Directionality in Insect Vibration Sensing: Behavioral Studies of Vibrational Orientation

Abstract

Insects need to orient to various environmental stimuli. Many behavioral studies suggest orientation based on vibrational cues and signals, but they rarely exclude other potential stimuli such as chemical, visual, or airborne sound signals. Here, we review the behavioral evidence for directional vibrational orientation in insects. First, we discuss the potential of vibrational cues and signals for orientation and briefly state the importance of the material properties of the substrate. We then review what is known about vibrotaxis in some particularly well-studied species. Our selection aims to show the different experimental approaches that have been used and, as far as known, which kind of taxis and which kind of vibrational cue are used by the insects to orientate. We show that a growing body of current behavioral studies reveal the remarkable ability of insects to orientate via vibrational cues and signals in various contexts.