Behavioral evidence of polarization vision in the locust Schistocerca gregaria
نویسندگان
چکیده
Many insects are able to detect the polarization pattern of the blue sky and use this capability for spatial orientation (Wehner R 1984, Annu. Rev. Entomol. 29, 277-298; Wehner R, Michel B and Antonsen P 1996, J. Exp. Biol. 199, 129-140). Ommatidia specialized to detect skylight polarization are confined to a small dorsal rim area (DRA) of the compound eye. The desert locust Schistocerca gregaria has a particularly prominent DRA (Homberg U and Paech A 2002, Arthropod Struct. Dev. 30, 271-180), and polarization sensitive neurons have been identified in several brain areas (Vitzthum H, Muller M and Homberg U 2002, J. Neurosci. 22, 1114-1125). These results strongly suggest that desert locusts use the sky polarization pattern for navigation.
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