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Adaptation of antennal neurons in moths is associated with cessation of pheromone-mediated upwind flight

Baker, Thomas C. ; Hansson, Bill Stefan ; Lofstedt, Christer LU and Löfqvist, Jan (1988) In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 85(24). p.9826-9830
Abstract

A wind-borne plume of sex pheromone from a female moth or a synthetic source has a fine, filamentous structure that creates steep and rapid fluctuations in concentration from a male moth flying up the plume's axis. The firing rates from single antennal neurons on Agrotis segetum antennae decreased to nearly zero within seconds after the antennae were placed in a pheromone plume 70 cm downwind of a high-concentration source known from previous studies to cause in-flight arrestment of upwind progress. In a separate experiment, the fluctuating output from chilled neurons on Grapholita molesta antennae became attenuated in response to repetitive, experimentally delivered pheromone pulses. The attenuation was correlated with a previously... (More)

A wind-borne plume of sex pheromone from a female moth or a synthetic source has a fine, filamentous structure that creates steep and rapid fluctuations in concentration from a male moth flying up the plume's axis. The firing rates from single antennal neurons on Agrotis segetum antennae decreased to nearly zero within seconds after the antennae were placed in a pheromone plume 70 cm downwind of a high-concentration source known from previous studies to cause in-flight arrestment of upwind progress. In a separate experiment, the fluctuating output from chilled neurons on Grapholita molesta antennae became attenuated in response to repetitive, experimentally delivered pheromone pulses. The attenuation was correlated with a previously reported higher percentage of in-flight arrestment exhibited by moths flying at cooler compared to warmer temperatures. These results indicate that two peripheral processes related to excessive concentration, complete adaptation of antennal neurons, or merely the attenuation of fluctuations in burst frequency, are important determinants of when upwind progress by a moth flying in a pheromone plume stops and changes to station keeping. Also, adaptation and attenuation may affect the sensation of blend quality by preferentially affecting cells sensitive to the most abundant components in airborne pheromone blends.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
volume
85
issue
24
pages
9826 - 9830
publisher
National Academy of Sciences
external identifiers
  • pmid:3200859
  • scopus:0342665159
ISSN
0027-8424
DOI
10.1073/pnas.85.24.9826
project
Evolutionary mechanisms of pheromone divergence in Lepidoptera
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
4a848f74-9a4a-411b-b251-89260a5d7bb6
date added to LUP
2020-07-23 13:55:49
date last changed
2024-02-16 20:57:42
@article{4a848f74-9a4a-411b-b251-89260a5d7bb6,
  abstract     = {{<p>A wind-borne plume of sex pheromone from a female moth or a synthetic source has a fine, filamentous structure that creates steep and rapid fluctuations in concentration from a male moth flying up the plume's axis. The firing rates from single antennal neurons on Agrotis segetum antennae decreased to nearly zero within seconds after the antennae were placed in a pheromone plume 70 cm downwind of a high-concentration source known from previous studies to cause in-flight arrestment of upwind progress. In a separate experiment, the fluctuating output from chilled neurons on Grapholita molesta antennae became attenuated in response to repetitive, experimentally delivered pheromone pulses. The attenuation was correlated with a previously reported higher percentage of in-flight arrestment exhibited by moths flying at cooler compared to warmer temperatures. These results indicate that two peripheral processes related to excessive concentration, complete adaptation of antennal neurons, or merely the attenuation of fluctuations in burst frequency, are important determinants of when upwind progress by a moth flying in a pheromone plume stops and changes to station keeping. Also, adaptation and attenuation may affect the sensation of blend quality by preferentially affecting cells sensitive to the most abundant components in airborne pheromone blends.</p>}},
  author       = {{Baker, Thomas C. and Hansson, Bill Stefan and Lofstedt, Christer and Löfqvist, Jan}},
  issn         = {{0027-8424}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  number       = {{24}},
  pages        = {{9826--9830}},
  publisher    = {{National Academy of Sciences}},
  series       = {{Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}},
  title        = {{Adaptation of antennal neurons in moths is associated with cessation of pheromone-mediated upwind flight}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.85.24.9826}},
  doi          = {{10.1073/pnas.85.24.9826}},
  volume       = {{85}},
  year         = {{1988}},
}