Neural mechanism underlying sexual dimorphism of integration of vision and olfaction in the innate color preference of butterflies

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K07485
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Animal physiology/Animal behavior
• Research Institution: The Graduate University for Advanced Studies
• Principal Investigator: Kinoshita Michiyo 総合研究大学院大学, 先導科学研究科, 准教授 (80381664)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 行動 / 感覚生理 / 視覚 / 嗅覚 / チョウ目

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Flower foraging swallowtail butterfly, Papilio xuthus, has innate color preference, which is blue in both sexes. This innate color preference in female butterfly changes by either flower scent or host plant odor. I focus on the mechanisms underlying the sexual dimorphism in effect of plant scent on the innate color preference and integration of vision and olfaction. Observation of the glomerular organization in the antennal lobe reveals three enlarged glomeruli in females, which dues to the sexual dimorphism of the color preference under plant odor. I carried out intracellular recordings in the neurons from the optic lobe to the mushroom body, which received both visual and olfactory information, and discovered many new types of spectral opponency that would strongly relate with their sophisticated color vision.

Free Research Field

神経行動学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ヒトよりも鋭い色識別能力を持つナミアゲハの色嗜好性は、植物の匂いによって変わる。この現象は非常にユニークで、ヒトが匂いによって食べ物の視覚的特徴を想起する神経機構の理解にも繋がるものである。今回発見したいくつもの反対色性神経の特性は、彼らの色知覚を表しているだけでなく、嗅覚情報と特異的に統合される情報そのものである可能性が高い。異なる感覚が脳でどのように統合されて、特定の物体の認知に至るのかは未だいずれの動物でもわかっていない。今回細胞内記録が可能になった神経群の働きは、異種感覚統合の理解において貴重な知見となることは間違いない。