title: Neural basis of a pollinator's buffet: olfactory specialization and learning in Manduca sexta.
abstract: Pollinators exhibit a range of innate and learned behaviors that mediate interactions with flowers, but the olfactory bases of these responses in a naturalistic context remain poorly understood. The hawkmoth Manduca sexta is an important pollinator for many night-blooming flowers but can learn--through olfactory conditioning--to visit other nectar resources. Analysis of the flowers that are innately attractive to moths shows that the scents all have converged on a similar chemical profile that, in turn, is uniquely represented in the moth's antennal (olfactory) lobe. Flexibility in visitation to nonattractive flowers, however, is mediated by octopamine-associated modulation of antennal-lobe neurons during learning. Furthermore, this flexibility does not extinguish the innate preferences. Such processing of stimuli through two olfactory channels, one involving an innate bias and the other a learned association, allows the moths to exist within a dynamic floral environment while maintaining specialized associations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-800, USA. jriffell@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Riffell
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.forename: Leif
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Abrell
authors.forename: John G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Hildebrand
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057506:Arthropod Antennae / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D035264:Flowers; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D018402:Manduca / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009655:Octopamine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D009812:Odorants; D009833:Olfactory Pathways; D057048:Plant Nectar; D054817:Pollination; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds
chemical_list: D057048:Plant Nectar; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds; D009655:Octopamine