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8EE, UK.
- Centre for Mathematics and Physics in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology (CoMPLEX), University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK.
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6DE, UK.
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Lapshin DN, Vorontsov DD. Low-Frequency Sounds Repel Male Mosquitoes Aedes diantaeus N.D.K. (Diptera, Culicidae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.1134/s0013873818030028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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