Strength of forelimb lateralization predicts motor errors in an insect
Adrian T A Bell1, Jeremy E Niven2
1School of Life Sciences and Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK.
Biology Letters
|September 22, 2016
Summary
Stronger forelimb lateralization in desert locusts improves motor control during gap-crossing tasks. This study provides evidence that this invertebrate behavior offers a performance advantage.
Area of Science:
- Animal behavior
- Neuroscience
- Evolutionary biology
Background:
- Lateralized behaviors are common in many species, suggesting evolutionary advantages.
- Evidence for these advantages, especially in invertebrates with individual-level lateralization, is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functional advantage of individual-level forelimb lateralization in desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria).
- To determine if stronger lateralization correlates with improved performance in a motor task.
Main Methods:
- Assessed forelimb bias in desert locusts during a targeted reaching task across a gap.
- Quantified the strength of individual lateralization.
- Correlated the degree of lateralization with the number of targeting errors during gap-crossing.
Main Results:
- Desert locusts exhibit individual-level lateralization in forelimb preference for reaching.
- Strongly lateralized locusts made fewer errors when using their preferred forelimb.
- A negative correlation was found between the strength of lateralization and targeting errors.
Conclusions:
- Stronger forelimb lateralization provides a performance advantage in desert locusts.
- This study offers evidence for improved motor control as a benefit of individual-level lateralization in invertebrates.
