Swarms of locusts avoid cannibalism while fusing with the pheromone phenylacetonitrile (PAN). This has been reported by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Many animal species practice cannibalism, mostly as an additional food source. This has also led to the creation of different strategies to protect against cannibalism, and these mechanisms are still not fully understood. In particular, it was unclear how the locusts protected themselves from eating their relatives.
Hetan Chang and friends discovered behavior of migratory locust swarms (locusta immigrant) and found that they produced the anti-cannabalistic pheromone PAN, which inhibits cannibalism in the herd. A study of juveniles showed that when population density increases, individual insects begin to produce PAN, which protects them from being eaten by other grasshoppers. The authors also found an important olfactory receptor responsible for PAN detection and a neurological mechanism responsible for avoiding such behaviors.
During the experiment, it turned out that locusts that were deprived of the ability to produce PAN lost their protective signals and were much more likely to be eaten by their fellows. Moreover, the locusts, whose PAN olfactory receptors did not work, were ready to eat those who secreted this substance.
The authors believe this study will not only help combat locust infestation, but also provide important details about the evolution of herd behavior.
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