2. Behavioral Biology TALKS - Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft

Monday, September 24, 2012
Chair: Joachim Schachtner
�101 Martin Kollmann A 701 / 14:00
The different stages of the olfactory pathway of the red flour beetle Tribolium
castaneum
Authors: Martin Kollmann 1 , Stefan Dippel 2/3 , Sergius Frank 1 , Stephanie Crombach 1 ,
Stefan Schütz 3 , Ernst A. Wimmer 2 , Joachim Schachtner 1
Affiliations: 1 Philipps-University Marburg, Dept. of Biology, Animal Physiology,
Marburg; 2 Georg-August-University Göttingen, Dept .of Developmental
Biology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institute of Zoology and Anthropology,
Göttingen; 3 Georg-August-University Göttingen, Institute for Forest Zoology
and Forest Conservation, Göttingen
The olfactory pathway of Tribolium castaneum, as well as of most other insects, starts
with the olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) in the chemoreceptor sensilla of the
antenna, which project into the glomeruli of the antennal lobe (AL). From the AL
projection neurons send their axons in higher olfactory integration centers, the
mushroom body (MB) and the lateral protocerebrum / lateral horn.
By creating a Gal4-UAS line, expressing tGFP in all ORNs, which contain the ORCO (the
general olfactory receptor), using an antibody against ORCO, electron raster
microscopy of the antenna, immunostainings of the brain und backfills of the
antenna and maxillary palps, we characterize the olfactory pathway of the red flour
beetle Tribolium castaneum in high detail.
Analyzing the anatomical features of the pathway revealed no sexual dimorphism at
the level of the antenna and the AL. Interestingly, backfills from the antenna not only
label olfactory glomeruli but additionally suggest a connection with the accessory
medulla of the optical lobes, which serves as circadian clock in the insect brain.
Backfills of the maxillary palps resulted in only one glomerulus in the AL.
Supported by the DFG priority program SPP 1392 ‘Integrative analysis of olfaction’
(SCHU 1135/13-1, WI 1797/4-1, SCHA 678/13-1)
�102 Christoph Kleineidam A 701 / 14:15
Processing of simple and complex odor patterns within the antennal lobe of social
insects
Author: Christoph Kleineidam 1
Affiliation: 1 University of Konstanz
The perception of odors guides animal behavior probably more than any other sense.
This is particularly true for social insects like ants and bees, which not only perceive
and discriminate a vast number of different odors, but also are able to produce odors
(pheromones) for communication. Following a pheromone trail to a profitable food
source is the primary example of extreme odor sensitivity in ants, and the adaptation
to detect minute amounts of a chemical may even exceed the high sensitivity of
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