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Moser AY, Brown WY, Bizo LA. Use of a habituation-dishabituation test to determine canine olfactory sensitivity. J Exp Anal Behav 2022; 118:316-326. [PMID: 36121596 PMCID: PMC9804587 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.788] [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] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 07/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The habituation-dishabituation (H-D) paradigm is an established measure of sensory perception in animals. However, it has rarely been applied to canine olfaction. It proposes that animals will lose interest in, or habituate to, a stimulus after successive exposures but will regain interest in, or dishabituate to, a novel stimulus if they can perceive it. This study assessed an H-D test's practicability to determine dogs' olfactory detection thresholds (ODTs) for a neutral odorant. A random selection of mixed-breed pet dogs (n = 26) participated in two H-D tests in a repeated-measures crossover design. They were first habituated to a carrier odor and then presented with either ascending concentrations of n-amyl acetate in the known ODT range (experimental condition) or repeated carrier odor presentations (control condition). No single odor concentration elicited dishabituation in the majority of the dogs. However, individual dogs dishabituated at differing experimental concentrations significantly more often than in the control condition (p = .012). These findings provide some tentative support for using this method in studying canine olfaction. However, further assessment and refinement are needed before it can be a viable alternative to traditional ODT measurement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariella Y. Moser
- Canine and Equine Research Group, School of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandAustralia
| | - Wendy Y. Brown
- Canine and Equine Research Group, School of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandAustralia
| | - Lewis A. Bizo
- School of PsychologyUniversity of New EnglandAustralia,Faculty of Arts and Social SciencesUniversity of Technology SydneyAustralia,Faculty of Business, Justice, and Behavioural SciencesCharles Sturt UniversityAustralia
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2
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Liu D, Zhang X, Chiqin F, Nyamwasa I, Cao Y, Yin J, Zhang S, Feng H, Li K. Octopamine modulates insect mating and Oviposition. J Chem Ecol 2022; 48:628-640. [PMID: 35687218 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-022-01366-2] [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: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The neuro-mechanisms that regulate insect reproduction are not fully understood. Biogenic amines, including octopamine, are neuromodulators that have been shown to modulate insect reproduction in various ways, e.g., promote or inhibit insect mating or oviposition. In this study, we examined the role of octopamine in regulating the reproduction behaviors of a devastating underground insect pest, the dark black chafer (Holotrichia parallela). We first measured the abundance of octopamine in different neural tissues of the adult chafer pre- and post-mating, demonstrating that octopamine decreased in the abdominal ganglia of females but increased in males post-mating. We then fed the adult H. parallela with a concentration gradient of octopamine to test the effects on insect reproductive behaviors. Compared with its antagonist mianserin, octopamine at the concentration of 2 µg/mL resulted in the highest increase in males' preference for sex pheromone and females' oviposition, whereas the mianserin-treatment increased the survival rate and prolonged the lifespan of H. parallela. In addition, we did not observe significant differences in egg hatchability between octopamine and mianserin-treated H. parallela. Our results demonstrated that octopamine promotes H. parallela mating and oviposition with a clear low dosage effect, illustrated how neural substrates modulate insect behaviors, and provided insights for applying octopamine in pest management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dandan Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Biology, Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Xinxin Zhang
- Northeast Agricultural University, 150030, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Fang Chiqin
- State Key Laboratory for Biology, Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Innocent Nyamwasa
- State Key Laboratory for Biology, Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Yazhong Cao
- State Key Laboratory for Biology, Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Jiao Yin
- State Key Laboratory for Biology, Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Shuai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology, Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Honglin Feng
- Boyce Thompson Institute, 14853, Ithaca, NewYork, USA.
| | - Kebin Li
- State Key Laboratory for Biology, Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100193, Beijing, China.
