Context dependency of in-flight responses by Manduca sexta moths to ambient differences in relative humidity.
J Exp Biol
; 221(Pt 11)2018 06 12.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29691308
ABSTRACT
The use of sensory information to control behavior usually involves the integration of sensory input from different modalities. This integration is affected by behavioral states and experience, and it is also sensitive to the spatiotemporal patterns of stimulation and other general contextual cues. Following the finding that hawkmoths can use relative humidity (RH) as a proxy for nectar content during close-range foraging, we evaluate here whether RH could be used during locomotive flight under two simulated contexts in a wind tunnel (1) dispersion and (2) search phase of the foraging behavior. Flying moths showed a bias towards air with a higher RH in a context devoid of foraging stimuli, but the addition of visual and olfactory floral stimuli elicited foraging responses that overrode the behavioral effects of RH. We discuss the results in relation to the putative adaptive value of the context-dependent use of sensory information.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Manduca
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Sinais (Psicologia)
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Voo Animal
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Umidade
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2018
Tipo de documento:
Article