Adam, Elisabeth
[Author]
;
Hansson, Bill S.
[Degree supervisor];
Schielzeth, Holger
[Degree supervisor];
Baker, Thomas C.
[Degree supervisor]Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Insect olfactory learning in the context of feeding and oviposition
University thesis:
Dissertation, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, 2022
Footnote:
Kumulative Dissertation, enthält Zeitschriftenaufsätze
Tag der Verteidigung: 28.07.2022
Zusammenfassungen in deutscher und englischer Sprache
Description:
Most organisms rely on learning to be able to adapt to an ever changing environment. Even tiny insects have evolved the ability to learn despite the small size of their brain and their comparably short life spans. But what exactly do insects learn and how do they learn it? The aim of this thesis was to understand more about learning in insects and in specific about olfactory learning during foraging and oviposition. To investigate this topic, I used the tobacco hawkmoth (Manduca sexta) as model organism and conducted behavioral experiments in the wind tunnel of our institute. The first aim of the thesis was to determine whether the proboscis of M. sexta is involved in olfactory learning (Manuscript I). I investigated this question with the help of an artificial flower that I especially designed for the study. The results of Manuscript I suggest that olfactory learning is not possible with the tip of the proboscis and that it might either serve an innate olfactory or gustatory function for the quality assessment of the flower. The second aim of this thesis was to establish whether M. sexta is able to learn host plants for oviposition and will consecutively show “oviposition constancy”. My colleague and I could indeed show that this is the case. Since in both Manuscript I and Manuscript II M. sexta showed surprisingly fast learning skills, this inspired me to run a comprehensive literature search for similar learning abilities in other insect species. The result of this research is Manuscript III, a review about one trial learning in insects.