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3
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Baracchi D, Giurfa M, d'Ettorre P. Formic acid modulates latency and accuracy of nestmate recognition in carpenter ants. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:272354. [PMID: 34605911 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242784] [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: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Decision-making processes face the dilemma of being accurate or faster, a phenomenon that has been described as speed-accuracy trade-off in numerous studies on animal behaviour. In social insects, discriminating between colony members and aliens is subject to this trade-off as rapid and accurate rejection of enemies is of primary importance for the maintenance and ecological success of insect societies. Recognition cues distinguishing aliens from nestmates are embedded in the cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) layer and vary among colonies. In walking carpenter ants, exposure to formic acid (FA), an alarm pheromone, improves the accuracy of nestmate recognition by decreasing both alien acceptance and nestmate rejection. Here, we studied the effect of FA exposure on the spontaneous aggressive mandible opening response (MOR) of harnessed Camponotus aethiops ants presented with either nestmate or alien CHCs. FA modulated both MOR accuracy and the latency to respond to odours of conspecifics. In particular, FA decreased the MOR towards nestmates but increased it towards aliens. Furthermore, FA decreased MOR latency towards aliens but not towards nestmates. As response latency can be used as a proxy of response speed, we conclude that contrary to the prediction of the speed-accuracy trade-off theory, ants did not trade off speed against accuracy in the process of nestmate recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, F-31062 Toulouse, France.,Department of Biology, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Martin Giurfa
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, CNRS, University of Toulouse, F-31062 Toulouse, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 75231 Paris, France
| | - Patrizia d'Ettorre
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 75231 Paris, France.,Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology, University Sorbonne Paris Nord, 93430 Villetaneuse, France
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Nieberding CM, Marcantonio M, Voda R, Enriquez T, Visser B. The Evolutionary Relevance of Social Learning and Transmission in Non-Social Arthropods with a Focus on Oviposition-Related Behaviors. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12101466. [PMID: 34680861 PMCID: PMC8536077 DOI: 10.3390/genes12101466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on social learning has centered around vertebrates, but evidence is accumulating that small-brained, non-social arthropods also learn from others. Social learning can lead to social inheritance when socially acquired behaviors are transmitted to subsequent generations. Using oviposition site selection, a critical behavior for most arthropods, as an example, we first highlight the complementarities between social and classical genetic inheritance. We then discuss the relevance of studying social learning and transmission in non-social arthropods and document known cases in the literature, including examples of social learning from con- and hetero-specifics. We further highlight under which conditions social learning can be adaptive or not. We conclude that non-social arthropods and the study of oviposition behavior offer unparalleled opportunities to unravel the importance of social learning and inheritance for animal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline M. Nieberding
- Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics Group, Earth and Life Institute, UCLouvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; (M.M.); (R.V.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Matteo Marcantonio
- Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics Group, Earth and Life Institute, UCLouvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; (M.M.); (R.V.)
| | - Raluca Voda
- Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics Group, Earth and Life Institute, UCLouvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; (M.M.); (R.V.)
| | - Thomas Enriquez
- Evolution and Ecophysiology Group, Earth and Life Institute, UCLouvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; (T.E.); (B.V.)
| | - Bertanne Visser
- Evolution and Ecophysiology Group, Earth and Life Institute, UCLouvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; (T.E.); (B.V.)
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Rizvi SAH, George J, Reddy GVP, Zeng X, Guerrero A. Latest Developments in Insect Sex Pheromone Research and Its Application in Agricultural Pest Management. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12060484. [PMID: 34071020 PMCID: PMC8224804 DOI: 10.3390/insects12060484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Since the first identification of the silkworm moth sex pheromone in 1959, significant research has been reported on identifying and unravelling the sex pheromone mechanisms of hundreds of insect species. In the past two decades, the number of research studies on new insect pheromones, pheromone biosynthesis, mode of action, peripheral olfactory and neural mechanisms, and their practical applications in Integrated Pest Management has increased dramatically. An interdisciplinary approach that uses the advances and new techniques in analytical chemistry, chemical ecology, neurophysiology, genetics, and evolutionary and molecular biology has helped us to better understand the pheromone perception mechanisms and its practical application in agricultural pest management. In this review, we present the most recent developments in pheromone research and its application in the past two decades.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Justin George
- Southern Insect Management Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Stoneville, MS 38776, USA; (J.G.); (G.V.P.R.)
| | - Gadi V. P. Reddy
- Southern Insect Management Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Stoneville, MS 38776, USA; (J.G.); (G.V.P.R.)
| | - Xinnian Zeng
- College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Correspondence: (X.Z.); (A.G.)
| | - Angel Guerrero
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia-CSIC, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
- Correspondence: (X.Z.); (A.G.)
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Du Y, Zhou A, Chen J. Olfactory and behavioral responses to acetate esters in red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2021; 77:1371-1382. [PMID: 33089649 DOI: 10.1002/ps.6152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, is one of the most successful invasive ants in the world. Previous studies indicated that benzyl acetate and prenyl acetate elicited significant electroantennography (EAG) response in S. invicta and exhibited as attractants at certain concentrations. In addition, the easy commercial availability, low cost, and low mammalian toxicity make acetate esters ideal candidates to screen for potential use in S. invicta control. RESULTS We examined the EAG and behavioral responses to 26 acetate esters in all castes of S. invicta. Our results demonstrated a large diversity of EAG tuning and behavioral responses to acetate esters in S. invicta. For linear alkyl acetate esters, EAG response was clearly affected by the carbon chain length of the alkyl group. Linear alkyl acetates with five to seven carbon chain length of the alkyl group elicited significant EAG response in S. invicta, whereas those with shorter (C1 to C4) or longer (C8 to C12) carbon chain lengths did not. Different substitutions also exhibited large variety of EAG and behavioral responses in S. invicta. CONCLUSION Our works explored the olfactory and behavioral response of S. invicta to structurally different acetate esters, and identified two potential fire ant attractants, pentyl acetate and tran-2-hexenyl acetate, and two potential repellents, hexyl acetate and cis-3-hexenyl acetate. These compounds may be useful in developing new products for fire ant management. Published 2020. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzhe Du
- National Biological Control Laboratory, Biological Control of Pests Research Unit, Agriculture Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Stoneville, MS, USA
| | - Aiming Zhou
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jian Chen
- National Biological Control Laboratory, Biological Control of Pests Research Unit, Agriculture Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Stoneville, MS, USA
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Murmu MS, Hanoune J, Choi A, Bureau V, Renou M, Dacher M, Deisig N. Modulatory effects of pheromone on olfactory learning and memory in moths. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 127:104159. [PMID: 33127358 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2020.104159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Pheromones are chemical communication signals known to elicit stereotyped behaviours and/or physiological processes in individuals of the same species, generally in relation to a specific function (e.g. mate finding in moths). However, recent research suggests that pheromones can modulate behaviours, which are not directly related to their usual function and thus potentially affect behavioural plasticity. To test this hypothesis, we studied the possible modulatory effects of pheromones on olfactory learning and memory in Agrotis ipsilon moths, which are well-established models to study sex-pheromones. To achieve this, sexually mature male moths were trained to associate an odour with either a reward (appetitive learning) or punishment (aversive learning) and olfactory memory was tested at medium- and long-term (1 h or 1.5 h, and 24 h). Our results show that male moths can learn to associate an odour with a sucrose reward, as well as a mild electric shock, and that olfactory memory persists over medium- and long-term range. Pheromones facilitated both appetitive and aversive olfactory learning: exposure to the conspecific sex-pheromone before conditioning enhanced appetitive but not aversive learning, while exposure to a sex-pheromone component of a heterospecific species (repellent) facilitated aversive but not appetitive learning. However, this effect was short-term, as medium- and long-term memory were not improved. Thus, in moths, pheromones can modulate olfactory learning and memory, indicating that they contribute to behavioural plasticity allowing optimization of the animal's behaviour under natural conditions. This might occur through an alteration of sensitization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meena Sriti Murmu
- Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Est Créteil, INRAE, CNRS, IRD - Institute for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, iEES Paris, 75252 Paris, France; Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux énergies Alternatives (CEA), Institut des Sciences du Vivant Frédéric Joliot, Service d'Ingénierie Moléculaire des Protéines (SIMOPRO), CEA de Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | - Jeremy Hanoune
- Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Est Créteil, INRAE, CNRS, IRD - Institute for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, iEES Paris, 75252 Paris, France
| | - Abraham Choi
- Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Est Créteil, INRAE, CNRS, IRD - Institute for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, iEES Paris, 75252 Paris, France
| | - Valentin Bureau
- Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Est Créteil, INRAE, CNRS, IRD - Institute for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, iEES Paris, 75252 Paris, France
| | - Michel Renou
- Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Est Créteil, INRAE, CNRS, IRD - Institute for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, iEES Paris, 75252 Paris, France
| | - Matthieu Dacher
- Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Est Créteil, INRAE, CNRS, IRD - Institute for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, iEES Paris, 75252 Paris, France.
| | - Nina Deisig
- Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Est Créteil, INRAE, CNRS, IRD - Institute for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, iEES Paris, 75252 Paris, France; Computational Systems Neuroscience, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
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8
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Oberhauser FB, Wendt S, Czaczkes TJ. Trail Pheromone Does Not Modulate Subjective Reward Evaluation in Lasius niger Ants. Front Psychol 2020; 11:555576. [PMID: 33071878 PMCID: PMC7540218 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.555576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Comparing the value of options is at the heart of economic decision-making. While an option may have an absolute quality (e.g. a food source has a fixed energy content), the perceived value of the option may be malleable. The factors affecting the perceived value of an option may thus strongly influence which option is ultimately chosen. Expectations have been shown to be a strong driver of perceived value in both humans and social insects, causing an undervaluation of a given option if a better option was expected, and an overvaluation if a poorer one was expected. In humans, perceived value can be strongly affected by social information. Value perception in some insects has also been shown to be affected by social information, showing conformism as in humans and other animals. Here, over a series of experiments, we tested whether pheromone trail presence, a social information source, influenced the perceived value of a food source in the ant Lasius niger. We found that the presence of pheromone trails leading to a sucrose solution does not influence food acceptance, pheromone deposition when returning from a food source, drinking time, or frequency of U-turns on return from the food. Two further assays for measuring changes in food acceptance, designed to increase sensitivity by avoiding ceiling effects, also showed no effect of pheromone presence on food acceptance. In a separate study, L. niger have also been found to show no preference for, or avoidance of, odors associated with foods found in the presence of pheromone. We are thus confident that trail pheromone presence does not affect the perceived value of a food source in these ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix B Oberhauser
- Animal Comparative Economics Laboratory, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Stephanie Wendt
- Animal Comparative Economics Laboratory, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Tomer J Czaczkes
- Animal Comparative Economics Laboratory, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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