Insects who are aware of the dangers of breathing to the imminent mammal's breath

Mammammas such as goats and cattle covering leaves of plants and plants. Even if herbivorous, it does not mean that you can not digest all animal protein at all, Even if a small insect has stopped on a leaf, it will not avoid and will eat insects at all. Insects that have eaten unintentionally are valuable nutrition for mammals, but insects on the side that can eat are much bigger than myself and move fast. There is no choice but to accept destiny without mortality Is it?

AphidsIt seems that small insects with a slow movement like the one are protecting themselves by a simple but effective surprising mechanism to sense the danger.

Details are as below.Insects sense danger on mammals' breath

"Small insects such as aphids do not have to do for large animals that eat plants as a submarine at a great pace so that they will definitely be aware of the dangers and that it will be too late It can escape, "IsraelUniversity of HaifaAssociate Professor of Department of Evolution and Environmental BiologyMoshe InbarDr. says. Dr. Inbar et al., Who studied the means by which small insects protect themselves against herbivorous animals,Current BiologyIt is published in the August 10 issue of the magazine.

Dr. Inbar always wonders why herbivorous animals cook little insects stopping in plants by accident while observing insects such as aphids that stick to plants and stick to plants and do not move at all, It seems to have thought. And as soon as I started this research, I thought that aphids seemed to respond to the breath exhaled by predators. The researchers seem to have tried to use snorkel so that their exhaling breath will not affect the experiment from the middle.

First of all in the experiment, it is a host of aphidsAlfalfaA flowerpot was prepared, and the goat was eaten, and the appearance was observed. Then, it seems that 65% of the aphid which formed the colony fell to the ground and on the ground just before trying to eat with Alfalfa.

This group fall may be caused by a variety of things triggered, such as shaking of plants, sudden shadows falling down, animals' breath, etc. However, in subsequent experiments aphid 25% falls, whereas the aphids falling in response to the sheep's breath are more than 50%. Moreover, it told that it did not respond at all to the shadow.

It is a natural enemy of aphidsLadybirdHe also said that he did not show the reaction (collective fall) as induced by the animal's breath.


Furthermore, it was revealed that in an experiment using a device which artificially gives "breath", aphids do not respond to chemical components such as carbon dioxide contained in the breath of animals. Aphids react only when the "breath" emitted by the device is warm and moist, that is, only close to the breath of the mammal, and in the case of being exposed to high temperature / high humidity "breath" in the dry room, it is actually 86% It is said that aphids have fallen.

Dr. Inbar calls this aphidism self-defense technique "an elegant solution" and believes that other species of insects that are often accidentally preyed on herbivorous mammals are more likely to protect themselves in the same way It seems to be.

"Falling from plants is a great deal for aphids, but despite the fact that warm moist breath, which is characteristic of mammals, becomes a cue (cues) and shows such a reaction, For immortal insects, we will show that "unintentional predation" by herbivorous mammals is a serious threat, "Dr. Inbar says.