Evolutionary prosess of communication ability in insect embryo

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K18618
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment
• Research Institution: Forest Research and Management Organization
• Principal Investigator: MUKAI Hiromi 国立研究開発法人森林研究・整備機構, 森林総合研究所, 任期付研究員 (70747766)
• Research Collaborator: Takanashi Takuma 国立研究開発法人森林研究・整備機構, 森林総合研究所, 主任研究員等 (60399376) ; Tokoro Masahiko 国立研究開発法人森林研究・整備機構, 森林総合研究所, 主任研究員等 (70343796)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 胚 / 生物間相互作用 / 孵化 / 前適応 / 社会性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In some subsocial burrower bugs, mothers produce vibrational signals to induce hatching synchronously. We found that the embryos immediately before hatching actively wriggle in the egg shells, thus transmit a typical vibrations to induce maternal vibration. Vibrational behavior by mothers was also observed in the field site. Egg-guarding mothers usually showed vibrational behavior which closely similar to the pattern of hatching vibrations against to the approach of the males, females and nymphs in the same species. Such vibrations partially induced embryo hatching. In addition, embryos of some non-social heteropteran species also showed hatching responses to the vibration. In Heteroptera, embryos generally have sensing of vibration, and are expected to evolve the elaborative hatching system adapted to the vibration stimuli from the surrounding biological environment.

Free Research Field

行動生態学