Role of the light source position in freely falling hoverflies' stabilization performances.

ABSTRACT: The stabilization of plummeting hoverflies was filmed and analysed in terms of their wingbeat initiation times as well as the crash and stabilization rates. The flies experienced near-weightlessness for a period of time that depended on their ability to counteract the free fall by triggering their wingbeats. In this paradigm, hoverflies' flight stabilization strategies were investigated here for the first time under two different positions of the light source (overhead and bottom lighting). The crash rates were higher in bottom lighting conditions than with top lighting. In addition, adding a texture to the walls reduced the crash rates only in the overhead lighting condition. The position of the lighting also significantly affected both the stabilization rates and the time taken by the fl

SUBMITTER: Goulard R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6012696 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature