Abstract
The polarization pattern of the blue sky serves as an important reference for spatial orientation in insects. To understand the neural mechanisms involved in sky compass orientation we have analyzed the polarization vision system in the locust Schistocerca gregaria. As in other insects, photoreceptors adapted for the detection of sky polarization are concentrated in a dorsal rim area (DRA) of the compound eye. Stationary flying locusts show polarotactic yaw-torque responses when illuminated through a rotating polarizer from above. This response is abolished after painting the DRAs. Central stages of the polarization vision system, revealed through tracing studies, include dorsal areas in the lamina and medulla, the anterior lobe of the lobula, the anterior optic tubercle, the lateral accessory lobe and the central complex. Physiological analysis of polarization-sensitive (POL) neurons has focussed on the optic tubercle and on the central complex. Each POL neuron was maximally excited at a certain e-vector (Φmax) and was maximally inhibited at an e-vector perpendicular to Φmax. The neurons had large visual fields, and many neurons received input from both eyes. The neuronal organization of the central complex suggests a role as a spatial compass within the locust brain.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Eggers, A., Gewecke, M. (1993) The dorsal rim area of the compound eye and polarization vision in the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria). In: Wiese, K., Gribakin, F. G., Popov, A. V., Renninger, G. (eds) Sensory systems of arthropods. Birkhäuser, Basel, pp. 101–10
Helfrich-Förster, C., Stengl, M., Homberg, U. (1998) Organization of the circadian system in insects. Chronobiol. Int. 15, 567–594.
Homberg, U. (1994) Flight-correlated activity changes in neurons of the lateral accessory lobes in the brain of the locust Schistocerca gregaria. J. Comp. Physiol. A 175, 597–610.
Homberg, U., Würden, S. (1997) Movement-sensitive, polarization-sensitive, and light-sensitive neurons of the medulla and accessory medulla of the locust, Schistocerca gregaria. J. Comp. Neurol. 386, 329–346.
Homberg, U., Paech, A. (2002) Ultrastructure and orientation of ommatidia in the dorsal rim area of the locust compound eye. Arthropod Struct. Dev. 30, 271–280.
Homberg, U., Würden, S., Dircksen, H., Rao, K. R. (1991) Comparative anatomy of pigment-dispersing hormone-immunoreactive neurons in the brain of orthopteroid insects. Cell Tissue Res. 266, 343–357.
Homberg, U., Hofer, S., Pfeiffer, K., Gebhardt, S. (2003) Organization and neural connections of the anterior optic tubercle in the brain of the locust, Schistocerca gregaria. J. Comp. Neurol. 462, 415–430.
Labhart, T., Petzold, J. (1993) Processing of polarized light information in the visual system of crickets. In: Wiese, K., Gribakin, F. G., Popov, A. V., Renninger, G. (eds) Sensory systems of arthropods. Birkhäuser, Basel, pp. 158–16
Labhart, T., Meyer, E. P. (1999) Detectors for polarized skylight in insects: a survey of ommatidial specializations in the dorsal rim area of the compound eye. Microsc. Res. Tech. 47, 368–379.
Labhart, T., Meyer, E. P. (2002) Neural mechanisms in insect navigation: polarization compass and odometer. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 12, 707–714.
Müller, M., Homberg, U., Kühn, A. (1997) Neuroarchitecture of the lower division of the central body in the brain of the locust Schistocerca gregaria. Cell Tissue Res. 288, 159–176.
Pfeiffer, K., Homberg, U. (2003) Neurons of the anterior optic tubercle of the locust Schistocerca gregaria are sensitive to the plane of polarized light. In: Elsner, N., Zimmermann, H. (eds) The neurosciences from basic research to therapy. Thieme, Stuttgart, pp. 567–56
Preiss, R., Gewecke, M. (1991) Compensation of visually simulated wind drift in the swarming flight of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria). J. Exp. Biol. 157, 461–481.
Rossel, S. (1993) Navigation by bees using polarized skylight. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 104 A, 695–708.
Vitzthum, H., Müller, M., Homberg, U. (2002) Neurons of the central complex of the locust Schistocerca gregaria are sensitive to polarized light. J. Neurosci. 22, 1114–1125.
Wehner, R. (1984) Astronavigation in insects. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 29, 277–298.
Wehner, R. (1992) Arthropods. In: Papi, F. (ed.) Animal homing. Chapman and Hall, London, pp. 45–144.
Wehner, R. (1997) The ant’s celestial compass system: spectral and polarization channels. In: Lehrer, M. (ed.) Orientation and communication in arthropods. Birkhäuser, Basel, pp. 145–185
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Presented at the 10th ISIN Symposium on Invertebrate Neurobiology, July 5–9, 2003, Tihany, Hungary.
Rights and permissions
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
About this article
Cite this article
Homberg, U., Hofer, S., Mappes, M. et al. Neurobiology of Polarization Vision in the Locust Schistocerca Gregaria. BIOLOGIA FUTURA 55, 81–89 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1556/ABiol.55.2004.1-4.10
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1556/ABiol.55.2004.1-4.10