Search results for "MESH : Behavior"
showing 10 items of 10 documents
Fatty-acid preference changes during development in Drosophila melanogaster.
2011
WOS:000296521400044; International audience; Fatty-acids (FAs) are required in the diet of many animals throughout their life. However, the mechanisms involved in the perception of and preferences for dietary saturated and unsaturated FAs (SFAs and UFAs, respectively) remain poorly explored, especially in insects. Using the model species Drosophila melanogaster, we measured the responses of wild-type larvae and adults to pure SFAs (14, 16, and 18 carbons) and UFAs (C18 with 1, 2, or 3 double-bonds). Individual and group behavioral tests revealed different preferences in larvae and adults. Larvae preferred UFAs whereas SFAs tended to induce both a strong aversion and a persistent aggregation…
Why do house-hunting ants recruit in both directions?
2007
8 pages; International audience; To perform tasks, organisms often use multiple procedures. Explaining the breadth of such behavioural repertoires is not always straightforward. During house hunting, colonies of Temnothorax albipennis ants use a range of behaviours to organise their emigrations. In particular, the ants use tandem running to recruit na? ants to potential nest sites. Initially, they use forward tandem runs (FTRs) in which one leader takes a single follower along the route from the old nest to the new one. Later, they use reverse tandem runs (RTRs) in the opposite direction. Tandem runs are used to teach active ants the route between the nests, so that they can be involved qui…
Differential influence of Pomphorhynchus laevis (Acanthocephala) on brain serotonergic activity in two congeneric host species.
2007
The physiological mechanisms by which parasites with complex life cycles manipulate the behaviour of their intermediate hosts are still poorly understood. In Burgundy, eastern France, the acanthocephalan parasitePomphorhynchus laevisinverses reaction to light in its amphipod hostGammarus pulex, but not inGammarus roeseli, a recent invasive species. Here, we show that this difference in manipulation actually reflects a difference in the ability of the parasite to alter brain serotonergic (5-HT) activity of the two host species. Injection of 5-HT in uninfected individuals of both host species was sufficient to inverse reaction to light. However, a difference in brain 5-HT immunocytochemical s…
Obesity alters the gustatory perception of lipids in the mouse: plausible involvement of lingual CD36. : Obesity decreases the fat preference
2013
International audience; A relationship between orosensory detection of dietary lipids, regulation of fat intake, and body mass index was recently suggested. However, involved mechanisms are poorly understood. Moreover, whether obesity can directly modulate preference for fatty foods remains unknown. To address this question, exploration of the oral lipid sensing system was undertaken in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. By using a combination of biochemical, physiological, and behavioral approaches, we found that i) the attraction for lipids is decreased in obese mice, ii) this behavioral change has an orosensory origin, iii) it is reversed in calorie-restricted DIO mice, revealing an inverse …
Altered host behaviour and brain serotonergic activity caused by acanthocephalans: evidence for specificity
2006
Manipulative parasites can alter the phenotype of intermediate hosts in various ways. However, it is unclear whether such changes are just by-products of infection or adaptive and enhance transmission to the final host. Here, we show that the alteration of serotonergic activity is functionally linked to the alteration of specific behaviour in the amphipodGammarus pulexinfected with acanthocephalan parasites.Pomphorhynchus laevisand, to a lesser extent,Pomphorhynchus tereticollisaltered phototactism, but not geotactism, inG. pulex, whereas the reverse was true forPolymorphus minutus. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) injected to uninfectedG. pulexmimicked the altered phototactism, but ha…
Effects of manganese injected into rat nostrils: implications for in vivo functional study of olfaction using MEMRI.
2011
WOS: 000298212500007; International audience; Manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) is a powerful tool for visualizing neuronal pathways and mapping brain activity modulation. A potential drawback of MEMRI lies in the toxic effects of manganese (Mn), which also depend on its administration route. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of Mn doses injected into the nostrils of rats on both olfactory perception and MRI contrast enhancement. For this purpose, doses in the range 0-8 μmol MnCl(2) were tested. Behavioral items were quantified with and without odor stimulation during the first 2 h following Mn injection. The MRI study was performed after 16 h of intermitt…
Genes involved in sex pheromone discrimination in Drosophila melanogaster and their background-dependent effect.
2012
International audience; Mate choice is based on the comparison of the sensory quality of potential mating partners, and sex pheromones play an important role in this process. In Drosophila melanogaster, contact pheromones differ between male and female in their content and in their effects on male courtship, both inhibitory and stimulatory. To investigate the genetic basis of sex pheromone discrimination, we experimentally selected males showing either a higher or lower ability to discriminate sex pheromones over 20 generations. This experimental selection was carried out in parallel on two different genetic backgrounds: wild-type and desat1 mutant, in which parental males showed high and l…
Do distantly related parasites rely on the same proximate factors to alter the behaviour of their hosts?
2006
Phylogenetically unrelated parasites often increase the chances of their transmission by inducing similar phenotypic changes in their hosts. However, it is not known whether these convergent strategies rely on the same biochemical precursors. In this paper, we explored such aspects by studying two gammarid species ( Gammarus insensibilis and Gammarus pulex ; Crustacea: Amphipoda: Gammaridae) serving as intermediate hosts in the life cycle of two distantly related parasites: the trematode, Microphallus papillorobustus and the acanthocephalan, Polymorphus minutus . Both these parasite species are known to manipulate the behaviour of their amphipod hosts, bringing them towards the water surfa…
Use of ultrasonic vocalizations to assess olfactory detection in mouse pups treated with 3-methylindole.
2005
International audience; Altricial mammals use olfaction long before the olfactory bulb has reached its anatomically mature state. Indeed, while audition and vision are still not functional, the olfactory system of newborn animals can clearly process distinct odorant molecules. Although several previous studies have emphasized the important role that olfaction plays in early critical functions, it has been difficult to develop a sensitive and reliable test to precisely quantify olfactory ability in pups. One difficulty in determining early sensory capabilities is the rather limited behavioral repertory of neonates. The present study examines the use of ultrasonic vocalizations emitted by iso…
Is the host or the parasite the most locally adapted in an amphipod–acanthocephalan relationship? A case study in a biological invasion context
2007
8 pages; International audience; Manipulative endoparasites with complex life cycles can alter their intermediate host immunity and behaviour in ways that increase survival probability within the host body cavity and enhance successful transmission to the definitive host. These parasitic manipulations are variable among and within parasite species and may result from co-evolutionary processes, in which the parasite is constrained for adaptation to the local intermediate host. Hence, arrival of a new host species in a local host population may promote local parasite maladaptation. This study tested the occurrence of local adaptation in two distantly located populations of the acanthocephalan…