Transfer of time information between parents and progeny in insects

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26650118
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Animal physiology/Animal behavior
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Numata Hideharu 京都大学, 理学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (70172749)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): NAKAMURA Keiji 岡山理科大学, 地球環境学部, 准教授 (20309537) ; OHBA Shin-ya 長崎大学, 教育学部, 准教授 (20638481)
• Research Collaborator: MOJI Maiko ; HASEGAWA Satoshi ; KUROKI Izuru ; ENDO Jun
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 昆虫 / 時間生物学 / 概日リズム / 真社会性 / 亜社会性 / 親子関係

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In an ant, Lasius japonicus, we have not obtained evidence that time information is transmitted from a worker under light-dark cycles to a queen under constant darkness. Male adults of the giant water bug, Lethocerus deyrollei, guard their progeny egg masses with supplying water to them, and this paternal behavior may have a slight effect on hatching time of the progeny. In the cabbage bug, Eurydema rugosum, however, our experimental results suggest that time information are transmitted from a mother to its eggs even though this species shows no parental care.

Free Research Field

動物生理学