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Living la vida locusts

Living la vida locusts. By Hannah, Emma, Jen, Chris , Darragh & Brian. Solitary. Pre-1921 thought to be different species Dull-looking Tends to stay put Avoids other locusts, Flies by night. Density Dependence. Swarms frequently after rain followed by drought

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Living la vida locusts

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  1. Living la vida locusts By Hannah, Emma, Jen, Chris , Darragh & Brian

  2. Solitary • Pre-1921 thought to be different species • Dull-looking • Tends to stay put • Avoids other locusts, • Flies by night

  3. Density Dependence • Swarms frequently after rain followed by drought • Rain – Plentiful food, optimal breeding conditions • Drought – Reduces food, populations get pushed into smaller areas

  4. Behavioural Changes • First to occur • Behavioural gregarisation can be acquired via two distinct sensory pathways • Thoracic pathway driven by mechanosensory stimulation of the hind legs as locusts jostle each other • Cephalic pathway in which the combined sight and smell of other locusts is the necessary stimulus • Locusts stimulated via either sensory pathway displayed similar levels of gregarious behaviour after 2 hours

  5. Physiological Changes • Show extreme phenotypic plasticity • Can take several generations • Morphological change • Energy reserves • Juvenile Hormone • Phenylacetonitrile(PAN)

  6. Physiological Changes • Increases by 30% • Prioritise higher integration • Support the behavioural demands of generalist foraging and living in dense and highly mobile swarms dominated by intense intraspecific competition

  7. Neurological Changes • Marked differences in the levels of 13 neurotransmitters • Serotonin • Swarming locusts have three times more serotonin in their thoracic ganglia • Serotonin was responsible for the behavioural transformation of locusts from solitary to gregarious.

  8. Any Questions? Please no

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