scholarly journals Odor source localization in complex visual environments by fruit flies

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nitesh Saxena ◽  
Dinesh Natesan ◽  
Sanjay P. Sane
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Flies ◽  
Odor Source ◽  
High Contrast ◽  
Visual Landmarks ◽  
Visual Objects ◽  
Flying Insects ◽  
Air Stream ◽  
Odor Plumes ◽  
Odor Tracking ◽  
Tracking Behavior

AbstractFlying insects routinely forage in complex and cluttered sensory environments. Their search for a food or a pheromone source typically begins with a whiff of odor, which triggers a flight response, eventually bringing the insect in the vicinity of the odor source. The precise localization of an odor source, however, requires the use of both visual and olfactory modalities, aided by air currents that trap odor molecules into turbulent plumes, which the insects track. Here, we investigated odor tracking behavior in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) presented with low- or high-contrast visual landmarks, which were either paired with or separate from an attractive odor cue. These experiments were conducted either in a gentle air stream which generated odor plumes, or in still air in which odor dissipates uniformly in all directions. The trajectories of the flies revealed several novel features of their odor-tracking behavior in addition to those that have been previously documented (e.g. cast- and-surge maneuvers). First, in both moving and still air, odor-seeking flies rely on the co-occurrence of visual landmarks with olfactory cues to guide them to putative odorant objects in the decisive phase before landing. Second, flies abruptly decelerate when they encounter an odor plume, and thereafter steer towards nearby visual objects that had no inherent salience in the absence of odor. This indicates that the interception of an attractive odor increases their salience to nearby high-contrast visual landmarks. Third, flies adopt distinct odor tracking strategies during flight in moving vs. still air. Whereas they weave in and out of plumes towards an odor source when airflow is present, their approach is more gradual and incremental in still air. Both strategies are robust and flexible, and can ensure that the flies reliably find the odor source under diverse visual and airflow environments. Our experiments also indicate the possibility of an olfactory “ working memory” that enables flies to continue their search even when the olfactory feedback is reduced or absent. Together, these results provide insights into how flies determine the precise location of an odor source.

Three-dimensional odor tracking by Nautilus pompilius

2000 ◽  
Vol 203 (9) ◽  
pp. 1409-1414 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.A. Basil ◽  
R.T. Hanlon ◽  
S.I. Sheikh ◽  
J. Atema
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Sensory System ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Odor Source ◽  
Orientation Behavior ◽  
Living Fossil ◽  
Nautilus Pompilius ◽  
Odor Plumes ◽  
Odor Tracking

The ‘living fossil’ Nautilus pompilius is thought to use olfaction as its primary sensory system during foraging, yet neither the organs responsible for olfaction nor the mechanisms or behaviors associated with odor tracking have been subjected to experimentation. Flume testing under dark conditions revealed that Nautilus could consistently detect and follow turbulent odor plumes to the source over distances up to 10 m, exhibiting two types of orientation behavior while sampling in three dimensions. The paired rhinophores were necessary for orientation behavior: when they were temporarily blocked either uni- or bilaterally, Nautilus detected odor but could not track the plume and locate the source. Animals that were tested post-blockage were able to track and locate the source. The role of the 90 thin tentacles remains enigmatic; they seemed to be able to detect odor, but they were not capable of guiding orientation behavior towards a distant odor source. Bilateral chemical sensing by rhinophores in three dimensions may have been the Umwelt of ammonites and belemnites before the evolution of complex eyes and fast locomotion in modern coleoids.

