@article {164000, title = {Odor tracking in insects: a multisensory behavior.}, journal = {J Exp Biol}, volume = {229}, year = {2026}, month = {2026 Feb 15}, abstract = {

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, shaped by the physical and chemical properties of the odorants. Insect odor-tracking behavior is mediated by an array of sensory modalities, including chemosensory, visual, mechanosensory and thermal inputs. Experimental approaches in both laboratory and field settings have revealed how insects integrate these cues to successfully identify odor sources under complex environmental conditions. Comparative studies, such as those examining diurnal versus nocturnal tracking, highlight how sensory prioritization shifts with ecological context, revealing adaptive neural integration mechanisms. This article reviews the behavioral strategies insects use for odor tracking in air and on the ground, focusing on the role of multisensory integration and the vulnerability of these behaviors to sensory noise. Emerging research on environmental disruptions, such as artificial light at night and air pollution, highlights the ecological threats to odor-mediated behaviors. By synthesizing insights from diverse insect taxa, we examine how sensory noise and anthropogenic change can impair essential behaviors such as foraging and mating.

}, keywords = {Animals, Behavior, Animal, Cues, Insecta, Odorants, Smell}, issn = {1477-9145}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.250945}, url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41668668/}, author = {Soman, Shuchita and Ramaswamy, Sree Subha and Sane, Sanjay P} } @article {81507, title = {Insect architecture: structural diversity and behavioral principles.}, journal = {Curr Opin Insect Sci}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 Aug 22}, abstract = {

Insects build myriad structures out of diverse materials. These structures serve purposes that range from facilitating prey capture to housing their entire colony. Whereas some insects operate solitarily, others collectively build large and complex structures. The architecture of these structures vis-{\`a}-vis their ultimate function poses fascinating questions that require multidisciplinary investigations. Importantly, because the underlying design and architectural principles have evolved over millions of years to withstand multitude of environmental perturbations, they offer important lessons for human-made structures. The vast variety of insect-built structures reflects how diverse insects have adapted to resolve the ecological challenges in their specific habitats. Here, we survey insect-built structures from a comparative perspective to ask what design and architectural principles can be gleaned from them. We discuss the key hypotheses about building-behaviours, their neural underpinnings, the functional role of insect-built structures and their biomimetic potential.

}, issn = {2214-5753}, doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2020.08.005}, author = {Sane, Sanjay P and Ramaswamy, Sree Subha and Raja, Sreekrishna Varma} } @article {11586, title = {Sensory specificity and speciation: a potential neuronal pathway for host fruit odour discrimination in Rhagoletis pomonella.}, journal = {Proc Biol Sci}, volume = {283}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Dec 28}, abstract = {

Behavioural changes in habitat or mate choice can trigger population divergence, leading to speciation. However, little is known about the neurological bases for such changes. Rhagoletis pomonella (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a model for ecological speciation via host plant shifts. Within the past 180 years, Rhagoletis flies infesting hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) shifted to attack domesticated apple (Malus pumila). The two populations differ in their olfactory preferences for apple versus hawthorn fruit. Here, we looked for patterns of sensory organization that may have contributed to this shift by characterizing the morphology, specificity and distribution of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) on the antennae of Rhagoletis responding to host fruit and non-host volatiles. Of 28 OSN classes identified, two colocalized OSN pairs were found that specifically responded to the major behavioural attractant and antagonist volatiles for each fly population. A reversal in the response of these OSNs to fruit volatiles, either through a switch in receptor expression between these paired neurons or changes in neuronal projections in the brain, could therefore account for the behavioural difference between apple and hawthorn flies. The finding supports the hypothesis that relatively minor changes in olfactory sensory pathways may contribute to rapid host shifting and divergence in Rhagoletis.

}, issn = {1471-2954}, doi = {10.1098/rspb.2016.2101}, author = {Tait, Cheyenne and Batra, Srishti and Ramaswamy, Sree Subha and Feder, Jeffrey L and Olsson, Shannon B} }