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SwarmSight: Real-time Tracking of Insect Antenna Movements and Proboscis Extension Reflex Using a Common Preparation and Conventional Hardware
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SwarmSight: Real-time Tracking of Insect Antenna Movements and Proboscis Extension Reflex Using a Common Preparation

Justas Birgiolas1, Christopher M Jernigan2, Richard C Gerkin2

  • 1School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University; justas@asu.edu.

Journal of Visualized Experiments : Jove
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A new open-source software, SwarmSight Appendage Tracking, rapidly tracks insect antennae and proboscis movements from videos. This tool enhances understanding of insect behavior and chemical responses, outperforming human analysis.

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Area of Science:

  • * Entomology
  • * Behavioral Ecology
  • * Bio-imaging

Background:

  • * Insects rely on antennae for detecting volatile chemicals and proboscis extension for feeding.
  • * Understanding insect behavior requires high-resolution measurements of appendage movements under various stimuli.
  • * Previous work focused on group movements; appendage-specific tracking was needed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To develop novel, open-source software for tracking insect antenna and proboscis movements.
  • * To enable rapid, accurate, frame-by-frame analysis of appendage dynamics from conventional videos.
  • * To investigate honey bee antennal responses to olfactory stimuli.

Main Methods:

  • * Developed SwarmSight Appendage Tracking (SwarmSight.org), a free, open-source software module.
  • * Utilized conventional web cameras and computers for video data acquisition and processing.
  • * Analyzed frame-by-frame insect appendage positions, achieving speeds ~120x faster than human analysis.
  • * Captured antennal dynamics up to 15 Hz using 30 frames per second videos.

Main Results:

  • * Demonstrated software accuracy exceeding human performance.
  • * Tracked honey bee antennal responses to two odors, revealing significant mean antennal retractions (~1s post-odor).
  • * Observed heat map cluster formation of antennal positions and dependence on odor concentration.

Conclusions:

  • * SwarmSight Appendage Tracking provides a powerful, accessible tool for insect appendage movement analysis.
  • * The software facilitates detailed study of insect chemosensation and feeding behaviors.
  • * Findings highlight the utility of automated video analysis in advancing entomological research.