Substrate texture affects female cricket walking response to male calling song

Abstract

Field crickets are extensively used as a model organism to study female phonotactic walking behaviour, i.e. their attraction to the male calling song. Laboratory-based phonotaxis experiments generally rely on arena or trackball-based settings; however, no attention has been paid to the effect of substrate texture on the response. Here, we tested phonotaxis in female Gryllus bimaculatus, walking on trackballs machined from methyl-methacrylate foam with different cell sizes. Surface height variations of the trackballs, due to the cellular composition of the material, were measured with profilometry and characterized as smooth, medium or rough, with roughness amplitudes of 7.3, 16 and 180 µm. Female phonotaxis was best on a rough and medium trackball surface, a smooth surface resulted in a significant lower phonotactic response. Claws of the cricket foot were crucial for effective walking. Females insert their claws into the surface pores to allow mechanical interlocking with the substrate texture and a high degree of attachment, which cannot be established on smooth surfaces. These findings provide insight to the biomechanical basis of insect walking and may inform behavioural studies that the surface texture on which walking insects are tested is crucial for the resulting behavioural response.

The Effect of Ground Type on the Jump Performance of Adults of the Locust Locusta migratoria manilensis: A Preliminary Study

“…For example, surface roughness with an Ra value of 1-2 µm can reduce the ability of locust legs to attach to the substrate, resulting in considerable slippage of the hind legs on the ground and thus take-off failure [21,22]. Similar effects of surface roughness have also been documented in females of the Mediterranean field cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus) crawling on smooth surfaces (R q = 7.3 µm), which resulted in significantly lower phonotactic responses compared with rougher surfaces (R q = 16 or 180 µm) [23]. Several natural types of ground surfaces have other key physical properties as well as surface roughness, such as normal stiffness, hardness, and tangential friction/shear stress strength.…”

Extreme suction attachment performance from specialised insects living in mountain streams (Diptera: Blephariceridae)

“…Micro-rough substrates were sputter-coated with 5 nm of iridium prior to scanning to improve the surface reflectivity. As the coarse-rough substrate could not be adequately imaged via white-light interferometry, we used a Z-stack image focal-depth analysis technique as described elsewhere ( Sarmiento-Ponce et al, 2018 ) with a scan area of 0.44 × 0.58 mm. For both surfaces, three regions were selected at random and imaged.…”

Does the choosiness of female crickets change as they age?

“…Tests were performed in the dark at 25–28°C. Females walked on a rough-textured trackball, 5.6 cm in diameter and weighing 5.3 g (Rohacell 31 IG-F, Evonik, Darmstadt, Germany) ( Sarmiento-Ponce et al, 2018 ).…”