A dynamic humidity arena to explore humidity-related behaviours in insects.

ABSTRACT: Humidity is a critical environmental factor influencing the behaviour of terrestrial organisms. Despite its significance, the neural mechanisms and behavioural algorithms governing humidity sensation remain poorly understood. Here, we introduce a dynamic humidity arena that measures the displacement and walking speed of insects responding to real-time changes in relative humidity (RH). This arena operates in a closed-loop mode, adjusting humidity based on the insect's position with 0.2% RH resolution, allowing the insect to choose its optimal humidity. It can also be set to maintain a specific RH, simulating an open-loop condition to observe insect behaviour at constant humidity levels. Using the dynamic humidity arena, we found that desiccated and starved Drosophila melanogaster search fo

SUBMITTER: Giri G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11529877 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature