Rain Dampens Insects’ Sex Drive
- 11 years ago
Researchers recently found that when inclement weather looms, potato aphids, armyworm moths, and cucurbit beetles all dial down the hanky panky and focus on survival instead.
When you’re smaller than an aspirin, even light rain and wind can be pretty terrifying forces.
Researchers recently found that when inclement weather looms, potato aphids, armyworm moths, and cucurbit beetles all dial down the hanky panky and focus on survival instead.
Specimens of each insect were placed in controllable environments and their behaviors observed while the scientists manipulated the air pressure.
When rain and winds are imminent, air pressure drops, so the scientists replicated that environmental condition inside the habitats.
All of the insects successfully interpreted the change and behaved as if a storm was coming.
For the beetles, that meant cutting out the courtship phase of their typical mating process. When they did copulate they did so quickly and without all of their usual antennae-touching foreplay.
Female moths and aphids produced significantly fewer pheromones.
The lady aphids also skipped their usual pheromone-releasing performance of balancing on the edge of a leaf on only 4 of their 6 legs. Scientists believed that was probably for fear of being blown off of it.
When the air pressure was returned to a normal level, typical mating behaviors reappeared among all of the subjects.
When you’re smaller than an aspirin, even light rain and wind can be pretty terrifying forces.
Researchers recently found that when inclement weather looms, potato aphids, armyworm moths, and cucurbit beetles all dial down the hanky panky and focus on survival instead.
Specimens of each insect were placed in controllable environments and their behaviors observed while the scientists manipulated the air pressure.
When rain and winds are imminent, air pressure drops, so the scientists replicated that environmental condition inside the habitats.
All of the insects successfully interpreted the change and behaved as if a storm was coming.
For the beetles, that meant cutting out the courtship phase of their typical mating process. When they did copulate they did so quickly and without all of their usual antennae-touching foreplay.
Female moths and aphids produced significantly fewer pheromones.
The lady aphids also skipped their usual pheromone-releasing performance of balancing on the edge of a leaf on only 4 of their 6 legs. Scientists believed that was probably for fear of being blown off of it.
When the air pressure was returned to a normal level, typical mating behaviors reappeared among all of the subjects.