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Show Making Sense of Smell in Moth Brains Department of Biology For most animal species the ability to smell and process odors is important in many life-sustaining activities. Animals use odors to identify or attract receptive mates and locate suitable prey or host plants. An impressive example of the importance of smell is the ability of male moths to detect minute amounts of female sex pheromones and respond to them by flying upwind. Female moths release odors (pheromones) into the air, where they drift downwind. Olfactory (smell) receptor cells on the male antenna are extremely sensitive to the female-emitted pheromone components and respond to them by generating behavioral responses. These receptors have axons that project to the antennal lobe, the primary integration center for olfactory information. The antennal lobe is divided up into small knots of neurons known as glomeruli, which process smell input. Males possess a specific subset of enlarged glomeruli, known as the macroglomerular complex (MGC) specific for processing female sex pheromone information. In the animal kingdom, the external appearance of olfactory systems differs greatly. Despite the physical appearance, the underlying neuroanatomical organization of the olfactory epithelium and primary processing center for olfactory input in the brain is strikingly similar. In insects the antennal lobe is functionally similar to the olfactory bulb of humans. David Kelly Assist. Professor Neil Vickers |
