1
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Yang Y, Yared DG, Fortune ES, Cowan NJ. Sensorimotor adaptation to destabilizing dynamics in weakly electric fish. Curr Biol 2024; 34:2118-2131.e5. [PMID: 38692275 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.019] [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: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Humans and other animals can readily learn to compensate for changes in the dynamics of movement. Such changes can result from an injury or changes in the weight of carried objects. These changes in dynamics can lead not only to reduced performance but also to dramatic instabilities. We evaluated the impacts of compensatory changes in control policies in relation to stability and robustness in Eigenmannia virescens, a species of weakly electric fish. We discovered that these fish retune their sensorimotor control system in response to experimentally generated destabilizing dynamics. Specifically, we used an augmented reality system to manipulate sensory feedback during an image stabilization task in which a fish maintained its position within a refuge. The augmented reality system measured the fish's movements in real time. These movements were passed through a high-pass filter and multiplied by a gain factor before being fed back to the refuge motion. We adjusted the gain factor to gradually destabilize the fish's sensorimotor loop. The fish retuned their sensorimotor control system to compensate for the experimentally induced destabilizing dynamics. This retuning was partially maintained when the augmented reality feedback was abruptly removed. The compensatory changes in sensorimotor control improved tracking performance as well as control-theoretic measures of robustness, including reduced sensitivity to disturbances and improved phase margins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Yang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
| | - Dominic G Yared
- Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Eric S Fortune
- Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, 323 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Noah J Cowan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
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2
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Prusty AD, Sane SP. The motor apparatus of head movements in the Oleander hawkmoth (Daphnis nerii, Lepidoptera). J Comp Neurol 2024; 532:e25577. [PMID: 38289189 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25577] [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: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Head movements of insects play a vital role in diverse locomotory behaviors including flying and walking. Because insect eyes move minimally within their sockets, their head movements are essential to reduce visual blur and maintain a stable gaze. As in most vertebrates, gaze stabilization behavior in insects requires the integration of both visual and mechanosensory feedback by the neck motor neurons. Although visual feedback is derived from the optic flow over the retina of their compound eyes, mechanosensory feedback is derived from their organs of balance, similar to the vestibular system in vertebrates. In Diptera, vestibular feedback is derived from the halteres-modified hindwings that evolved into mechanosensory organs-and is integrated with visual feedback to actuate compensatory head movements. However, non-Dipteran insects, including Lepidoptera, lack halteres. In these insects, vestibular feedback is obtained from the antennal Johnston's organs but it is not well-understood how it integrates with visual feedback during head movements. Indeed, although head movements are well-studied in flies, the underlying motor apparatus in non-Dipteran taxa has received relatively less attention. As a first step toward understanding compensatory head movements in the Oleander hawkmoth Daphnis nerii, we image the anatomy and architecture of their neck joint sclerites and muscles using X-ray microtomography, and the associated motor neurons using fluorescent dye fills and confocal microscopy. Based on these morphological data, we propose testable hypotheses about the putative function of specific neck muscles during head movements, which can shed light on their role in neck movements and gaze stabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnish D Prusty
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India
| | - Sanjay P Sane
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India
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3
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Legan AW, Vogt CC, Sheehan MJ. Postural analysis reveals persistent changes in paper wasp foundress behavioral state after conspecific challenge. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10436. [PMID: 37664514 PMCID: PMC10469045 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10436] [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: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Vigilant animals detect and respond to threats in the environment, often changing posture and movement patterns. Vigilance is modulated not only by predators but also by conspecific threats. In social animals, precisely how conspecific threats alter vigilance behavior over time is relevant to long-standing hypotheses about social plasticity. We report persistent effects of a simulated conspecific challenge on behavior of wild northern paper wasp foundresses, Polistes fuscatus. During the founding phase of the colony cycle, conspecific wasps can usurp nests from the resident foundress, representing a severe threat. We used automated tracking to monitor the movement and posture of P. fuscatus foundresses in response to simulated intrusions. Wasps displayed increased movement, greater bilateral wing extension, and reduced antennal separation after the threat was removed. These changes were not observed after presentation with a wooden dowel. By rapidly adjusting individual behavior after fending off an intruder, paper wasp foundresses might invest in surveillance of potential threats, even when such threats are no longer immediately present. The prolonged vigilance-like behavioral state observed here is relevant to plasticity of social recognition processes in paper wasps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew W. Legan
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
- Department of EntomologyUniversity of ArizonaTucsonArizonaUSA
| | - Caleb C. Vogt
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
| | - Michael J. Sheehan
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
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4
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Sane SP, Manjunath M, Mukunda CL. Vestibular feedback for flight control in hawkmoths. Trends Neurosci 2023:S0166-2236(23)00129-7. [PMID: 37246111 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2023.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Flying insects require mechanosensory feedback to rapidly generate compensatory responses to unexpected perturbations. Such feedback is critical in insects such as moths, which fly under low light levels, compromising their ability to visually compensate for aerial perturbations. Here, we describe how diverse mechanosensory organs have adapted to provide vestibular feedback in various insects, with particular focus on hawkmoths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay P Sane
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065, India.
