Behavioral responses of free-flying Drosophila melanogaster to shiny, reflecting surfaces.

ABSTRACT: Active locomotion plays an important role in the life of many animals, permitting them to explore the environment, find vital resources, and escape predators. Most insect species rely on a combination of visual cues such as celestial bodies, landmarks, or linearly polarized light to navigate or orient themselves in their surroundings. In nature, linearly polarized light can arise either from atmospheric scattering or from reflections off shiny non-metallic surfaces like water. Multiple reports have described different behavioral responses of various insects to such shiny surfaces. Our goal was to test whether free-flying Drosophila melanogaster, a molecular genetic model organism and behavioral generalist, also manifests specific behavioral responses when confronted with such polarized ref

SUBMITTER: Mathejczyk TF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10643280 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature