Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Olfactory activation patterns in the antennal lobe of the sphinx moth, Manduca sexta

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Comparative Physiology A Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The sphinx moth Manduca sexta is a well-studied insect with regard to central olfactory functions. Until now, the innervation patterns of olfactory receptor neurons into the array of olfactory glomeruli in the antennal lobe have, however, been unclear. Using optical imaging to visualize calcium dynamics within the antennal lobe we demonstrate specific patterns elicited by sex pheromone components and plant-derived odours. These patterns mainly reflect receptor neuron activity. Within the male-specific macroglomerular complex the two major pheromone components evoke stereotyped activity in either of two macroglomerular complex glomeruli. Based on previous knowledge of output neuron specificity, our results suggest a matching of information between input and output in the macroglomerular complex. Plant odours evoked activity in the sexually isomorphic glomeruli. Two major results were obtained: (1) terpenes and aromatic compounds activate different clusters of glomeruli with only minor overlapping, and (2) the position of certain key glomeruli is fixed in both males and females, which suggests that host-plant related odorants are processed in a similar way in both sexes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3a–f.
Fig. 4a,b.

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

AL:

antennal lobe

bombykal:

E10, Z12-hexadecadienal

EE bombykal:

E10, E12-hexadecadienal

EEZ:

E10, E12, Z12-hexadecatrienal

LFG:

large female glomerulus

MGC:

macroglomerular complex

Z11–16:Ald:

Z11-hexadecenal

References

  • Anton S, Hansson BS (1995) Sex pheromone and plant-associated odour processing in antennal lobe interneurons of male Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). J Comp Physiol A 176:773–789

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Anton S, Hansson BS (1999) Physiological mismatching between neurons innervating olfactory glomeruli in a moth. Proc R Soc Lond Ser B 266:1813–1820

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell RA, Joachim FA (1976) Techniques for rearing laboratory colonies of tobacco hornworms and pink bollworms. Ann Entomol Soc Am 69:365–373

    Google Scholar 

  • Berg BG, Almaas TJ, Bjaalie JG, Mustaparta H (1998) The macroglomerular complex of the antennal lobe in the tobacco budworm moth Heliothis virescens: specified subdivision in four compartments according to information about biologically significant compounds. J Comp Physiol A 183:669–682

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carlsson MA, Galizia CG, Hansson BS (2002) Spatial representation of odours in the antennal lobe of the moth Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Chem Senses 27:231–244

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen TA, Hildebrand JG (1987) Male-specific, sex pheromone-selective projection neurons in the antennal lobes of the moth Manduca sexta. J Comp Physiol 160:553–569

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen TA, Hildebrand JG, Tumlinson JH, Doolittle RE (1989a) Sex pheromone blend of Manduca sexta: responses of central olfactory interneurones to antennal stimulation in male moths. Arch Insect Biochem Physiol 10:281–291

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen TA, Mustaparta H, Hildebrand JG (1989b) Discrimination of sex-pheromone blends in the olfactory system of the moth. Chem Senses 14:463–477

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen TA, Mustaparta H, Hildebrand JG (1995a) Chemical communication in heliothine moths. VI. Parallel pathways for information processing in the macroglomerular complex of the male tobacco budworm moth Heliothis virescens. J Comp Physiol A 177:545–557

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen TA, Harrow ID, Cuzzocrea CH, Randolph PW, Hildebrand JG (1995b) Distinct projections of two populations of olfactory receptor axons in the antennal lobe of the sphinx moth Manduca sexta. Chem Senses 20:313–323

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Galizia CG, Menzel R (2001) The role of glomeruli in the neural representation of odours: results from optical recording studies. J Insect Physiol 47:115–130

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Galizia GC, Joerges J, Küttner A, Faber T, Menzel R (1997) A semi-in vivo preparation for optical recording of the insect brain. J Neurosci Methods 76:61–69

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Galizia CG, Nägler K, Hölldobler B, Menzel R (1998) Odour coding is bilaterally symmetrical in the antennal lobes of honeybees (Apis mellifera). Eur J Neurosci 10:2964–2974

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Galizia GG, Sachse S, Mustaparta H (2000) Calcium responses to pheromones and plant odours in the antennal lobe of the male and female moth Heliothis virescens. J Comp Physiol A 186:1049–1063

