| Title: | Neural basis of a pollinator's buffet: olfactory specialization and learning in Manduca sexta |
| Author(s): | Riffell JA; Lei H; Abrell L; Hildebrand JG; |
| Address: | "Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-800, USA. jriffell@u.washington.edu" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1095-9203 (Electronic) 0036-8075 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Pollinators exhibit a range of innate and learned behaviors that mediate interactions with flowers, but the olfactory bases of these responses in a naturalistic context remain poorly understood. The hawkmoth Manduca sexta is an important pollinator for many night-blooming flowers but can learn--through olfactory conditioning--to visit other nectar resources. Analysis of the flowers that are innately attractive to moths shows that the scents all have converged on a similar chemical profile that, in turn, is uniquely represented in the moth's antennal (olfactory) lobe. Flexibility in visitation to nonattractive flowers, however, is mediated by octopamine-associated modulation of antennal-lobe neurons during learning. Furthermore, this flexibility does not extinguish the innate preferences. Such processing of stimuli through two olfactory channels, one involving an innate bias and the other a learned association, allows the moths to exist within a dynamic floral environment while maintaining specialized associations" |
| Keywords: | Animals Arthropod Antennae/physiology Brain/physiology Electrophysiological Phenomena Feeding Behavior *Flowers Learning Male Manduca/*physiology Neurons/*physiology Octopamine/pharmacology/*physiology Odorants Olfactory Pathways *Plant Nectar Pollination; |
| Notes: | "MedlineRiffell, Jeffrey A Lei, Hong Abrell, Leif Hildebrand, John G eng R01 DC002751/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ R01-DC-02751/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 2012/12/12 Science. 2013 Jan 11; 339(6116):200-4. doi: 10.1126/science.1225483. Epub 2012 Dec 6" |
