Load-associated Modulation of the Overlap between the Fore and Hind Wings in the Moth Manduca sexta.

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Load-associated Modulation of the Overlap between the Fore and Hind Wings in the Moth Manduca sexta. Anna Malec1 and Mark A. Willis1* 1 Case Western Reserve University, Biology, United States Males and females of the North American hawk moth Manduca sexta differ morphologically in a number of ways. One of the most apparent is the significantly greater weight of the females resulting from the eggs filling their abdomens from the moment they emerge from the pupae. On average, the females are also longer from head-to-tail and have a broader wingspan than males. The females’ wingspan may not compensate completely for their increased weight as they still have a wing loading about 12% greater than that of males. Since M. sexta are four-winged fliers, it is possible that they can adjust the overlap between their fore and hind wings to transiently either increase their functional wing area (i.e., decrease their wing loading) or increase the flexibility of the pair of wings on each side of the thorax. Recent studies have shown that flight force production varies with the flexural stiffness of the wings in M. sexta. We hypothesized that females may alter the overlap between their fore and hind wings to compensate for their innately greater loading. Since the wings on each side of the body of M. sexta move as a synchronized unit, it is possible that altering the amount they overlap could alter their overall flexural stiffness, and forces produced. To test this idea, we recorded male and female M. sexta with high-speed video cameras as they tracked a plume of attractive odorant (i.e., female pheromone or fresh tobacco leaves) upwind in two different wind speeds. We observed a small, but statistically significant difference in the overlap of fore and hind wings between the males and females. Females overlapped their wings significantly less than males in both wind speeds. However, regression analyses of our results show that changes in wing overlap are most strongly associated with the weight of the moths. Experiments are ongoing to determine if the observed changes in overlap are actively controlled by the moths or a passive property of the mechanics of the flight system. Acknowledgements We would like to thank Ms. Jennifer Avondet for her assistance in managing the insect colony and for training and help associated with all aspects of this project. A.M. M. was supported by the Summer Program in Undergraduate Research, funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. M.A.W. was supported by an Air Force Office of Scientific Research grant FA9550-07-0149. We would also like to thank Dr. Ken Moriuchi for his indispensable assistance with statistics. Keywords: flight, insect, Locomotion, Manduca sexta, moth, Wing Conference: Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012. Presentation Type: Poster (but consider for Participant Symposium) Topic: Motor Systems Citation: Malec A and Willis MA (2012). Load-associated Modulation of the Overlap between the Fore and Hind Wings in the Moth Manduca sexta.. Conference Abstract: Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00298 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 30 Apr 2012; Published Online: 07 Jul 2012. * Correspondence: Dr. Mark A Willis, Case Western Reserve University, Biology, Cleveland, Ohio, 44106-7080, United States, maw27@case.edu Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Anna Malec Mark A Willis Google Anna Malec Mark A Willis Google Scholar Anna Malec Mark A Willis PubMed Anna Malec Mark A Willis Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.