Odor tracking in insects: a multisensory behavior

Insects rely on sophisticated odor-tracking mechanisms to locate mates and food sources, or follow conspecific trails, in both two (e.g. substrate-based tracking by ants and termites) and three (e.g. airborne pheromone plume tracking by flying insects) dimensions. These behaviors rely on the integration of multisensory information and understanding them requires us to draw upon principles from odor transport physics, odor chemistry and sensory ecology. Airborne odor plumes are typically heterogeneous and turbulent, delivering chemical cues in intermittent bursts, while ground-based odor trails are more stable and localized. Hence, insects employ fundamentally distinct strategies to navigate these environments,…

• DO
  Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India
• DO
  Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India
• DF
  Directorate for Biological Sciences
• NC
  National Centre for Biological Sciences

  Award: DTFR-5.04-0800
• AF
  Air Force Office of Scientific Research

  Award: FA9550-16-1-0155