Affiliation:
1. Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioelectromagnetics, Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Abstract
Background
Migratory brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens (N. lugens) annually migrates to Northeast Asia in spring and returns to Southeast Asia in autumn. However, mechanisms for orientation and navigation during their flight remain largely unknown. The geomagnetic field (GMF) is an important source of directional information for animals (including N. lugens), yet the magnetic compass involved has not been fully identified.
Methods
Here we assessed the influences of GMF on the foraging orientation preference of N. lugens by removing or component reversal of local GMF. At the same time, we examined the role of iron-sulfur cluster assembly1 (IscA1), a putative component of magnetoreceptor, in the foraging orientation preference of N. lugens under the controlled magnetic fields by RNA silencing (RNAi).
Results
We found that the near-zero magnetic field (NZMF) or vertical reversal of GMF could lead to N. lugens losing the foraging orientation preference, suggesting that a normal level of GMF, in the way of either intensity or inclination, was essential for the foraging orientation of N. lugens. Moreover, the gene knockdown of IscA1, also affected the foraging orientation preference of N. lugens, pointing out a potential role of IscA1 in the insects’ sensing of variation in the GMF.
Discussion
These results suggested a foraging orientation preference is associated with the GMF and revealed new insights into the relationship between the IscA1 and magnetosensitivity mechanism in N. lugens.
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China
National Department of Public Benefit Research Foundation
Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province Youth Fund
China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
Subject
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology,General Medicine,General Neuroscience
Cited by
7 articles.
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