Navigation Along Windborne Plumes of Pheromone and Resource-Linked Odors

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 317-336
Author(s):  
Ring T. Cardé
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Response ◽  
Scale Structure ◽  
Turbulent Structure ◽  
Odor Source ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Odor Concentration ◽  
Flying Insects ◽  
Odor Plumes ◽  
Clean Air ◽  
Sequential Measurements

Many insects locate resources such as a mate, a host, or food by flying upwind along the odor plumes that these resources emit to their source. A windborne plume has a turbulent structure comprised of odor filaments interspersed with clean air. As it propagates downwind, the plume becomes more dispersed and dilute, but filaments with concentrations above the threshold required to elicit a behavioral response from receiving organisms can persist for long distances. Flying insects orient along plumes by steering upwind, triggered by the optomotor reaction. Sequential measurements of differences in odor concentration are unreliable indicators of distance to or direction of the odor source. Plume intermittency and the plume's fine-scale structure can play a role in setting an insect's upwind course. The prowess of insects in navigating to odor sources has spawned bioinspired virtual models and even odor-seeking robots, although some of these approaches use mechanisms that are unnecessarily complex and probably exceed an insect's processing capabilities.

scholarly journals Spatial odor discrimination in hawkmoth, Manduca sexta (L.)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Kalyanasundaram ◽  
M. A. Willis
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Manduca Sexta ◽  
Flight Control ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Proboscis Extension Reflex ◽  
Flying Insects ◽  
Odor Learning ◽  
Odor Plumes ◽  
Proboscis Extension

AbstractFlying insects track turbulent odor plumes to find mates, food and egg-laying sites. To maintain contact with the plume, insects are thought to adapt their flight control according to the distribution of odor in the plume using the timing of odor onsets and intervals between odor encounters. Although timing cues are important, few studies have addressed whether insects are capable of deriving spatial information about odor distribution from bilateral comparisons between their antennae in flight. The proboscis extension reflex (PER) associative learning protocol, originally developed to study odor learning in honeybees, was modified to show hawkmoths, Manduca sexta, can discriminate between odor stimuli arriving on either antenna. We show moths discriminated the odor arrival side with an accuracy of >70%. The information about spatial distribution of odor stimuli is thus available to moths searching for odor sources, opening the possibility that they use both spatial and temporal odor information.

Saccade-Related Activity in the Primate Superior Colliculus Depends on the Presence of Local Landmarks at the Saccade Endpoint

2003 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 1728-1736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay A. Edelman ◽  
Michael E. Goldberg
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Intermediate Layer ◽  
High Contrast ◽  
Blank Space ◽  
Complete Darkness ◽  
Related Activity ◽  
Visual Landmarks ◽  
Small Spot ◽  
Saccade Velocity ◽  
Dark Space

Saccade-related discharge in the superior colliculus is greater for saccades made to a spot of light than for saccades in complete darkness. However, it is unclear whether this enhancement is due to the discontinuity of the spot or due to its being a new object of fixation. In these experiments, we examined the saccade-related activity of intermediate-layer neurons in the primate superior colliculus during delayed saccades to the center or corner of a large, bright square, as well as for visual and memory-guided movements to small spots in isolation. The saccade-related discharge for movements made to a local visual landmark present at the time of the saccade, be it a corner of a square or a small spot, was higher than that for saccades made to the center of a square that contained no local visual landmarks within. Moreover, discharge for movements to the center of a square were very similar to that for saccades to blank, dark space. Saccade velocity was similarly dependent on the presence of such a landmark, though less dramatically. The endpoints of saccades directed toward a square's corner were slightly displaced toward the center of the square. Across all neurons, discharge and velocity for saccades to the center of a square increased as the square size was decreased, but were never greater than those for saccades to a small spot of light. These results suggest that both saccade-related discharge in the superior colliculus and saccade metrics are enhanced for movements directed to parts of the visual scene with high contrast, while shifting fixation to a new object is not itself sufficient to elevate discharge and metrics above those of saccades to blank space.

scholarly journals Does the Ratio of Compounds in a Plant Volatiles Blend Remain Stable During Transmission by Wind?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoming Cai ◽  
Yuhang Guo ◽  
Lei Bian ◽  
Zongxiu Luo ◽  
Zhaoqun Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Plant Volatiles ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Odor Source ◽  
Plant Volatile ◽  
Principal Component Analyses ◽  
Odor Plumes ◽  
Volatile Profiles

