The role of visual and mechanosensory cues in structuring forward flight inDrosophila melanogaster

Abstract

t has long been known that many flying insects use visual cues to orient with respect to the wind and to control their groundspeed in the face of varying wind conditions. Much less explored has been the role of mechanosensory cues in orienting insects relative to the ambient air. Here we show that Drosophila melanogaster, magnetically tethered so as to be able to rotate about their yaw axis, are able to detect and orient into a wind, as would be experienced during forward flight. Further, this behavior is velocity dependent and is likely subserved, at least in part, by the Johnston's organs, chordotonal organs in the antennae also involved in near-field sound detection. These wind-mediated responses may help to explain how flies are able to fly forward despite visual responses that might otherwise inhibit this behavior. Expanding visual stimuli, such as are encountered during forward flight, are the most potent aversive visual cues known for D. melanogaster flying in a tethered paradigm. Accordingly, tethered flies strongly orient towards a focus of contraction, a problematic situation for any animal attempting to fly forward. We show in this study that wind stimuli, transduced via mechanosensory means, can compensate for the aversion to visual expansion and thus may help to explain how these animals are indeed able to maintain forward flight.

Wide-field motion tuning in nocturnal hawkmoths

“…Blowflies are also known to infer rotational motion from another visual pathway that derived from the low-resolution ocelli located between their compound eyes (Parsons et al 2006). Flies also use wind to infer their own self-motion and wind modifies their responses to visual cues (Budick et al 2007). Mechanosensory cues are also important for moths when they make contact with a flower (Goyret & Raguso 2006).…”

Active and Passive Antennal Movements during Visually Guided Steering in FlyingDrosophila

“…Preliminary data showed that this procedure does not alter the optomotor responses of either the wings or antennae. For flies used to assess the role of the JO, we glued one antenna at the PF joint using UV-cured glue (Duro) (Budick et al, 2007) immediately after removing their prothoracic legs. Several previous studies have used this gluing procedure successfully to interfere with JO function (Budick et al, 2007;Duistermars et al, 2009;Robie et al, 2010).…”

Olfaction in vector-host interactions

“…This simulated what the fly would experience during forward flight in wind and indeed flies directed their heading towards the visually simulated upwind direction. Forward flight also requires input from mechanosensory cues, provided at least in part by the Johnston's organ (Budick et al 2007). Drosophila also orient towards vertical silhouettes, which in the flight simulator is represented by a vertical band of LEDs that are turned off; this visual stimulus presumably mimics a suitable landing or feeding site (Maimon et al 2008).…”