Temperature Dependency of Wing-Beat Frequency in Intact and Deafferented Locusts

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Abstract
Locusts do not regulate thoracic temperature during flight and as a result the thoracic temperature of a flying locust generally exceeds ambient temperature by 5–8 °C. Elevated thoracic temperatures were shown to affect wing-beat frequency in intact and deafferented Locusta migratoria. Tethered locusts were flown in a wind tunnel. Temperature was elevated by increasing the ambient temperature of the apparatus and by exposing flying animals to heat pulses. Electromyographic (EMG) recordings were made in deafferented locusts perfused with salines at different temperatures. Wing-beat frequency was shown to vary with thoracic temperature in both the intact and the deafferented situation. The slope of the rise in wing-beat frequency with experimental increases in thoracic temperature was similar in intact and deafferented animals. These experiments demonstrate an effect of temperature on the central flight circuitry. Further intracellular investigationsare needed to determine the neural basis of these effects.

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