| | - Maitri Manjunath
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065, India; SASTRA University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu 613401, India
| | - Chinmayee L Mukunda
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065, India
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5
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Verbe A, Martinez D, Viollet S. Sensory fusion in the hoverfly righting reflex. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6138. [PMID: 37061548 PMCID: PMC10105705 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33302-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2023] Open
Abstract
We study how falling hoverflies use sensory cues to trigger appropriate roll righting behavior. Before being released in a free fall, flies were placed upside-down with their legs contacting the substrate. The prior leg proprioceptive information about their initial orientation sufficed for the flies to right themselves properly. However, flies also use visual and antennal cues to recover faster and disambiguate sensory conflicts. Surprisingly, in one of the experimental conditions tested, hoverflies flew upside-down while still actively flapping their wings. In all the other conditions, flies were able to right themselves using two roll dynamics: fast ([Formula: see text]50ms) and slow ([Formula: see text]110ms) in the presence of consistent and conflicting cues, respectively. These findings suggest that a nonlinear sensory integration of the three types of sensory cues occurred. A ring attractor model was developed and discussed to account for this cue integration process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Verbe
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM, 13009, Marseille, France
- PNI, Princeton University, Washington Road, Princeton, NJ, 08540, USA
| | - Dominique Martinez
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM, 13009, Marseille, France
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LORIA, 54000, Nancy, France
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6
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Tolassy V, Cazalé-Debat L, Houot B, Reynaud R, Heydel JM, Ferveur JF, Everaerts C. Drosophila Free-Flight Odor Tracking is Altered in a Sex-Specific Manner By Preimaginal Sensory Exposure. J Chem Ecol 2023; 49:179-194. [PMID: 36881326 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-023-01416-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
In insects such as Drosophila melanogaster, flight guidance is based on converging sensory information provided by several modalities, including chemoperception. Drosophila flies are particularly attracted by complex odors constituting volatile molecules from yeast, pheromones and microbe-metabolized food. Based on a recent study revealing that adult male courtship behavior can be affected by early preimaginal exposure to maternally transmitted egg factors, we wondered whether a similar exposure could affect free-flight odor tracking in flies of both sexes. Our main experiment consisted of testing flies differently conditioned during preimaginal development in a wind tunnel. Each fly was presented with a dual choice of food labeled by groups of each sex of D. melanogaster or D. simulans flies. The combined effect of food with the cis-vaccenyl acetate pheromone (cVA), which is involved in aggregation behavior, was also measured. Moreover, we used the headspace method to determine the "odorant" identity of the different labeled foods tested. We also measured the antennal electrophysiological response to cVA in females and males resulting from the different preimaginal conditioning procedures. Our data indicate that flies differentially modulated their flight response (take off, flight duration, food landing and preference) according to sex, conditioning and food choice. Our headspace analysis revealed that many food-derived volatile molecules diverged between sexes and species. Antennal responses to cVA showed clear sex-specific variation for conditioned flies but not for control flies. In summary, our study indicates that preimaginal conditioning can affect Drosophila free flight behavior in a sex-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Tolassy
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, CNRS UMR6265, INRAE, UMR1324, Université de Bourgogne, 6, Bd Gabriel, 21000, Dijon, France
| | - Laurie Cazalé-Debat
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, CNRS UMR6265, INRAE, UMR1324, Université de Bourgogne, 6, Bd Gabriel, 21000, Dijon, France.,School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Park Road, B15 2TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - Benjamin Houot
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, CNRS UMR6265, INRAE, UMR1324, Université de Bourgogne, 6, Bd Gabriel, 21000, Dijon, France.,Institut Gustave Roussel, 114, rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805, Villejuif Cedex, France
| | - Rémy Reynaud
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, CNRS UMR6265, INRAE, UMR1324, Université de Bourgogne, 6, Bd Gabriel, 21000, Dijon, France
| | - Jean-Marie Heydel
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, CNRS UMR6265, INRAE, UMR1324, Université de Bourgogne, 6, Bd Gabriel, 21000, Dijon, France
| | - Jean-François Ferveur
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, CNRS UMR6265, INRAE, UMR1324, Université de Bourgogne, 6, Bd Gabriel, 21000, Dijon, France
| | - Claude Everaerts
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, CNRS UMR6265, INRAE, UMR1324, Université de Bourgogne, 6, Bd Gabriel, 21000, Dijon, France.
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7
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Chatterjee P, Mohan U, Sane SP. Small-amplitude head oscillations result from a multimodal head stabilization reflex in hawkmoths. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20220199. [PMID: 36349580 PMCID: PMC9653261 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2023] Open
Abstract
In flying insects, head stabilization is an essential reflex that helps to reduce motion blur during fast aerial manoeuvres. This reflex is multimodal and requires the integration of visual and antennal mechanosensory feedback in hawkmoths, each operating as a negative-feedback-control loop. As in any negative-feedback system, the head stabilization system possesses inherent oscillatory dynamics that depend on the rate at which the sensorimotor components of the reflex operate. Consistent with this expectation, we observed small-amplitude oscillations in the head motion (or head wobble) of the oleander hawkmoth, Daphnis nerii, which are accentuated when sensory feedback is aberrant. Here, we show that these oscillations emerge from the inherent dynamics of the multimodal reflex underlying gaze stabilization, and that the amplitude of head wobble is a function of both the visual feedback and antennal mechanosensory feedback from the Johnston's organs. Our data support the hypothesis that head wobble results from a multimodal, dynamically stabilized reflex loop that mediates head positioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Payel Chatterjee
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Umesh Mohan
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Sanjay P. Sane
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore 560065, India
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8
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McCulloch KJ, Macias-Muñoz A, Briscoe AD. Insect opsins and evo-devo: what have we learned in 25 years? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210288. [PMID: 36058243 PMCID: PMC9441233 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The visual pigments known as opsins are the primary molecular basis for colour vision in animals. Insects are among the most diverse of animal groups and their visual systems reflect a variety of life histories. The study of insect opsins in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has led to major advances in the fields of neuroscience, development and evolution. In the last 25 years, research in D. melanogaster has improved our understanding of opsin genotype-phenotype relationships while comparative work in other insects has expanded our understanding of the evolution of insect eyes via gene duplication, coexpression and homologue switching. Even so, until recently, technology and sampling have limited our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that evolution uses to shape the diversity of insect eyes. With the advent of genome editing and in vitro expression assays, the study of insect opsins is poised to reveal new frontiers in evolutionary biology, visual neuroscience, and animal behaviour. This article is part of the theme issue 'Understanding colour vision: molecular, physiological, neuronal and behavioural studies in arthropods'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle J. McCulloch
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Aide Macias-Muñoz
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Adriana D. Briscoe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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9
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Chatterjee P, Prusty AD, Mohan U, Sane SP. Integration of visual and antennal mechanosensory feedback during head stabilization in hawkmoths. eLife 2022; 11:78410. [PMID: 35758646 PMCID: PMC9259029 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
During flight maneuvers, insects exhibit compensatory head movements which are essential for stabilizing the visual field on their retina, reducing motion blur, and supporting visual self-motion estimation. In Diptera, such head movements are mediated via visual feedback from their compound eyes that detect retinal slip, as well as rapid mechanosensory feedback from their halteres – the modified hindwings that sense the angular rates of body rotations. Because non-Dipteran insects lack halteres, it is not known if mechanosensory feedback about body rotations plays any role in their head stabilization response. Diverse non-Dipteran insects are known to rely on visual and antennal mechanosensory feedback for flight control. In hawkmoths, for instance, reduction of antennal mechanosensory feedback severely compromises their ability to control flight. Similarly, when the head movements of freely flying moths are restricted, their flight ability is also severely impaired. The role of compensatory head movements as well as multimodal feedback in insect flight raises an interesting question: in insects that lack halteres, what sensory cues are required for head stabilization? Here, we show that in the nocturnal hawkmoth Daphnis nerii, compensatory head movements are mediated by combined visual and antennal mechanosensory feedback. We subjected tethered moths to open-loop body roll rotations under different lighting conditions, and measured their ability to maintain head angle in the presence or absence of antennal mechanosensory feedback. Our study suggests that head stabilization in moths is mediated primarily by visual feedback during roll movements at lower frequencies, whereas antennal mechanosensory feedback is required when roll occurs at higher frequency. