Altering the map of odor sensors on the antennae changes olfactory behavior in the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana.
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1
Case Western Reserve University, Biology, United States
The American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, is thought to orient its walking trajectory to a source of attractive odor by making spatial comparisons across their antennae. Projection neurons sensitive to female sex attractant pheromone in the antennal lobes of the brains of P. americana males have been categorized into two groups: 1) those that respond when pheromone is detected anywhere along the length of the antennae and 2)those that respond only when pheromone is detected in specific zones along the antennae. This suggests the possibility of a map in the cockroach’s brain that represents the location of pheromone receptors on the antennae. We hypothesize that the spatial location of chemical information detected along the antennae is important in in the ability of P. americana males to navigate toward the source of an attractive odor. To test this, we challenged virgin male P. americana to track a wind-borne plume of sex pheromone after portions of their antennae had been covered. Covering the distal half of the antennae, and not the proximal half, resulted in tracking behavior similar to individuals with intact antennae. However, covering the proximal antennal segments and leaving the distal free resulted in more erratic tracking, with the cockroaches making more loops and backtracking downwind in the plume. These data suggest that loss of information about the olfactory environment near the head, or specific disruptions of a spatial map of the odor sensors on the antennae disrupts normal plume tracking behavior in P. americana males.
Acknowledgements
Jennifer Avondet
Keywords:
Chemotaxis,
Cockroach,
Olfaction,
Perplaneta americana,
pheromone,
Walking
Conference:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012.
Presentation Type:
Poster (but consider for student poster award)
Topic:
Orientation and Navigation
Citation:
Lockey
JK and
Willis
MA
(2012). Altering the map of odor sensors on the antennae changes olfactory behavior in the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana..
Conference Abstract:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00129
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Received:
26 Apr 2012;
Published Online:
07 Jul 2012.
*
Correspondence:
Mr. Jacob K Lockey, Case Western Reserve University, Biology, Cleveland, Oh, 44106, United States, jkl60@case.edu