Portable Devices for Single Sensillum (SSR) and Electroantennogram (EAG) Recording from Insect Antennae in the Field

Abstract

In order to obtain more fundamental knowledge about the dispersion of behavior-modifying airborne chemical signals under natural conditions, it is necessary to measure these signals directly. These measurements require the use of the olfactory receptors of the target insect itself, because conventional physico-chemical detectors do not offer the required sensitivity and selectivity. Therefore, portable devices for single sensillium recording (SSR) and electroantennogram (EAG) recording have been developed, in which the insects’ antenna is used as a sensor element.