Optical water detection by means of horizontally polarized light is widespread among aquatic insects. This ability of these insects usually works in the UV or blue spectral ranges. Recently it was demonstrated that at least one collembolan species, the water springtail (Podura aquatica) also possess positive polarotaxis to horizontally polarized light. These hexapods are positively phototactic, live on the surface of calm waters and usually accumulate in the intimate vicinity of the riparian vegetation. In laboratory experiments we measured the wavelength dependence of phototaxis and polarotaxis of P. aquatica in the 346 nm – 744 nm and 421 nm – 744 nm ranges, respectively. According to our results, the action spectrum of phototaxis is bimodal with two peaks in the blue (λ1=484 nm) and green-yellow (λ2=570 nm) ranges, while polarotaxis operates in the blue spectral range. For the first time we have shown that collembolan polarotaxis functions in the same spectral range as the polarotaxis of many aquatic insects. In this paper we present our experiments and discuss the possible ecological significance of our findings.
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RESEARCH ARTICLE|
01 January 2019
How does the water springtail optically locate proper habitats? Spectral sensitivity of photo- and polarotaxis in Podura aquatica
Ádám Egri
,
Ádám Egri
*
1
Danube Research Institute, MTA Centre for Ecological Research, H-1113 Budapest, Karolina út 29-31, Hungary
2
Evolutionary Systems Research Group, Centre for Ecological Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Klebelsberg Kuno u. 3, H-8237 Tihany, Hungary
*Author for correspondence: egri.adam@okolologia.mta.hu
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György Kriska
György Kriska
1
Danube Research Institute, MTA Centre for Ecological Research, H-1113 Budapest, Karolina út 29-31, Hungary
2
Evolutionary Systems Research Group, Centre for Ecological Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Klebelsberg Kuno u. 3, H-8237 Tihany, Hungary
3
Group for Methodology in Biology Teaching, Biological Institute, Eötvös University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány sétány 1, Hungary
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Ádám Egri
*
1
Danube Research Institute, MTA Centre for Ecological Research, H-1113 Budapest, Karolina út 29-31, Hungary
2
Evolutionary Systems Research Group, Centre for Ecological Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Klebelsberg Kuno u. 3, H-8237 Tihany, Hungary
György Kriska
1
Danube Research Institute, MTA Centre for Ecological Research, H-1113 Budapest, Karolina út 29-31, Hungary
2
Evolutionary Systems Research Group, Centre for Ecological Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Klebelsberg Kuno u. 3, H-8237 Tihany, Hungary
3
Group for Methodology in Biology Teaching, Biological Institute, Eötvös University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány sétány 1, Hungary
*Author for correspondence: egri.adam@okolologia.mta.hu
Received:
15 Jan 2019
Accepted:
09 Apr 2019
Online ISSN: 1477-9145
Print ISSN: 0022-0949
J Exp Biol jeb.199760.
Article history
Received:
15 Jan 2019
Accepted:
09 Apr 2019
Currently Viewing Accepted Manuscript - Newer Version Available
30 Apr 2019
Citation
Ádám Egri, György Kriska; How does the water springtail optically locate proper habitats? Spectral sensitivity of photo- and polarotaxis in Podura aquatica. J Exp Biol 2019; jeb.199760. doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.199760
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