Meeting Abstract
Flying insects combine information from multiple sensory modalities in flight control. For example, flies combine visual input with mechanosensory information from the halteres and these two systems exhibit opposite, and thus complementary, sensitivity to rotational stimuli. In contrast to the thorough analysis of these sensory streams in flies, there is little work examining if the vast majority of insects, which lack halteres, use similar strategies in flight control. Recent behavioral work suggests wings of the hawkmoth Manduca sexta convey information for flight control. However, these experiments were performed under low light levels and at only one frequency. Thus, while we could test for the capacity of wings to act as inertial sensors, we did not address how responses mediated by wing mechanosensory systems respond across a broader frequency range. To further understand the response properties of these modalities, we attached magnets to the wings of moths and subjected animals to a sum of sines pitch stimulus (f= 0.4-3.4 Hz) via a rotating magnetic field in combination with a visual pattern during tethered flight in dim light, conditions consistent with when moths are most active. Surprisingly, moths subject to either a visual pattern alone or both visual and mechanosensory stimuli show a flat frequency response of similar gain across all tested frequencies (ANOVA, n= 7). Additionally, while the means were not significantly different (Wilcoxon, P<0.06) the modest sample size and P-level suggests that even in conditions with reasonable light levels, mechanosensors on wings can play a role in flight control.
