Magnetoreception Regulates Male Courtship Activity in Drosophila.
Wu CL, Fu TF, Chiang MH, Chang YW, Her JL, Wu T. · 2016
View Original AbstractMale fruit flies showed increased courtship activity when exposed to a static magnetic field of at least 20 Gauss, an effect dependent on the photoreceptor cryptochrome.
Plain English Summary
Researchers found that male Drosophila exposed to a static magnetic field of at least 20 Gauss showed significantly increased courtship activity compared with behavior in the natural environment at 0 Gauss. This increase in courtship activity depended on the photoreceptor cryptochrome, as flies lacking CRY did not show an increased courtship index in a magnetic field. Restoring CRY expression in CRY-deficient flies brought back the magnetic-field-related increase in male courtship index.
Why This Matters
The researchers used several genetic approaches to test whether CRY was responsible for the magnetic-field effect on courtship behavior. Artificially activating cry-expressing neurons, which include large ventral lateral neurons and small ventral lateral neurons, also increased the male courtship index. That enhancement from artificial neuron activation was abolished by adding the cry-GAL80 transgene. The authors concluded that increased male courtship activity in a magnetic field works through CRY-dependent magnetic sensation in CRY-expressing neurons in Drosophila.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0 - ≥ 2 mT
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
we report that courtship activity of male Drosophila increases in a magnetic field and that this effect is regulated by the blue light-dependent photoreceptor cryptochrome (CRY).
Naïve male flies exhibited significantly increased courtship activities when they were exposed to a ...
Our results highlight the phenomenon of increased male courtship activity caused by a magnetic field through CRY-dependent magnetic sensation in CRY expression neurons in Drosophila.
Show BibTeX
@article{cl_2016_magnetoreception_regulates_male_courtship_731,
author = {Wu CL and Fu TF and Chiang MH and Chang YW and Her JL and Wu T.},
title = {Magnetoreception Regulates Male Courtship Activity in Drosophila.},
year = {2016},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0155942},
}