Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2841559 | Journal of Insect Physiology | 2007 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
Desert locusts demonstrate pronounced density-dependent polyphenism: a complex suite of traits shifts over the lifetime of an individual in response to crowding or isolation. These changes also accumulate across generations through a maternal effect. Female desert locusts alter the developmental trajectory of their offspring in response to their own experience of crowding. The mother possesses a memory of both the recency and extent of crowding and shifts the phase state of her hatchlings accordingly. Extensive experimental work has shown that offspring behaviour is controlled by a low molecular weight, polar compound (or compounds) released from the mother's accessory glands. The chemical identity of this agent is not yet known.
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Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Insect Science
Authors
Stephen J. Simpson, Gabriel A. Miller,