Chemoanemotaxic responses to biologically relevant odorants in house crickets

Abstract

The olfactory system of insects is a prominent model in neuroscience that allows us to address how insects detect, encode, and process olfactory stimuli. Stimulation of olfactory receptors may allow insects to detect and identify food, mating partners, and avoidance of predators. These receptors are located in cuticular sensory organs (sensilla) found on their long, paired, multi-segmented antennae. The cuticle of these sensilla is pierced by numerous small pores with underlying olfactory receptor cells, responsible for detecting odorants. We studied the olfactory capability of the house cricket, Acheta domesticus, an omnivorous scavenger from the Gryllidae family. These insects use their antennae to detect chemosensory (smell and taste), mechanosensory (touch), and possibly thermo-hygrosensory (temperature and humidity) information. The overall aim of this study was to determine if food samples, biologically-relevant from the habitat of the crickets (e.g., fruits, vegetables, proteins), elicited positive anemotaxis (orientation toward a food source) and acted as food baits. We tested several fruits (e.g., strawberries, apples), vegetables (e.g., green beans, tomato, etc.), and proteins (e.g., poultry, fish). We hypothesized that some foods would elicit significant positive anemotaxis, while others would not. Initial studies have revealed that some of the fruits, vegetables, and proteins tested were ineffective in eliciting positive anemotaxis. These findings are important as house crickets are pests and known to contaminate food sources. This raises concerns about foodborne illnesses associated with microbial pathogens and creates health concerns, especially in developing countries.