Social Interactions and the Circadian Rhythm in Locomotor Activity in the Cockroach<i>Leucophaea maderae</i>

Knadler, Joseph J.; Page, Terry L.

doi:10.1080/07420520902876634

Cited by 18 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…In the gregarious cockroach Leucophaea maderae, however, social interactions do not entrain circadian rhythms of behaviour (Knadler and Page, 2009). In contrast to both these studies, our data suggest that crowding (gregarisation) of locusts increases the complexity of a circadian pattern of neuronal activity with a consequent advance in the time of subjective day at which DCMD is maximally responsive.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 56%

Solitary and Gregarious Locusts Differ in Circadian Rhythmicity of a Visual Output Neuron

et al. 2012

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Locusts demonstrate remarkable phenotypic plasticity driven by changes in population density. This density dependent phase polyphenism is associated with many physiological, behavioural and morphological changes, including observations that cryptic solitarious (solitary-reared) individuals start to fly at dusk, whereas gregarious (crowd-reared) individuals are day-active. We have recorded for 24-36h from an identified visual output neuron, the descending contralateral movement detector (DCMD) of Schistocerca gregaria, in solitarious and gregarious animals. DCMD signals impending collision and participates in flight avoidance manoeuvres. The strength of DCMD's response to looming stimuli, characterised by the number of evoked spikes and peak firing rate, varies approximately sinusoidally with a period close to 24h under constant light in solitarious locusts. In gregarious individuals the 24h pattern is more complex, being modified by secondary ultradian rhythms. DCMD's strongest responses occur around expected dusk in solitarious locusts, but up to 6h earlier in gregarious locusts, matching the times of day at which locusts of each type are most active. We thus demonstrate a neuronal correlate of a temporal shift in behaviour that is observed in gregarious locusts. Our ability to alter the nature of a circadian rhythm by manipulating the rearing density of locusts under identical light-dark cycles may provide important tools to investigate further the mechanisms underlying diurnal rhythmicity.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 56%

Solitary and Gregarious Locusts Differ in Circadian Rhythmicity of a Visual Output Neuron

et al. 2012

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“…However, little is known about the function and mechanisms of this interplay between the social environment and the clock. There is no clear relationship between level of sociality (e.g., solitary vs living in groups) and sensitivity of the circadian system to social signals (Refinetti et al, 1992;Gattermann and Weinandy, 1997;Krupp et al, 2008;Knadler and Page, 2009). It is also not clear whether social influences are mediated by specific pathways connecting sensory systems to the clock or by general mechanisms such as arousal, food anticipation, or social gating of input pathways (Mistlberger and Skene, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Molecular Dynamics and Social Regulation of Context-Dependent Plasticity in the Circadian Clockwork of the Honey Bee

Shemesh¹,

Eban-Rothschild²,

Cohen³

et al. 2010

J. Neurosci.

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The social environment influences the circadian clock of diverse animals, but little is known about the functional significance, the specifics of the social signals, or the dynamics of socially mediated changes in the clock. Honey bees switch between activities with and without circadian rhythms according to their social task. Forager bees have strong circadian rhythms, whereas "nurse" bees typically care for the brood around-the-clock with no circadian rhythms in behavior or clock gene expression. Here we show that nurse-age bees that were restricted to a broodless comb inside or outside the hive showed robust behavioral and molecular circadian rhythms. By contrast, young nurses tended brood with no circadian rhythms in behavior or clock gene expression, even under a light-dark illumination regime or when placed with brood-but no queen-in a small cage outside the hive. This behavior is context-dependent because nurses showed circadian rhythms in locomotor activity shortly after removal from the hive, and in clock gene expression after ϳ16 h. These findings suggest that direct interaction with the brood modulates the circadian system of honey bees. The dynamics of rhythm development best fit models positing that at least some pacemakers continue to oscillate and be entrained by the environment in nurses that are active around the clock. These cells set the phase to the clock network when the nurse is removed from the hive. These findings suggest that despite its robustness, the circadian system exhibits profound plasticity, enabling adjustment to rapid changes in the social environment.

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“…Also of interest is whether the effects of the grouping stimuli are modulated by a circadian timing system: Is the “grouping effect” constant or circadian phase-dependent and effective only at specific phases of the photocycle? Social behaviors in cockroaches that are under circadian control include the release of sex pheromones by females [43], [44], behavioral response of males to sex pheromone [45], [46], timing of copulatory behavior [33], [47], and aggressive interactions in males [48]. The German cockroach is night-active, and nymphs and adults aggregate in resting sites during the photophase [49].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensory Cues Involved in Social Facilitation of Reproduction in Blattella germanica Females

Uzsák

Schal

2013

PLoS ONE

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Cockroaches, like many other animal species, form aggregations in which social stimuli from conspecifics can alter the physiology, morphology, or behavior of individuals. In adult females of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica, social isolation slows oocyte development, sexual maturation, and sexual receptivity, whereas social interactions as minimal as between just two females accelerate reproduction; however, the sensory modalities and pathways that mediate these physiological and behavioral changes are poorly understood. We explored the roles of visual, olfactory, and tactile cues in the reproductive physiology of German cockroach females, and whether their effects are species-specific and related to circadian time. Our results show that tactile cues are the primary sensory input associated with social conditions—with no evidence for involvement of the visual and olfactory systems—and that the antennae play an important role in the reception of these tactile cues. This conclusion is supported by the observation that interactions with other insect species of similar or larger size and with similar antennal morphology also stimulate oocyte development in B. germanica. Social facilitation of reproduction is expected to be influenced by the circadian timing system, as females engage in more social contact during the day when they shelter in aggregations with conspecifics. Surprisingly, however, the female's reproductive rate was unresponsive to social interactions during the photophase, whereas social interactions as short as two hours during the scotophase were sufficient to induce faster reproduction.We discuss the adaptive significance of these sensory-neuroendocrine responses in the German cockroach.

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Social Interactions and the Circadian Rhythm in Locomotor Activity in the CockroachLeucophaea maderae

Cited by 18 publications

References 29 publications

Solitary and Gregarious Locusts Differ in Circadian Rhythmicity of a Visual Output Neuron

Solitary and Gregarious Locusts Differ in Circadian Rhythmicity of a Visual Output Neuron

Molecular Dynamics and Social Regulation of Context-Dependent Plasticity in the Circadian Clockwork of the Honey Bee

Sensory Cues Involved in Social Facilitation of Reproduction in Blattella germanica Females

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