GRK 837: Functional Insect Science: Neurophysiologische und verhaltensgenetische Studien am akustischen Kommunikationssystem von Heuschrecken und Grillen

This project focuses on the question of how the expression of innate species-specific behavioural traits is controlled by genetic factors. In communication systems the signal recognition must be based on a reciprocal matching between sender and receiver characteristics, and this matching must be achieved and maintained through evolutionary processes. The signals of Orthopterans serve as important cues for mate finding and constitute, together with the corresponding recognition mechanism in the other sex, an important isolation mechanism against hybridization. We pursue two approaches, (i) the search for candidate genes that may be involved in the expression and maintenance of neural networks for signal generation, and possibly also signal recognition, and (ii) to establish selection lines for specific signal parameters, that can then be investigated with neurophysiologic and genetic methods.