The role of infrared radiation in flight control in pyrophilous Australian insects

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Helmut Schmitz
• Subject Area: Sensory and Behavioural Biology
• Term: from 2015 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 278220537

For the first time experiments with flying pyrophilous insects will be made to investigate the role of IR radiation in flight control. It will be tested whether the IR receptors of different pyrophilous Australian insects serve for the detection of remote forest fires and/or for near-field orientation on a freshly burnt area revealing a mosaic of hot spots.For this purpose behavioral experiments with insects in restrained flight conditions will be made. In a quantitative approach it will be tested if insects show avoidance behavior when stimulated with strong IR radiation and if they try to approach weak IR sources. According to the hypothesis that pyrophilous insects rely on bimodal sensory input comprising of visible and infrared radiation for fire detection, the behavioral experiments are designed to clarify the role of electromagnetic radiation in fire detection. Thus it will be tested how pyrophilous insects react to visual and infrared stimuli applied separately or in various combinations.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants