Naked Science Forum
General Science => Question of the Week => Topic started by: EvaH on 29/09/2020 12:36:26
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Charlie got in touch with this excellent question:
"Humans have adrenaline for our flight or flight situation, do bugs have this too?"
We'll be answering this on next week's show, but do you know the answer?
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Apparently.
https://www.popsci.com/do-insects-get-stressed
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If you try to swat a fly, it launches itself out of the way - definitely a flight response.
- Other insects have their own escape mechanisms
- But I have yet to see adrenaline power an unaided human into flight...
Rhinoceros beetles definitely get into sumo-wrestling matches in mating season.
I am sure other insects fight while they are in flight...
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Bees and wasps assess the threat and respond appropriately. I'm told by beekeepers that they wear white overalls because the natural predators of beehives are brown - bears, honey badgers, and the like - and they instinctively attack any large brown creature that approaches them.
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I'm told by beekeepers that they wear white overalls because the natural predators of beehives are brown - bears, honey badgers, and the like - and they instinctively attack any large brown creature that approaches them.
It seems to extend to all dark colours. I used to wear navy trousers when I first started and would get lots of stings in the material, none in the cream top. Because their sensitivity is shifted over to uv compared to humans, they see any red as black so beware.
Guard bees will also check out any movement near the nest as will wasps and hornets, rapid movement is seen as a threat.
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I pounced on a cockroach yesterday. It instantly changed its behavior from slow and furtive to fast and frantic. Definitely a flight response.
Many insects like crickets have a third option - if they detect the vibration of approaching footsteps, they fall silent and remain still. This is often called a "freeze: response, to maintain the alliteration with flight or fright.
Similar hormonal responses are involved in another common behavior: f--k.
In insects, concentrations of the neurotransmitter, octopamine (the chemical cousin to adrenaline) are a key predictor of aggression and propensity to fight
See: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0216387
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Asked and answered! You can listen in here https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/question-week/do-insects-have-stress-response