2009 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Selective use of spatial information in insect visual navigation
| Project/Area Number |
20770055
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Animal physiology/Animal behavior
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| Research Institution | Hamamatsu University School of Medicine |
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Principal Investigator |
HIRONAKA Mantaro Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 医学部, 特任研究員 (70456565)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2008 – 2009
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| Keywords | 神経行動 |
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| Research Abstract |
Subsocial stinkbug, Parastrachia japonensis transports host drupes to its nymph-containing burrow in a wood. In the provisioning excursion, it uses canopy gap for compass reference in its path integration to monitor the directional information, but it has serious problems on this orientation system. The compound eye lacks ommatidia on the caudal side, therefore, the bug has a blind area to its back. The bug could perform the round trip even in an experimental arena with only an artificial round gap entering the blind area. However, when both blind and no-blind gaps were presented, bugs could selectively use a no-blind gap. Thus, I would like to emphasize that the selective use of the spatial information is influenced by the structural limitation of sensory organ of the insect navigators.
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