Abstract For plant volatiles to mediate interactions in tritrophic systems, they must convey accurate and reliable information to insects. However, it is unknown whether the ratio of compounds in plant volatile blends remains stable during wind transmission. In this study, volatiles released from an odor source were collected at different points in a wind tunnel and analyzed. The variation in the amounts of volatiles collected at different points formed a rough cone shape. The amounts of volatiles collected tended to decrease with increasing distance from the odor source. Principal component analyses showed that the volatile profiles were dissimilar among different collection points. The profiles of volatiles collected nearest the odor source were the most similar to the released odor. Higher wind speed resulted in a clearer distinction of the spatial distribution of volatile compounds. Thus, variations in the ratios of compounds in odor plumes exist even during transport over short distances.

scholarly journals The scaling of carbon dioxide release and respiratory water loss in flying fruit flies (Drosophila spp.)

2000 ◽  
Vol 203 (10) ◽  
pp. 1613-1624 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.O. Lehmann ◽  
M.H. Dickinson ◽  
J. Staunton
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Water Loss ◽  
Visual Motion ◽  
Bulk Water ◽  
Fruit Flies ◽  
Specific Rate ◽  
Allometric Exponent ◽  
Flying Insects ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Release

By simultaneously measuring carbon dioxide release, water loss and flight force in several species of fruit flies in the genus Drosophila, we have investigated respiration and respiratory transpiration during elevated locomotor activity. We presented tethered flying flies with moving visual stimuli in a virtual flight arena, which induced them to vary both flight force and energetic output. In response to the visual motion, the flies altered their energetic output as measured by changes in carbon dioxide release and concomitant changes in respiratory water loss. We examined the effect of absolute body size on respiration and transpiration by studying four different-sized species of fruit flies. In resting flies, body-mass-specific CO(2) release and water loss tend to decrease more rapidly with size than predicted according to simple allometric relationships. During flight, the mass-specific metabolic rate decreases with increasing body size with an allometric exponent of −0.22, which is slightly lower than the scaling exponents found in other flying insects. In contrast, the mass-specific rate of water loss appears to be proportionately greater in small animals than can be explained by a simple allometric model for spiracular transpiration. Because fractional water content does not change significantly with increasing body size, the smallest species face not only larger mass-specific energetic expenditures during flight but also a higher risk of desiccation than their larger relatives. Fruit flies lower their desiccation risk by replenishing up to 75 % of the lost bulk water by metabolic water production, which significantly lowers the risk of desiccation for animals flying under xeric environmental conditions.

scholarly journals A spiking neural program for sensorimotor control during foraging in flying insects

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (45) ◽  
pp. 28412-28421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes Rapp ◽  
Martin Paul Nawrot
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Neural Circuit ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Behavioral Control ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Dynamic Memory ◽  
Flying Insects ◽  
Odor Plumes ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Short Time

Foraging is a vital behavioral task for living organisms. Behavioral strategies and abstract mathematical models thereof have been described in detail for various species. To explore the link between underlying neural circuits and computational principles, we present how a biologically detailed neural circuit model of the insect mushroom body implements sensory processing, learning, and motor control. We focus on cast and surge strategies employed by flying insects when foraging within turbulent odor plumes. Using a spike-based plasticity rule, the model rapidly learns to associate individual olfactory sensory cues paired with food in a classical conditioning paradigm. We show that, without retraining, the system dynamically recalls memories to detect relevant cues in complex sensory scenes. Accumulation of this sensory evidence on short time scales generates cast-and-surge motor commands. Our generic systems approach predicts that population sparseness facilitates learning, while temporal sparseness is required for dynamic memory recall and precise behavioral control. Our work successfully combines biological computational principles with spike-based machine learning. It shows how knowledge transfer from static to arbitrary complex dynamic conditions can be achieved by foraging insects and may serve as inspiration for agent-based machine learning.

