The ecology of electricity and electroreception

Abstract

Electricity, the interaction between electrically charged objects, is widely known to be fundamental to the functioning of living systems. However, this appreciation has largely been restricted to the scale of atoms, molecules, and cells. By contrast, the role of electricity at the ecological scale has historically been largely neglected, characterised by punctuated islands of research infrequently connected to one another. Recently, however, an understanding of the ubiquity of electrical forces within the natural environment has begun to grow, along with a realisation of the multitude of ecological interactions that these forces may influence. Herein, we provide the first comprehensive collation and synthesis of research in this emerging field of electric ecology. This includes assessments of the role electricity plays in the natural ecology of predator–prey interactions, pollination, and animal dispersal, among many others, as well as the impact of anthropogenic activity on these systems. A detailed introduction to the ecology and physiology of electroreception – the biological detection of ecologically relevant electric fields – is also provided. Further to this, we suggest avenues for future research that show particular promise, most notably those investigating the recently discovered sense of aerial electroreception.

The mechanics and interactions of electrically sensitive mechanoreceptive hair arrays of arthropods

“…The capacity to detect electrical fields is deemed possible owing to insects and spiders becoming electrically charged as they interact with their environment, resulting in the filiform hairs becoming sensitive to electrical stimuli. For a broad survey of the literature on the ecology of electricity and electroreception, we refer readers to [ 21 ].…”

A synthesis of deimatic behaviour

“…Electrical signals are surprisingly ubiquitous in nature (England & Robert, 2022). The electrical discharges generated by numbfishes (Narcinidae), electric rays (Torpedinidae), and electric eels ( Electrophorus electricus ) could be deimatic behaviours.…”

Observed electric charge of insect swarms and their contribution to atmospheric electricity

“…The atmospheric PG has proved important in understanding large-scale drivers of the global atmospheric electric circuit (e.g. from climate and space weather) ( Harrison, 2015 ), and in causing migration of biologically relevant ions (e.g., nitrate, sulphate, radon) ( Hunting et al., 2019 , 2021a , 2021b ) as well as facilitating animal dispersal or navigation ( Clarke et al., 2013 ; Hunting et al., 2022 ; England and Robert, 2022 ; Morley and Robert, 2018 ). The continuous monitoring of atmospheric electric fields is therefore essential in developing a detailed understanding of a wide array of atmospheric, biological, and geological processes.…”

“…Insects are well-known to be ubiquitous in the global atmosphere ( Hu et al., 2016 ; Reynolds et al., 2017 ), and they can occur in large densities in the lower (∼0–5 km altitude) atmosphere. Moreover, a wide array of airborne insect species have been shown to carry an electric charge, which ranges from picocoulombs to nanocoulombs per individual ( Edwards, 1962 ; England and Robert, 2022 ; Erickson, 1975 ). These observations support the hypothesis that large aggregations of aerial insects provide an important source of space charge in the atmosphere.…”