Meeting Abstract

P1.100  Monday, Jan. 4  Male insect pheromone tracking behavior is affected by physical structures in the air flow. TALLEY, Jennifer L.*; CHIEL, Hillel J.; WHITE, Edward B.; WILLIS, Mark A.; Case Western Reserver University; Case Western Reserver University; Texas A & M University; Case Western Reserver University jlt17@case.edu

It is known that male American cockroaches and tobacco hornworm moths both locate mates by tracking species specific female sex pheromones. Differences in the species typical tracking behavior is due to a combination of 1) body mechanics, 2) nervous system processing, and 3) the environments imposed by the different modes of locomotion. In our laboratory experiments, cockroaches walk on a horizontal surface while the moths fly freely. Our measurements show that putting physical structures, like the cockroach floor, in the insect’s environment alters the pattern of air flow. In this experiment we introduced physical structures like a cylinder (tree) and grid (leaves or branches) into the wind tunnel to disrupt the air flow. We used hot wire anemometry to make detailed measurements and compare how the floor, cylinder, and grid structures change air flow characteristics. We have also recorded from the antenna of the insects to determine how the variations in air flow introduced by physical structures then affect how pheromones are distributed. We then challenged males of both species to track odor in the wind tunnel with the 1) grid, 2) cylinder, 3) both grid and cylinder, and 4) without either structure, all at a slow and fast wind speed. Cockroaches are slower while tracking odor and have wider track angles when a cylinder is present in the air flow and these effects are heightened at the faster wind speed. Moths fly faster while tracking odor when a cylinder is present and the difference is intensified by a faster wind speed. Not only are the tracking behaviors of these two species different, but they differ in their response to a change in odor environment.