Description | Multisensory Predator Recognition and Defense Behavior Jessleen Kanwal, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology Survival in complex ecosystems requires animals to rapidly detect and respond to threats by integrating sensory cues across multiple modalities. Yet, how nervous systems combine interspecies sensory information to guide defensive decision-making behaviors remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate how the rove beetle Dalotia coriaria detects and responds to predatory ants using multisensory cues. Dalotia selectively flexes its abdomen to release defensive chemicals, an easily quantifiable readout of threat recognition. To dissect the sensory drivers of this response, we reconstituted predator encounters in freely moving and tethered beetles on a spherical treadmill. Analysis of Dalotia’s spatial and temporal flexing and locomotor response dynamics reveals that volatile ant-derived cues mediate fleeing, while a combination of contact-chemical and tactile cues triggers abdominal flexing behaviors. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genetic ablation of olfactory receptors alongside controlled chemical and mechanical stimulation, we demonstrate that these cues act combinatorially to shape Dalotia’s defensive strategy in a context-dependent manner. Our findings provide insight into how nervous systems robustly and flexibly integrate multisensory heterospecific cues to drive adaptive predator avoidance and defense behaviors. Faculty host: Yan Wang
This lecture is made possible in part by a generous endowment from Professor Allen L. Edwards
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