Effects of Wing Kinematics on Modulating Odor Plume Structures in the Odor Tracking Flight of Fruit Flies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Menglong Lei ◽  
Chengyu Li
Keyword(s):  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Equations Of Motion ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Fruit Flies ◽  
Odor Intensity ◽  
Flapping Wings ◽  
Odor Plume ◽  
Odor Tracking ◽  
Numerical Solver

Abstract Insects rely on their olfactory system to forage, prey, and mate. They can sense odorant plumes emitted from sources of their interests with their bilateral odorant antennae, and track down odor sources using their highly efficient flapping-wing mechanism. The odor-tracking process typically consists of two distinct behaviors: surging upwind and zigzagging crosswind. Despite the extensive numerical and experimental studies on the flying trajectories and wing flapping kinematics during odor tracking flight, we have limited understanding of how the flying trajectories and flapping wings modulate odor plume structures. In this study, a fully coupled three-way numerical solver is developed, which solves the 3D Navier-Stokes equations coupled with equations of motion for the passive flapping wings, and the odorant convection-diffusion equation. This numerical solver is applied to investigate the unsteady flow field and the odorant transport phenomena of a fruit fly model in both surging upwind and zigzagging crosswind cases. The unsteady flow generated by flapping wings perturbs the odor plume structure and significantly impacts the odor intensity at the olfactory receptors (i.e., antennae). During zigzagging crosswind flight, the differences in odor perception time and peak odor intensity at the receptors potentially help create stereo odorant mapping to track odor source. Our simulation results will provide new insights into the mechanism of how fruit flies perceive odor landscape and inspire the future design of odor-guided micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) for surveillance and detection missions.

scholarly journals Active and passive stabilization of body pitch in insect flight

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (85) ◽  
pp. 20130237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leif Ristroph ◽  
Gunnar Ristroph ◽  
Svetlana Morozova ◽  
Attila J. Bergou ◽  
Song Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Control ◽  
Insect Flight ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Fruit Flies ◽  
Flapping Wing ◽  
Passive Stability ◽  
Flying Insects ◽  
Body Drag ◽  
Instability Growth ◽  
Passive Stabilization

Flying insects have evolved sophisticated sensory–motor systems, and here we argue that such systems are used to keep upright against intrinsic flight instabilities. We describe a theory that predicts the instability growth rate in body pitch from flapping-wing aerodynamics and reveals two ways of achieving balanced flight: active control with sufficiently rapid reactions and passive stabilization with high body drag. By glueing magnets to fruit flies and perturbing their flight using magnetic impulses, we show that these insects employ active control that is indeed fast relative to the instability. Moreover, we find that fruit flies with their control sensors disabled can keep upright if high-drag fibres are also attached to their bodies, an observation consistent with our prediction for the passive stability condition. Finally, we extend this framework to unify the control strategies used by hovering animals and also furnish criteria for achieving pitch stability in flapping-wing robots.

scholarly journals A spiking neural program for sensory-motor control during foraging in flying insects

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes Rapp ◽  
Martin Paul Nawrot
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Motor Control ◽  
Neural Circuit ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Behavioral Control ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Dynamic Memory ◽  
Flying Insects ◽  
Odor Plumes ◽  
Living Organisms

Foraging is a vital behavioral task for living organisms. Behavioral strategies and abstract mathematical models thereof have been described in detail for various species. To explore the link between underlying neural circuits and computational principles we present how a biologically detailed neural circuit model of the insect mushroom body implements sensory processing, learning and motor control. We focus on cast & surge strategies employed by flying insects when foraging within turbulent odor plumes. Using a spike-based plasticity rule the model rapidly learns to associate individual olfactory sensory cues paired with food in a classical conditioning paradigm. We show that, without retraining, the system dynamically recalls memories to detect relevant cues in complex sensory scenes. Accumulation of this sensory evidence on short time scales generates cast & surge motor commands. Our generic systems approach predicts that population sparseness facilitates learning, while temporal sparseness is required for dynamic memory recall and precise behavioral control. Our work successfully combines biological computational principles with spike-based machine learning. It shows how knowledge transfer from static to arbitrary complex dynamic conditions can be achieved by foraging insects and may serve as inspiration for agent-based machine learning.

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