Insect Behavior

Behavior in Insect Mimicry

Arthropods use insect mimicry to gain predatory advantages over other insects in the form of increased resource availability and protection from predators. They do this through several different mechanisms, 4 of which are described in the paper; Batesian, Peckhamian, Wasmannian, and Tephritid mimicry. ‘Mimicry’ includes resemblances in both appearance and behavior. Without mimicry in both appea...

Insect - Inspired Vision and Visually Guided Behavior

Plant viruses alter insect behavior to enhance their spread

Pathogens and parasites can induce changes in host or vector behavior that enhance their transmission. In plant systems, such effects are largely restricted to vectors, because they are mobile and may exhibit preferences dependent upon plant host infection status. Here we report the first evidence that acquisition of a plant virus directly alters host selection behavior by its insect vector. We...

Arabidopsis synchronizes jasmonate-mediated defense with insect circadian behavior.

Diverse life forms have evolved internal clocks enabling them to monitor time and thereby anticipate the daily environmental changes caused by Earth's rotation. The plant circadian clock regulates expression of about one-third of the Arabidopsis genome, yet the physiological relevance of this regulation is not fully understood. Here we show that the circadian clock, acting with hormone signals,...

Regulation of insect behavior via the insulin-signaling pathway

The insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling (IIS) pathway is well-established as a critical regulator of growth and metabolic homeostasis across the animal kingdom. Insulin-like peptides (ILPs), the functional analogs of mammalian insulin, were initially discovered in the silkmoth Bombyx mori and subsequently identified in many other insect species. Initial research focused on the role of ...