Insect Sensory Receptors

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary function of pheromones in insect communication?

To attract mates of the same species

To warn other insects of danger

To mark trails for food sources

All of the above (correct)

What is the name of the chemicals used by insects to communicate with each other?

Infochemicals (correct)

Enzymes

Hormones

Neurotransmitters

What type of signal is used by a bee to communicate the location of a food source to other bees?

Chemical

Visual (correct)

Tactile

Auditory

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of chemical communication in insects?

High information content Signup and view all the answers

What is a disadvantage of chemical communication in insects?

Can be ineffective in an upwind direction Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for chemicals used by insects to communicate with members of a different species?

Allelochemicals Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of an allelochemical?

A repellent Signup and view all the answers

Why are chemical signals considered "metabolically inexpensive" for insects?

They are only needed in small quantities Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of mechanoreceptors in insects?

Detect movements and mechanical disturbances Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following examples are classified as chemoreceptors?

Taste buds on palps Signup and view all the answers

What form of communication is primarily utilized by honeybees?

Tactile communication Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of antennal tapping in ants and termites?

To inform about the leader's location Signup and view all the answers

Which sensory receptors are responsible for detecting light?

Photoreceptors Signup and view all the answers

What type of information might be exchanged during antennal tapping?

Nestmate recognition Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of the 'dance' language of honeybees?

It is conducted in total darkness Signup and view all the answers

What type of communication do treehoppers utilize on their host plants?

Vibrational signals Signup and view all the answers

In fireflies, what is the primary function of the flashing organ?

Mating communication Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT an example of bioluminescence in insects?

Dragonflies Signup and view all the answers

How does the predatory lampyrid Photurus utilize the flash pattern of female Photinus?

To lure and prey upon male Photinus Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of ultraviolet-reflecting scales on the dorsal wing surface of female cabbage butterflies?

To create a UV flash during flight, signaling potential mates Signup and view all the answers

How do insect compound eyes differ from human eyes?

Insect compound eyes are better at detecting motion than human eyes. Signup and view all the answers

What type of pheromone is primarily responsible for immediate behavioral responses?

Releasers Signup and view all the answers

Which type of releaser pheromone is used to attract males from long distances?

Sex attractants Signup and view all the answers

Why are active signals, like body movements and light flashes, considered costly to produce?

They require significant energy expenditure Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary advantage of using active signals, despite their cost?

They can be controlled and withheld at inappropriate times Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of insect color vision?

Insect color vision is typically better than human color vision. Signup and view all the answers

What role do primers play in social insects?

Control reproduction and kin recognition Signup and view all the answers

What is a common function of aggregation pheromones?

To bring many conspecifics together quickly Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a type of releaser pheromone?

Primers Signup and view all the answers

How do insects like fireflies communicate visually at night?

By producing their own light Signup and view all the answers

What is one advantage of acoustic communication in insects?

It provides high information content Signup and view all the answers

What is a function of passive visual signals in insects?

To provide free advertising Signup and view all the answers

Which signal type is primarily effective only during daylight?

Bright colors and patterns Signup and view all the answers

How do crickets and katydids produce sound through stridulation?

By rubbing their forewings together Signup and view all the answers

What is a disadvantage of acoustic communication for insects?

It can signal the location to predators Signup and view all the answers

What mechanism do mosquitoes use to detect sound?

Antennae with hairs that resonate Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of stridulation in crickets and katydids?

Mating attraction and territorial behavior Signup and view all the answers

What type of insects primarily detects sound with tympanic membranes?

Grasshoppers and moths Signup and view all the answers

What does 'attenuation' refer to in acoustic communication?

The fading of sound intensity with distance Signup and view all the answers

How do some insects sense substrate vibrations?

Using mechanoreceptors in their legs Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Categories of Insects: Sensory Receptors

Mechanoreceptors detect movements, vibrations, or other mechanical disturbances
- Tactile receptors
- Proprioceptors
- Sound receptors
Chemoreceptors detect the presence of chemical substances in the air (smell) or on substrates (taste)
- Taste buds on palps
- Antennal sensilla
Photoreceptors detect the presence and quality of incident light (electromagnetic radiation)
- Compound eyes
- Ocelli

Mechanoreceptors: Tactile Communication

Antennal tapping is used in communication between ants and termites
- Used during tandem running to inform the leader that the follower is present
- Involves nestmate recognition and leads to exchange of food through trophallaxis
Honeybees use "dance" language, a tactile communication system, to communicate in total darkness
Certain treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae) produce vibrations in host plant tissue that can be felt by other treehoppers

Mechanoreceptors: Acoustic Communication

Sound serves as a very effective communication modality
- Can be varied in frequency, amplitude, and periodicity
- Examples: grasshoppers and moths produce ultrasonic sounds up to 80,000 Hz
Insects detect sound with tympanic membranes in the abdomen (e.g., grasshoppers, moths) or in the tibiae of the front legs (e.g., crickets, katydids)
Mosquitoes have antennal hairs that resonate to certain frequencies of sound
Sound vibrations can also travel through solid objects, and some insects sense substrate vibrations with mechanoreceptors in their legs

Advantages and Disadvantages of Acoustic Communication

Advantages:
- Not limited by environmental barriers
- Effective over distances and around corners
- Highly variable, fast change — high information content
Disadvantages:
- May reveal location of sender to potential predator
- Less effective in "noisy" environments
- May be metabolically "expensive" to produce
- Attenuation — intensity falls rapidly with distance from source (cube-root function)

Special Mechanisms: Frictional Mechanisms

Stridulation in crickets and katydids:
- Rubbing forewings (tegmina) together to produce sound
- Used for attracting a mate, territorial behavior, or warning signals

Chemical Communication

Insects rely heavily on chemical signals for communication
- Semiochemicals or infochemicals serve as a "language" mediating interactions
Advantages:
- Not limited by environmental barriers
- Effective over distances and around corners
- Effective day or night
- Longer lasting than visual or auditory signals
- Metabolically "inexpensive"
Disadvantages:
- Low information content (presence/absence)
- Not effective in an upwind direction

Pheromones and Allelochemicals

Pheromones: chemical signals between individuals of the same species
- Examples: sex attractants, trail marking compounds, alarm substances
Allelochemicals: signals between individuals of different species
- Examples: defensive signals, repellents, compounds used to locate host plants

Releasers and Primers

Releasers: cause an immediate behavioral response in receivers
- Examples: sex attractants, aggregation, spacing, alarm
Primers: cause long-term physiological changes in receivers
- Examples: colony pheromones, social insects — kin and colony recognition, control of reproduction and kin number, foraging behavior

Visual Communication

Insects communicate with visual signals
- Bright colors, eyespots, or distinctive patterns to scare away predators or mimic unpalatable species
- Dance-like body movements to attract a mate or communicate with nestmates
Passive signals: eyespots and color patterns serve as "free advertising"
Active signals: body movements and light flashes are more costly to produce but can be withheld at inappropriate times
Examples: fireflies, bioluminescence in certain insects (e.g., collembolans, cicadas, fungus gnats, beetles)

Insect Color Vision

Unlike humans, many insects can see ultraviolet light
Some species communicate using wavelengths in this part of the spectrum
Example: female cabbage butterflies have ultraviolet-reflecting scales on the dorsal wing surface, which helps males recognize them as potential mates

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Description

This quiz covers the different types of sensory receptors found in insects, including mechanoreceptors and chemoreceptors, and their functions. Learn about the role of proprioceptors, tactile receptors, and sound receptors in insect biology.