MULTISENSORY INTEGRATION IN THE MANTIS ESCAPE RESPONSE

University Of Maryland College Pk Campus, College Park MD

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Abstract

The overall goal of the proposed research is to investigate how praying mantids integrate the multiple sensory cues produced by an attacking bat to maximize their chance of escape. Many insects possess an auditory system sensitive to the frequencies of echolocation calls of bats which serves as an "early warning" system for eliciting escape responses. However, bats also generate large wind displacements when approaching and capturing prey which insects may also be able to incorporate into their escape responses. The praying mantis possesses a single tympanic ear sensitive to bat echolocation frequencies and a sensitive wind detection system (the cercal-to giant interneuron system). Stimulation of the auditory system when the mantis is in flight results in an escape response effective in evading bat predators. The auditory system is non-directional, but wind generated by an approaching bat may provide information about the bat's approach, resulting in "last chance" maneuvers. My pilot studies show that the mantis responds to cercal wind stimulation by producing a wing hitch (combination of wing beat frequency and phase changes) associated with turning behavior. This research will: 1) quantify the mantis response to wind and ultrasound in different contexts, 2) investigate the mantis CNS responses to wind and sound inputs during bat attacks, 3) test whether cereal input helps mantids evade bats by staging encounters between free flying mantids and bats in collaboration with Dr. Cynthia Moss' laboratory, and 4) determine if the cercal system provides input to the auditory system, especially the main auditory interneuron MR-501-T3, using intracellular techniques.