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that control of head angle results from a multimodal feedback loop that integrates both visual and antennal mechanosensory feedback, albeit at different latencies. At adequate light levels, visual feedback is sufficient for head stabilization primarily at low frequencies of body roll. However, under dark conditions, antennal mechanosensory feedback is essential for the control of head movements at high frequencies of body roll.
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Affiliation(s)
- Payel Chatterjee
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India
| | - Agnish Dev Prusty
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India
| | - Umesh Mohan
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India
| | - Sanjay P Sane
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India
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10
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Polidori C, Piwczynski M, Ronchetti F, Johnston NP, Szpila K. Host-trailing satellite flight behaviour is associated with greater investment in peripheral visual sensory system in miltogrammine flies. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2773. [PMID: 35177753 PMCID: PMC8854417 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06704-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect sensory systems are the subjects of different selective pressures that shape their morphology. In many species of the flesh fly subfamily Miltogramminae (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) that are kleptoparasitic on bees and wasps, females perch on objects close to the host nests and, once a returning host is detected, they follow it in flight at a fixed distance behind until reaching the nest. We hypothesized that such satellite (SAT) flight behaviour, which implies a finely coordinated trailing flight, is associated with an improved visual system, compared to species adopting other, non-satellite (NON-SAT) strategies. After looking at body size and common ancestry, we found that SAT species have a greater number of ommatidia and a greater eye surface area when compared to NON-SAT species. Ommatidium area is only affected by body size, suggesting that selection changes disproportionately (relative to body size variation) the number of ommatidia and as a consequence the eye area, instead of ommatidium size. SAT species also tend to have larger ocelli, but their role in host-finding was less clear. This suggests that SAT species may have a higher visual acuity by increasing ommatidia number, as well as better stability during flight and motion perception through larger ocelli. Interestingly, antennal length was significantly reduced in SAT species, and ommatidia number negatively correlated with antennal length. While this finding does not imply a selection pressure of improved antennal sensory system in species adopting NON-SAT strategies, it suggests an inverse resource (i.e. a single imaginal disc) allocation between eyes and antennae in this fly subfamily.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Polidori
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università Degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Marcin Piwczynski
- Department of Ecology and Biogeography, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Lwowska 1, 87-100, Toruń, Poland
| | - Federico Ronchetti
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Wuerzburg, Hubland Nord, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Nikolas P Johnston
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Krzysztof Szpila
- Department of Ecology and Biogeography, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Lwowska 1, 87-100, Toruń, Poland
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11
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Mongeau JM, Schweikert LE, Davis AL, Reichert MS, Kanwal JK. Multimodal integration across spatiotemporal scales to guide invertebrate locomotion. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:842-853. [PMID: 34009312 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Locomotion is a hallmark of organisms that has enabled adaptive radiation to an extraordinarily diverse class of ecological niches, and allows animals to move across vast distances. Sampling from multiple sensory modalities enables animals to acquire rich information to guide locomotion. Locomotion without sensory feedback is haphazard, therefore sensory and motor systems have evolved complex interactions to generate adaptive behavior. Notably, sensory-guided locomotion acts over broad spatial and temporal scales to permit goal-seeking behavior, whether to localize food by tracking an attractive odor plume or to search for a potential mate. How does the brain integrate multimodal stimuli over different temporal and