Biology 3601A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Insect Flight, Gyroscope, Visual Acuity
21 Oct 2016
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Orientation (ex: makes sure that it is facing right side up) Among the most energetically-expensive activity in the animal kingdom. Highest metabolic rate ever measured is in honeybee tissue. Stabilize their flight using halteres during flight they rotate and act like gyroscopes to stabilize the fly during flight. Dragonflies have 4 wings they just use visual cues to maintain stability and fly themselves around. They have an extraordinary visual acuity (10x our acuity) Use visual information that they process to fly. They do not have good vision, so they do not rely on visual cues. Mechanosensors senses orientation and movement of one body part relative to another. During flight, the antennae are held at a constant angle to one another. Antennae rotate/vibrate at certain wing beat frequencies. Study insect flight through high speed videography. Digitize this information to determine what the moth is doing. Centered all of the data around the head of the moth.
