Mechanisms of communication and foraging in select insects – new research opportunities

我们计划研究5种昆虫的多模态信号和线索的生物合成来源、感觉接收、神经元处理和行为效应，这些研究提供了特别有趣的研究机会，如下：(1)最近发现臭虫使用独特的6组分聚集信息素，我们将验证4组分来自人类血液中生物合成前体的假设。(2)蜜蜂能感知局部地磁场。我们将测试蜜蜂的磁感是基于单畴铁磁粒子的假设，并在它们的生活史中起着至关重要的作用。(3)双侧对称的配对感觉器官在所有动物中都很常见，它们依靠左右感觉输入的比较来定位猎物或配偶。我们将验证这样一种假设，即短命的雄性佩克氏斑胸蜂在寻找移动的寄主黄蜂时，甚至可以“绘制”一个“三维气味空间”。在高速影像中，我们注意到雄性的分叉触角向各个方向伸展。如果像预测的那样，来自每个触角分支的嗅觉受体神经元汇聚到大脑中单独的初级嗅觉中心，那么雄性就可以形成一个三维的“路线图”来找到配偶的微位置。(4)在真社会性昆虫中，个体放弃繁殖以帮助抚养亲属的后代。对这种生殖利他主义的一种解释强调成本和收益。通过对一个纸蜂窝的拍照和热像仪，我们注意到一只黄蜂比它的同伴要温暖得多。这只“热”黄蜂可能是蜂巢的守卫，处于高度戒备状态，必要时可以立即发动攻击。我们将验证这样一个假设，即黄蜂通过将能量消耗巨大的守卫任务分配给少数几个精选的巢穴伴侣来节省能量。(5) 3、4营养级拟寄生蜂的寄主和配偶识别线索研究较少。我们最近发现，舞毒蛾（预）蛹的主要寄生蜂Pimpla disparis的雄性能够感知被寄生的蛹，记住它们的位置，经常访问它们，跟踪它们的发育进程，并在潜在配偶（PM）即将出现时捕捉它们。异交蛾的一种超寄生物——atalantae的雌雄都能捕获被异交蛾寄生的舞毒蛾蛹，这表明雌雄都像雄性的异交蛾一样，对舞毒蛾蛹内潜在寄主或配偶的声音和振动信号做出反应。我们将验证以下假设：(a)雌性无翅天蛾依靠宿主的振动线索来感知被寄生的舞毒蛾蛹；(b)雄纵翅天蛾利用振动线索特征来辨别含有异纵翅天蛾预蛹的舞毒蛾蛹和潜在的纵翅天蛾配偶；(c)异斑弓形虫的pm能够分辨出与来访的异斑弓形虫雄性（潜在的配偶）和异斑弓形虫雌性（潜在的敌人）有关的线索。

We plan to study the biosynthetic origin, sensory reception, neuronal processing and behavioral effect of multi-modal signals and cues in 5 insect species that offer particularly intriguing research opportunities, as follows: (1) Having recently shown that bed bugs use a unique 6-component aggregation pheromone, we will test the hypothesis that 4 components stem from biosynthetic precursors in human blood. (2) Honey bees can sense local geomagnetic fields. We will test the hypothesis that the bees’ magnetic sense is based on single-domain ferromagnetic particles and plays a crucial role in their life history. (3) Bilateral symmetry with paired sense organs is common in all animals that depend on a comparison between left and right sensory input to locate prey or mates. We will test the hypothesis that the short-lived males of the strepsipreran Xenos peckii can “map” even a “3-dimensional odor space” when seeking a mate in a mobile host wasp. In high-speed films, we noticed that males project the branches of their bifurcated antennae in all directions. If, as predicted, olfactory receptor neurons from each antennal branch were to converge onto separate primary olfactory centers in the brain, then males could form a 3-dimensional “road map” to the microlocation of a mate. (4) In eusocial insects, individuals give up reproduction to help rear offspring of relatives. One explanation for this reproductive altruism emphasizes costs and benefits. Taking photo- and thermographs of a paper wasp nest, we noticed one wasp being much warmer than her nest mates. This “hot” wasp may have been the nest’s guard on high alert to mount an immediate attack if needed. We will test the hypothesis that wasps save energy by assigning the energetically-costly guarding duty to few select nest mates. (5) Host and mate recognition cues between parasitoid wasps at the 3rd and 4th trophic level have hardly been studied. We have recently shown that males of Pimpla disparis, a primary parasitoid of gypsy moth (pre)pupae, sense parasitized pupae, memorize their location, visit them frequently, track developmental progress, and arrest on them when a prospective mate (PM) nears emergence. Both females and males of Theronia atalantae, a hyperparasitoid of P. disparis, also arrest on gypsy moth pupae parasitized by P. disparis, suggesting that both female and male T. atalantae, like male P. disparis, respond to sound and vibratory cues from a prospective host or mate inside a gypsy moth pupa. We will test the hypotheses that (a) female T. atalantae rely on vibratory host cues to sense gypsy moth pupae parasitized by P. disparis; (b) male T. atalantae exploit characteristics of vibratory cues to discern between gypsy moth pupae containing a P. disparis pre-pupa or a prospective T. atalantae mate; and (c) P. disparis PMs discern between the cues associated with a visiting P. disparis male (prospective mate) and a T. atalantae female (prospective enemy).