Responses to wind recorded from the cercal nerve of the cockroachPeriplaneta americana

Westin, Joanne

doi:10.1007/bf00657523

Cited by 67 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…P. agrionina's cerci occupy as much space as the anemometer probe and, therefore, sample only a small portion of the bat-generated wind. Furthermore, cercal systems are directionally sensitive (Palka et al, 1977;Dagan and Camhi, 1979;Westin, 1979), similar to the anemometer probe. Therefore, certain characteristics of the data collected using the anemometer, such as the large variation in the data when the probe was within 20-30·cm of the target, fully represent and describe the situation involving the cercal system.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wind generated by an attacking bat: anemometric measurements and detection by the praying mantis cercal system

Triblehorn

Yager

2006

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY The wind-sensitive cercal system, well-known for mediating terrestrial escape responses, may also mediate insect aerial bat-avoidance responses triggered by wind generated by the approaching bat. One crucial question is whether enough time exists between detection and capture for the insect to perform a successful evasive maneuver. A previous study estimated this time to be 16 ms, based on cockroach behavioral latencies and a prediction for the detection time derived from a simulated predator moving toward a simulated prey. However, the detection time may be underestimated since both the simulated predator and prey lacked certain characteristics present in the natural situation. In the present study, actual detection times are measured by recording from wind-sensitive interneurons of a tethered praying mantis that serves as the target for a flying, attacking bat. Furthermore, using hot-wire anemometry, we describe and quantify the wind generated by an attacking bat. Anemometer measurements revealed that the velocity of the bat-generated wind consistently peaks early with a high acceleration component(an important parameter for triggering wind-mediated terrestrial responses). The physiological recordings determined that the mantis cercal system detected an approaching bat 74 ms before contact, which would provide the insect with 36 ms to perform a maneuver before capture. This should be sufficient time for the mantis to respond. Although it probably would not have time for a full response that completely evades the bat, even a partial response might alter the mantid's trajectory enough to cause the bat to mishandle the insect,allowing it to escape.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wind generated by an attacking bat: anemometric measurements and detection by the praying mantis cercal system

Triblehorn

Yager

2006

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Work on cockroach escape responses extends from sensory physiology to behaviour and biomechanics (e.g. Camhi and Tom, 1978;Comer and Dowd, 1987;Rinberg and Davidowitz, 2000;Stierle et al, 1994;Westin, 1979). Hairs on their abdominal cerci detect the direction of wind produced by an approaching real or simulated threat (Camhi and Tom, 1978;Kondoh et al, 1991;Thompson et al, 1992;Westin, 1979).…”

Section: Insects Cockroachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal escapology II: escape trajectory case studies

Domenici¹,

Blagburn

Bacon

2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

133

151

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Summary Escape trajectories (ETs; measured as the angle relative to the direction of the threat) have been studied in many taxa using a variety of methodologies and definitions. Here, we provide a review of methodological issues followed by a survey of ET studies across animal taxa, including insects, crustaceans, molluscs, lizards, fish, amphibians, birds and mammals. Variability in ETs is examined in terms of ecological significance and morpho-physiological constraints. The survey shows that certain escape strategies (single ETs and highly variable ETs within a limited angular sector) are found in most taxa reviewed here, suggesting that at least some of these ET distributions are the result of convergent evolution. High variability in ETs is found to be associated with multiple preferred trajectories in species from all taxa, and is suggested to provide unpredictability in the escape response. Random ETs are relatively rare and may be related to constraints in the manoeuvrability of the prey. Similarly, reports of the effect of refuges in the immediate environment are relatively uncommon, and mainly confined to lizards and mammals. This may be related to the fact that work on ETs carried out in laboratory settings has rarely provided shelters. Although there are a relatively large number of examples in the literature that suggest trends in the distribution of ETs, our understanding of animal escape strategies would benefit from a standardization of the analytical approach in the study of ETs, using circular statistics and related tests, in addition to the generation of large data sets.

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“…We think that the former is likely because spontaneous synaptic input was observed even in the absence of any wind stimulus. The corresponding activity of cereal afferents has also been observed by Westin (1979). Such noise at the input is a source of error in kernel estimation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…Air disturbance or wind is the essential cue for eliciting escape behavior in the cockroach (Camhi, 1980). It is initially detected by filiform hairs on the cerci, which have preferred directions of deflection such that the sensory neurons are excited by movement in only one direction (Dagan and Camhi, 1979;Westin, 1979). The sensory neurons make direct connections with a number of intersegmental interneurons, some of which have large-diameter axons, referred as cereal giant interneurons (GIs), and are involved in escape behavior (Camhi and Tom, 1978;Ritzmann and Camhi, 1978;Camhi, 1980;Camhi and Nolen, 198 1).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Response dynamics and directional properties of nonspiking local interneurons in the cockroach cercal system

et al. 1993

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The response properties and directional receptive fields of nonspiking local interneurons in the cereal system of the cockroach are described. Wind-evoked responses were recorded intracellularly, and then analyzed by means of the Wiener kernel method in which a Gaussian white noise signal was used as a stimulus. Cross-correlation between the response and the white noise signal produced first-(linear) and second-order (nonlinear) kernels that were used to define hrput-output characteristics of the interneurons. The second-order nonlinearity was dynamic, and could be modeled by a band-pass linear filter-static nonlinearity-low-pass linear filter cascade, where the static nonlinearity is a full-wave rectification. The band-pass filter would simply reflect the mechanical property of cereal hair sensilla, whereas the low-pass filter represents the transfer at synapses between the cereal afferents and the interneurons.The nonlinear response thus explains the difference in the directional sensitivity while the differentiating first-order kernel explains the velocity sensitivity of the interneurons. We show that 101 and 107 respond most preferentially to wind from the left versus right, whereas 102, 103, 111, and 203 respond to wind from the front versus rear. Thus, it is sug-

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Responses to wind recorded from the cercal nerve of the cockroachPeriplaneta americana

Cited by 67 publications

References 14 publications

Wind generated by an attacking bat: anemometric measurements and detection by the praying mantis cercal system

Wind generated by an attacking bat: anemometric measurements and detection by the praying mantis cercal system

Animal escapology II: escape trajectory case studies

Response dynamics and directional properties of nonspiking local interneurons in the cockroach cercal system

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