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hansson BS, Christensen TA, Hildebrand JG (1991) Functionally distinct subdivisions of the macroglomerular complex in the antennal lobe of the male sphinx moth Manduca sexta. J Comp Neurol 312:264–278

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hansson BS, Anton S, Christensen TA (1994) Structure and function of antennal lobe interneurons in the male turnip moth, Agrotis segetum (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). J Comp Physiol A 175:547–562

    Google Scholar 

  • Heinbockel T, Kloppenburg P, Hildebrand JG (1998) Pheromone-evoked potentials and oscillations in the antennal lobes of the sphinx moth Manduca sexta. J Comp Physiol A 182 6:703–714

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joerges J, Küttner A, Galiza CG, Menzel R (1997) Representations of odours and odour mixtures visualized in the honeybee brain. Nature 387:285–288

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kaissling KE, Hildebrand JG,Tumlinson JH (1989) Pheromone receptor cells in the male moth Manduca sexta. Arch Insect Biochem Physiol 10:273–279

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kalinová B, Hoskovec M, Liblikas I, Unelius CR, Hansson BS (2001) Detection of sex pheromone components in Manduca sexta (L.) Chem Senses 26:1175–1186

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kauer JS, White J (2001) Imaging and coding in the olfactory system. Annu Rev Neurosci 24:963–979

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • King JR, Christensen TA, Hildebrand JG (2000) Response characteristics of an identified, sexually dimorphic olfactory glomerulus. J Neurosci 20:2391–2399

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Korsching S (2002) Olfactory maps and odor images. Curr Opin Neurobiol 12:387–392

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lei H, Christensen TA, Hildebrand JG (2002) Local inhibition modulates odor-evoked synchronization of glomerulus-specific output neurons. Nat Neurosci 5:557–565

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Matsumoto SG, Hildebrand JG (1981) Olfactory mechanisms in the moth Manduca sexta: response characteristics and morphology of central neurons in the antennal lobes. Proc R Soc Lond Ser B 213:249–277

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rospars JP, Hildebrand JG (2000) Sexually dimorphic and isomorphic glomeruli in the antennal lobes of the sphinx moth Manduca sexta. Chem Senses 25:119–129

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shields VDC, Hildebrand JG (2001) Responses of a population of antennal olfactory receptor cells in the female moth Manduca sexta to plant-associated volatile organic compounds. J Comp Physiol A 186:1135–1151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Starrat AN, Dahm KH, Allen N, Hildebrand JG, Payne TL, Röller H (1979) Bombykal, a sex pheromone of the sphinx moth Manduca sexta. Z Naturforsch 34C:9–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Todd JL, Baker TC (1996) Antennal lobe partitioning of behaviorally active odors in female cabbage looper moths. Naturwissenschaften 83:324–326

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tumlinson JH, Brennan MM, Doolittle RE, Mitchell ER, Brabham A, Mazomenos BE, Baumhover AH, Jackson DM (1989) Identification of a pheromone blend attractive to Manduca sexta (L.) males in a wind tunnel. Arch Insect Biochem Physiol 10:255−271

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tumlinson JH, Mitchell ER, Doolittle RE, Jackson DM (1994) Field tests of synthetic Manduca sexta sex pheromone. J Chem Ecol 20:579–591

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vickers NJ, Christensen TA, Hildebrand JG (1998) Combinatorial odor discrimination in the brain: attractive and antagonist odor blends are represented in distinct combinations of uniquely identifiable glomeruli. J Comp Neurol 400:35–56

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Chemical Ecology, Department of Crop Science, SLU, P.O. Box 44, 23053, Alnarp, Sweden

    B. S. Hansson & M. A. Carlsson

  2. Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo nam. 2, 166 10, Prague 6, Czech Republic

    B. Kalinovà

Authors
  1. B. S. Hansson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. A. Carlsson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. B. Kalinovà
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to B. S. Hansson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hansson, B.S., Carlsson, M.A. & Kalinovà, B. Olfactory activation patterns in the antennal lobe of the sphinx moth, Manduca sexta . J Comp Physiol A 189, 301–308 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-003-0403-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-003-0403-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation