![]() They make split decisions, change course and fly in another direction. If they come across an obstacle or something unknown, they don't panic. They grab and process images at a lightning-fast level, almost like a sped-up slideshow. And although those brains are tiny, they are capable of making sophisticated decisions especially during flight. Theobald, whose lab focuses on insect vision and flight, explains that insects have brains a millionth of a fraction of the size of a human brain. This will then be matched to data on lighting conditions. A 3D printer will allow the researchers to print tiny capture points that can be attached to the moth's body, accurately tracking each precise moment when a moth takes flight. They will use motion capture technology, like the kind used in movies, to measure the moths' flight patterns, in collaboration with Fabian. Sondhi conducting fieldwork in Costa Rica at Estacion Biologica Monteverde. ![]() "Now, this grant will help explore these questions more closely and at a larger, environmental scale in terms of how light pollution is changing their behavior." "I've always been interested in the question of a moth's interaction with light and have worked to come up with ways to track how light affects when moths are active," Yash said. With a National Geographic grant, they will collaborate with Akito Kawahara from the University of Florida, and Huai-Ti Lin and Sam Fabian from the Imperial College London, to uncover how moths respond to different light levels at field sites in India, and determine if they are attracted to or avoid light-polluted areas. ![]() student Yash Sondhi want to find out what all of this artificial light at night is doing to moths, one of the nighttime's most important nocturnal pollinators. It also impacts the tiniest of insects, including those designed for dusk and darkness, in ways that aren't completely understood.įIU associate professor of biology Jamie Theobald and Ph.D. Artificial lights have led to light pollution-a problem that's been documented to disrupt or interfere with the behavior of animals including migrating birds and sea turtle hatchlings.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |