Blowfly Chasing Behaviour

One of the fastest visually controlled behaviours described in the animal kingdom is the chasing behaviour observed in blowflies. Male blowflies chase and catch potential mates on the wing. To be able to follow flight manoeuvres of the leading fly, the chasing fly shows visually triggered responses within a few tenths of a second.

We seek to understand the control mechanisms underlying this impressive behavioural capability. We observe the chasing behaviour using multi-camera highspeed video recordings and reconstruct 3D trajectories of leading and chasing fly. To be able to repeatedly observe responses to certain flight patterns of the leading fly, we record the chasing of dummy targets performing complex movements under computer control. In computer simulations, we develop algorithmic models of the male-specific neuronal circuits controlling the behaviour.

Our research goal is to understand how the visual system, although using relatively slow and unreliable computational elements, can generate the enormously quick responses observed in this behavioural context. Given that roughly half of the observed response time is already needed to generate the first electrical signals in the visual pathway and that the motor commands of the controller must be executed by muscles and take effect in the aerodynamic forces generated by the wings, flies must have developed a neuronal control scheme that generates the control decisions almost instantaneously.

Investigators:

Jens Lindemann