Change of attitude of desert locusts

2009/02/03 Kortabitarte Egiguren, Irati - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Zoologia

According to researchers from three universities in the UK and Australia, serotonin completely transforms desert otis (insects similar to grasshoppers), which look like solitary and quiet animals, in a few hours can produce orchards and pests capable of destroying fields.

Desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria) are generally solitary animals that are not striking. However, when their density reaches a certain limit, they become gregarious animals. They help each other, reproduce very quickly and move thousands of kilometers from their usual habitat. While changing posture, they change shape and color.

Serotonin is responsible for all of this. In fact, in some experiments conducted by researchers have seen that blocking the activity or production of serotonin does not become gregarious. However, if production of serotonin is encouraged, they become gregarious without further stimuli.

Image courtesy of: Tom Fayle