Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Osmoregulation in Insects01:47

Osmoregulation in Insects

Malpighian tubules are specialized structures found in the digestive systems of many arthropods, including most insects, that handle excretion and osmoregulation. The tubules are typically arranged in pairs and have a convoluted structure that increases their surface area.
Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

Predator-Prey Interactions

Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
What is Behavior?00:54

What is Behavior?

Behaviors are actions that an organism engages in—they can be related to finding food, reproducing, defending against threats, and many other possible actions. Behaviors include activities related to the environment around the animal—such as migration—as well as social interactions within a species or population. Many behaviors involve motor output—that is, muscle movements—while others involve less visible actions, such as learning.
Fixed Action Patterns01:06

Fixed Action Patterns

A fixed action pattern (FAP) is a specific, hard-wired sequence of behaviors that occurs in response to an external stimulus, called a sign stimulus. The behavior is “fixed” because it is essentially unchangeable—proceeding similarly across individuals of a species every time it occurs.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Parallel neuronal ensembles control behavior across sensorimotor levels in <i>Drosophila</i>.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Sexual dimorphism in the complete connectome of the <i>Drosophila</i> male central nervous system.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Molecular gradients shape synaptic specificity of a visuomotor transformation.

Nature·2025
Same author

Shorter-duration escapes driven by <i>Drosophila</i> giant interneurons promote survival during predation.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2025
Same author

Comparative connectomics of Drosophila descending and ascending neurons.

Nature·2025
Same author

Whole-body physics simulation of fruit fly locomotion.

Nature·2025
Same journal

Population codes for context-dependent decision-making.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
Same journal

Cichlid fish as a model for understanding social dysfunction.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
Same journal

On aims and methods in field neuroethology: Investigating neural mechanisms of behavior in semi-natural and natural contexts.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
Same journal

Neurobiological interfaces connecting environmental change to monarch butterfly migration.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
Same journal

Learning how to experience the world: From circuits to cell types to genes.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
Same journal

Editorial overview for neurobiology of disease 2026.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 26, 2026

Drosophila Passive Avoidance Behavior as a New Paradigm to Study Associative Aversive Learning
06:20

Drosophila Passive Avoidance Behavior as a New Paradigm to Study Associative Aversive Learning

Published on: October 15, 2021

Escape behaviors in insects.

Gwyneth M Card1

  • 1Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, United States. cardg@janelia.hhmi.org

Current Opinion in Neurobiology
|January 10, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Insect nervous systems, particularly in flies and crickets, enable rapid and flexible escape behaviors. New research correlates neural activity with these complex escape movements, advancing our understanding of behavioral neuroscience.

More Related Videos

Neural Circuit Recording from an Intact Cockroach Nervous System
10:51

Neural Circuit Recording from an Intact Cockroach Nervous System

Published on: November 4, 2013

A Proboscis Extension Response Protocol for Investigating Behavioral Plasticity in Insects: Application to Basic, Biomedical, and Agricultural Research
10:31

A Proboscis Extension Response Protocol for Investigating Behavioral Plasticity in Insects: Application to Basic, Biomedical, and Agricultural Research

Published on: September 8, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 26, 2026

Drosophila Passive Avoidance Behavior as a New Paradigm to Study Associative Aversive Learning
06:20

Drosophila Passive Avoidance Behavior as a New Paradigm to Study Associative Aversive Learning

Published on: October 15, 2021

Neural Circuit Recording from an Intact Cockroach Nervous System
10:51

Neural Circuit Recording from an Intact Cockroach Nervous System

Published on: November 4, 2013

A Proboscis Extension Response Protocol for Investigating Behavioral Plasticity in Insects: Application to Basic, Biomedical, and Agricultural Research
10:31

A Proboscis Extension Response Protocol for Investigating Behavioral Plasticity in Insects: Application to Basic, Biomedical, and Agricultural Research

Published on: September 8, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Animal Behavior
  • Insect Physiology

Background:

  • Escape behaviors are crucial for survival, necessitating speed and robustness.
  • Insect nervous systems offer tractable models for studying the neural basis of behavior due to their simpler structure and genetic manipulability.
  • Recent advancements reveal greater complexity in insect escape behaviors than previously understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying rapid and flexible escape behaviors in insects.
  • To explore how the nervous system generates complex preparatory movements before escape.
  • To establish direct correlations between neural activity and the temporal dynamics of escape behaviors.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing high-speed video analysis to capture detailed insect escape movements.
  • Recording neural activity in crickets to examine interneuron synchrony for predator detection.
  • Employing wireless neural recording techniques in locusts during escape from looming threats.

Main Results:

  • Insect escape behaviors, like preparatory leg movements in flies, are more sophisticated than previously thought.
  • Synchrony in cricket interneuron activity appears to be a rapid cue for predator direction detection.
  • Direct correlations were established between multi-neuron activity and the timing of locust escape behaviors.

Conclusions:

  • Insect escape behaviors are rapid, flexible, and orchestrated by complex neural computations.
  • Neural synchrony plays a key role in rapid sensory processing for escape decisions.
  • Advanced recording techniques allow unprecedented insights into the neural control of behavior in real-time.