The Neural Basis of Mosquitoes’ Outstanding Hearing Behavior
Male mosquitoes are exceptionally “good listeners,” equipped with the largest auditory organs found in insects. Male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes possess an outstanding ability to localize sound sources, allowing them to detect females in a swarm by tracking their wingbeat frequencies. What kind of neural processing underlies such extraordinary hearing abilities? To uncover this, I am using calcium imaging to observe neural activity in the mosquito brain and investigate how auditory information is processed.
Audiovisual Integration Underlying Mating Behavior in Swarming Mosquitoes
A mosquito swarm is a “mating arena” where males and females encounter each other and copulate. Within the swarm, male mosquitoes must perform complex behaviors: they must stay close enough to other males to maintain the swarm, avoid collisions, and approach females for mating. These behaviors are known to rely on both visual and auditory cues, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. To uncover how mosquitoes process these cues, I combine behavioral experiments with calcium imaging to investigate the sensory and neural basis of swarm behavior.
For More Details：Human Frontier Science Program Long-Term Fellowship
Neural Basis for the Evolution of Courtship Song Preference in Drosophila
Female fruit flies decide whether to accept mating based on the male’s courtship song, which is produced by wing vibrations. We focused on two closely related species—Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans—which produce courtship songs with different rhythmic patterns. We discovered that these two species exhibit distinct preferences for song rhythms, and we identified the neural basis that underlies this species-specific preference.
For More Details: Phys.org
Takuro Ohashi（大橋 拓朗） 