Arthropods exhibit a wide array of chemical senses that are essential for survival, reproduction, and environmental interactions. Most of our understanding of arthropod chemical senses is derived from research on insects, whose chemosensory systems are notably advanced. The molecular foundation of these systems involves specialized proteins encoded by extensive gene families that have...
Olfactory adaptations play a key role in initiating or stabilizing dietary shifts by reshaping the insect’s responsiveness to host-specific chemical cues. Modulating gene expression or altering the specificity and sensitivity of odorant receptors (ORs) can influence an insect’s ability to recognize host volatiles. However, highlighting these specific molecular changes remains a challenge....
Olfaction is one of the most ancient sensory modalities that insects rely on both for survival and to interact with the environment. Insects use different types of receptors to detect airborne chemicals, one of them being olfactory receptors (ORs). In winged insects, a functioning OR signaling complex is likely a heterotetramer comprising two different types of subunits: the conserved...
The genus Drosophila comprises numerous species that differ in their microhabitats, as well as in their olfactory preferences. Here, we conducted artificial selection experiments to induce olfactory preference for novel food sources in Drosophila melanogaster. In two-choice experiments, the flies could choose between an odor they are usually attracted to, such as the odor of yeast, and the...
The Hymenoptera present the highest number of eusocial species in insects and up to 9 independent origins of eusociality. By contrast, the eusocial lifestyle is virtually absent in other taxa, suggesting the existence of facilitating factors leading to advanced social organisation within Hymenoptera. As eusocial evolution is explained by the concept of inclusive fitness and the theory of kin...
The insect olfactory system has evolved to guide species toward specific mating partners, food sources, and oviposition sites. However, how species-specific repertoires of odorant receptors (ORs)—which mediate the detection of volatile cues—have been shaped by ecological pressures remains poorly understood. Fruit flies of the Tephritidae family (Diptera) exhibit highly diverse host preferences...
Understanding how sensory organs evolve is a central question in sensory biology and evolutionary neuroscience. Due to their complexity, comprehensive analysis of entire sensory organs has been challenging. Here, we leverage the relative simplicity of the Drosophilid maxillary palps: olfactory organs critical for odor-guided behavior
and host-seeking. In Drosophila melanogaster, these organs...
The suborder Adephaga, second suborder of Coleoptera in species number, includes families from a wide range of ecological environments, from terrestrial to aquatic. Multiple independent transitions from land to water within this group provide a valuable model for studying how the olfactory system adapted to different environments. Given the distinct properties of chemical diffusion in air...
The cell-type specific pattern of odorant receptor (Or) expression, paired with their high rates of duplication, raises the question: How are the genetic origins of new Ors “coordinated” with the development of olfactory sensory neurons (OSN) so that they are uniquely expressed? To answer this question, we need to identify newly evolved Or genes and investigate how they have acquired...
