Skip to main content
Log in

Antennal and locomotor responses to attractive and aversive odors in the searching cockroach

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Comparative Physiology A Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The behavioral responses to attractive and aversive odors were examined in blinded adult male cockroaches under tethered-walking conditions. A sex pheromone-like stimulant derived from adult virgin females and artificially synthesized limonene were used as attractive and aversive odor sources, respectively. When a searching animal was stimulated with the attractive female-derived odor, the horizontal deflections of both the antennae were increased, and in most cases the vertical antennal positions were shifted downward. The stimulation also significantly decreased the walking speed of the animal. These behavioral changes imply a careful search in the immediate surroundings. The aftereffect of the sex pheromone was more pronounced on locomotion than on antennal movement. On the other hand, stimulation with the aversive odor (limonene) tended to suppress active antennal movement, and also increased the walking speed. Immediately after the withdrawal of the aversive odor, the active movement of the antennae was resumed, and the walking speed rapidly decreased to a level approximately the same as that of the control period. These results indicate that the responses to the qualitatively opposite types of odor are reciprocal to each other with regard to both antennal movement and locomotion.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abdel-Aziz YA, Karara HM (1971) Direct linear transformation from comparator co-ordinates into object space coordinates. In: Proceedings of the symposium on close-range photogrammetry. American Society of Photogrammetry, Falls Church, pp 1–18

  • Baker TC (1985) Chemical control of behavior. In: Kerkut GA, Gilbert LI (eds) Comprehensive insect physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology, vol. 9 Pergamon, Oxford, pp 621–672

    Google Scholar 

  • Barth RH (1970) The mating behavior of Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus) and Blatta orientalis Linnaeus (Blattaria, Blattinae), with notes on three additional species of Periplaneta and interspecific action of female sex pheromone. Z Tierpsychol 27:722–748

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell WJ (1981) Pheromones and behaviour. In: Bell WJ, Adiyodi KG (eds) The American cockroach. Chapman & Hall, London, pp 371–397

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell WJ (1991) Searching behavior: the behavioural ecology of finding resources. Chapman & Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell WJ, Kramer E (1979) Search and anemotactic orientation of cockroaches. J Insect Physiol 25:631–640

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell WJ, Tobin TR (1981) Orientation to sex pheromone in the American cockroach: analysis of chemo-orientation mechanisms. J Insect Physiol 27:501–508

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell WJ, Cardé RT (1984) Chemical ecology of insects. Chapman & Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Camhi JM (1980) The escape system of the cockroach. Sci Am 243:158–172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coats JR, Karr LL, Drewes CD (1991) Toxicity and neurotoxic effects of monoterpenoids in insects and earthworms. ACS Symp Ser 449:305–316

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Erber J, Pribbenow B, Grandy K, Kierzek S (1997) Tactile motor learning in the antennal system of the honeybee (Apis mellifera L). J Comp Physiol A 181:355–365

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erber J, Kierzek S, Sander E, Grandy K (1998) Tactile learning in the honeybee. J Comp Physiol A 183:737–744

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horseman BG, Gebhardt MJ, Honegger HW (1997) Involvement of the suboesophargeal and thoracic ganglia in the control of antennal movements in crickets. J Comp Physiol A 181:195–204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCoy MM (1985) Antennal movements of the American cockroach Periplaneta americana. PhD thesis, University of Kansas

  • Nishiyama K, Okada J, Toh Y (2005) Antennal movement during odor-source searching in the American cockroach. Zool Sci 22:1475 (Abstr)

    Google Scholar 

  • Okada J, Kanamaru Y, Toh Y (2002) Mechanosensory control of antennal movement by scapal hair plates in the American cockroach. Zool Sci 19:1201–1210

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Okada J, Toh Y (2000) The role antennal hair plates in object-guided tactile orientation of the cockroach (Periplaneta americana). J Comp Physiol A 186:849–857

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Okada J, Toh Y (2004) Spatio-temporal patterns of antennal movements in the searching cockroach. J Exp Biol 207:3693–3706

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Okada J, Toh Y (2006) Active tactile sensing for localization of objects by the cockroach antenna. J Comp Physiol A 192:715–726

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olberg RM (1983) Pheromone-triggered flip-flopping interneurons in the ventral nerve cord of the silkworm moth, Bombyx mori. J Comp Physiol A 152:297–307

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Roth LM, Willis ER (1952) A study of cockroach behavior. Am Midland Nat 47:66–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rust MK, Burk T, Bell WJ (1976) Pheromone-stimulated locomotory and orientation responses in the American cockroach. Anim Behav 24:52–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheiner R, Schnitt S, Erber J (2005) The functions of antennal mechanoreceptors and antennal joints in tactile discrimination of the honeybee (Apis mellifera). J Comp Physiol A 191:857–864

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seelinger G (1984) Sex-specific activity patterns in Periplaneta americana and their relation to mate-finding. Z Tierpsychol 65:309–326

    Google Scholar 

  • Staudacher E, Gebhardt MJ, Dürr V (2005) Antennal movements and mechanoreception: neurobiology of active tactile sensors. Adv Insect Physiol 32:49–205

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tobin TR (1981) Pheromone orientation: role of internal control mechanism. Science 214:1147–1149

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Willis MA, Avondet JL (2005) Odor-modulated orientation in walking male cockroaches Periplaneta americana, and the effect of odor plumes of different structure. J Exp Biol 208:721–735

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zeil J, Sandeman R, Sandeman DC (1985) Tactile localization: the function of active antennal movements in the crayfish Cherax destructor. J Comp Physiol A 157:607–617

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) from JSPS (17570063) and the Yamada Science Foundation to JO.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jiro Okada.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nishiyama, K., Okada, J. & Toh, Y. Antennal and locomotor responses to attractive and aversive odors in the searching cockroach. J Comp Physiol A 193, 963–971 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-007-0249-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-007-0249-3

Keywords

Navigation