Daily variation of the response to heat in Rhodnius prolixus: The roles oflight and temperature as synchronisers

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Fresquet, Nadine | Lazzari, Claudio, R.

Edité par CCSD ; Elsevier -

International audience. Triatominae are blood-sucking insects that localise their hosts with their multimodal host associatedperceptive signals. Among that sensory information, one of the main short-range cue is heat which, evenin isolation, is able to trigger the Proboscis Extension Response (PER) preceding the bite. Previous studieshave demonstrated a rhythmic variation of the response to host signals compatible with the nocturnalhabits of triatomine insects. This study was aimed at determining whether the PER to heat was alsomodulated by a daily variation and, if so, if it was an endogenous or exogenous rhythm. We also investigatedwhat was used as a synchroniser between light and temperature. The results showed that alternationof light and darkness was required to ensure a high level of responsiveness to heat in earlyscotophase while the temperature cycle appeared with a weaker synchronisation power. We concludedthat the responsiveness to heat was an exogenous rhythm synchronised by a complementary control oflight and temperature cycles. The involvement of two synchronisers hierarchically organised might haveincreased the plasticity of the host-seeking behaviour to cope with environmental conditions

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