spatial scales to effectively control behavior? In this review, we classify locomotion into three ordinally ranked hierarchical layers that act over distinct spatiotemporal scales: stabilization, motor primitives, and higher-order tasks, respectively. We discuss how these layers present unique challenges and opportunities for sensorimotor integration. We focus on recent advances in invertebrate locomotion due to their accessible neural and mechanical signals from the whole brain, limbs and sensors. Throughout, we emphasize neural-level description of computations for multimodal integration in genetic model systems, including the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, and the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. We identify that summation (e.g. gating) and weighting-which are inherent computations of spiking neurons-underlie multimodal integration across spatial and temporal scales, therefore suggesting collective strategies to guide locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Michel Mongeau
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Lorian E Schweikert
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, FL 33181. University of North Carolina Wilmington, Department of Biology and Marine Biology, Wilmington, NC, U.S.A
| | | | - Michael S Reichert
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Jessleen K Kanwal
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
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12
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Kosaka T, Gan JH, Long LD, Umezu S, Sato H. Remote radio control of insect flight reveals why beetles lift their legs in flight while other insects tightly fold. BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2021; 16:036001. [PMID: 33513597 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/abe138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In the research and development of micro air vehicles, understanding and imitating the flight mechanism of insects presents a viable way of progressing forward. While research is being conducted on the flight mechanism of insects such as flies and dragonflies, research on beetles that can carry larger loads is limited. Here, we clarified the beetle midlegs' role in the attenuation and cessation of the wingbeat. We anatomically confirmed the connection between the midlegs and the elytra. We also further clarified which pair of legs are involved in the wingbeat attenuation mechanism, and lastly demonstrated free-flight control via remote leg muscle stimulation. Observation of multiple landings using a high-speed camera revealed that the wingbeat stopped immediately after their midlegs were lowered. Moreover, the action of lowering the midleg attenuated and often stopped the wingbeat. A miniature remote stimulation device (backpack) mountable on beetles was designed and utilized for the free-flight demonstration. Beetles in free flight were remotely induced into lowering (swing down) each leg pair via electrical stimulation, and they were found to lose significant altitude only when the midlegs were stimulated. Thus, the results of this study revealed that swinging down of the midlegs played a significant role in beetle wingbeat cessation. In the future, our findings on the wingbeat attenuation and cessation mechanism are expected to be helpful in designing bioinspired micro air vehicles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Kosaka
- Department of Modern Mechanical Engineering, Waseda University, Japan
| | - Jia Hui Gan
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Le Duc Long
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Shinjiro Umezu
- Department of Modern Mechanical Engineering, Waseda University, Japan
| | - Hirotaka Sato
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
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13
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Kihlström K, Aiello B, Warrant E, Sponberg S, Stöckl A. Wing damage affects flight kinematics but not flower tracking performance in hummingbird hawkmoths. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb.236240. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.236240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Wing integrity is crucial to the many insect species that spend distinct portions of their life in flight. How insects cope with the consequences of wing damage is therefore a central question when studying how robust flight performance is possible with such fragile chitinous wings. It has been shown in a variety of insect species that the loss in lift-force production resulting from wing damage is generally compensated by an increase in wing beat frequency rather than amplitude. The consequences of wing damage for flight performance, however, are less well understood, and vary considerably between species and behavioural tasks. One hypothesis reconciling the varying results is that wing damage might affect fast flight manoeuvres with high acceleration, but not slower ones. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the effect of wing damage on the manoeuvrability of hummingbird hawkmoths (Macroglossum stellatarum) tracking a motorised flower. This assay allowed us to sample a range of movements at different temporal frequencies, and thus assess whether wing damage affected faster or slower flight manoeuvres. We show that hummingbird hawkmoths compensate for the loss in lift force mainly by increasing wing beat amplitude, yet with a significant contribution of wing beat frequency. We did not observe any effects of wing damage on flight manoeuvrability at either high or low temporal frequencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara Kihlström
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden
| | - Brett Aiello
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Eric Warrant
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden
| | - Simon Sponberg
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Anna Stöckl
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
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Lancer BH, Evans BJE, Wiederman SD. The visual neuroecology of anisoptera. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 42:14-22. [PMID: 32841784 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Dragonflies belong to the oldest known lineage of flying animals, found across the globe around streams, ponds and forests. They are insect predators, specialising in ambush attack as aquatic larvae and rapid pursuit as adults. Dragonfly adults hunt amidst swarms in conditions that confuse many predatory species, and exhibit capture rates above 90%. Underlying the performance of such a remarkable predator is a finely tuned visual system capable of tracking targets amidst distractors and background clutter. The dragonfly performs a complex repertoire of flight behaviours, from near-motionless hovering to acute turns at high speeds. Here, we review the optical, neuronal, and behavioural adaptations that underlie the dragonflies' ability to achieve such remarkable predatory success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Horatio Lancer
- Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005 South Australia, Australia
| | | | - Steven D Wiederman
- Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005 South Australia, Australia.
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15
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Flying Drosophila show sex-specific attraction to fly-labelled food. Sci Rep 2019; 9:14947. [PMID: 31628403 PMCID: PMC6802089 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51351-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals searching for food and sexual partners often use odourant mixtures combining food-derived molecules and pheromones. For orientation, the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster uses three types of chemical cues: (i) the male volatile pheromone 11-cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), (ii) sex-specific cuticular hydrocarbons (CHs; and CH-derived compounds), and (iii) food-derived molecules resulting from microbiota activity. To evaluate the effects of these chemicals on odour-tracking behaviour, we tested Drosophila individuals in a wind tunnel. Upwind flight and food preference were measured in individual control males and females presented with a choice of two food sources labelled by fly lines producing varying amounts of CHs and/or cVA. The flies originated from different species or strains, or their microbiota was manipulated. We found that (i) fly-labelled food could attract—but never repel—flies; (ii) the landing frequency on fly-labelled food was positively correlated with an increased flight duration; (iii) male—but not female or non-sex-specific—CHs tended to increase the landing frequency on fly-labelled food; (iv) cVA increased female—but not male—preference for cVA-rich food; and (v) microbiota-derived compounds only affected male upwind flight latency. Therefore, sex pheromones interact with food volatile chemicals to induce sex-specific flight responses in Drosophila.
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16
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Stöckl AL, Kelber A. Fuelling on the wing: sensory ecology of hawkmoth foraging. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2019; 205:399-413. [PMID: 30880349 PMCID: PMC6579779 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-019-01328-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Hawkmoths (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae) comprise around 1500 species, most of which forage on nectar from flowers in their adult stage, usually while hovering in front of the flower. The majority of species have a nocturnal lifestyle and are important nocturnal pollinators, but some species have turned to a diurnal lifestyle. Hawkmoths use visual and olfactory cues including CO2 and humidity to detect and recognise rewarding flowers; they find the nectary in the flowers by means of mechanoreceptors on the proboscis and vision, evaluate it with gustatory receptors on the proboscis, and control their hovering flight position using antennal mechanoreception and vision. Here, we review what is presently known about the sensory organs and sensory-guided behaviour that control feeding behaviour of this fascinating pollinator taxon. We also suggest that more experiments on hawkmoth behaviour in natural settings are needed to fully appreciate their sensory capabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Lisa Stöckl
- Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Almut Kelber
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 22362, Lund, Sweden.
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