Modeling Drosophila Positional Preferences in Open Field Arenas with Directional Persistence and Wall Attraction

Abstract

In open field arenas, Drosophila adults exhibit a preference for arena boundaries over internal walls and open regions. Herein, we investigate the nature of this preference using phenomenological modeling of locomotion to determine whether local arena features and constraints on movement alone are sufficient to drive positional preferences within open field arenas of different shapes and with different internal features. Our model has two components: directional persistence and local wall force. In regions far away from walls, the trajectory is entirely characterized by a directional persistence probability, , for each movement defined by the step size, , and the turn angle, . In close proximity to walls, motion is computed from and a local attractive force which depends on the distance between the fly and points on the walls. The directional persistence probability was obtained experimentally from trajectories of wild type Drosophila in a circular open field arena and the wall force was computed to minimize the difference between the radial distributions from the model and Drosophila in the same circular arena. The two-component model for fly movement was challenged by comparing the positional preferences from the two-component model to wild type Drosophila in a variety of open field arenas. In most arenas there was a strong concordance between the two-component model and Drosophila. In more complex arenas, the model exhibits similar trends, but some significant differences were found. These differences suggest that there are emergent features within these complex arenas that have significance for the fly, such as potential shelter. Hence, the two-component model is an important step in defining how Drosophila interact with their environment.

Inter‐individual variability in dispersal behaviours impacts connectivity estimates

“…This will additionally require that individuals are exposed to multiple trials in order to establish the degree to which a population comprises a mix of bold and cautious indi viduals with lower and higher i , respectively. DP, or its equivalent, inter‐step correlation, is frequently estimated from the movement tracks of individuals (McClintock et al , Soibam et al ), but again the results are typically presented as a mean for a population. To parameterise a model incorporating variability between individuals will require estimates of DP to be made for individuals such that a distribution of DP within a population can be provided.…”

Modeling novelty habituation during exploratory activity in Drosophila

“…One of the most widely studied forms of habituation is the decrease in exploration observed during an exposure to a novel open field arena. Exploratory behavior is defined as a collection of acts and postures that allows an animal to gather information on a new environment [2]. A novel arena acts as a stimulus that elicits exploration behaviors, which in turn leads to the waning of the exploration as the novelty is abated.…”

“…Open field activity of Drosophila melanogaster is emerging as a strong model to study habituation and exploration [2–7]. Drosophila adults exhibit non-linear time-dependent activity when introduced into a novel open field arena.…”

The effect of changing topography on the coordinated marching of locust nymphs

“…What might appear to be attraction to the outer wall could be, at least partly, a result of a tendency to maintain the walking trajectory (Ariel et al, 2014). Many animals, insects included, exhibit an attraction to walls while moving in a defined space (see for example cockroaches: (Jeanson et al, 2005), or flies: Soibam et al, 2012). The tendency to orient in space by means of mechanical contact is termed “thigmotaxis” (Fraenkel & Gunn, 1962).…”