Biotechnology
Assessment of Chemicals Using Sensors
Insects have incredible olfactory systems for navigating their environment. Many insect species, including cockroaches, moths, parasitic wasps and honey bees, can be trained to associate a target odorant with food. UGA biological and agricultural engineers conducted tests to determine the behavioral changes in the parasitic wasp when presented different concentrations of coffee. The speed at which the wasp responded to the odor was documented and compared among different concentrations. They discovered the wasp's behavioral response was significantly different at high and low concentrations of the coffee they were trained to detect. The engineers are collaborating with Lincoln University scientists to develop mathematical algorithms that predict the characteristics of chemical stimuli by observing behavior of insects. Results from the preliminary tests and current model development will lead to further enhancements of a device used to analyze the behavior of trained parasitic wasps. The new device will be able to track odors to their origin, which would be useful in pinpointing pest problems in a field, and also quantify concentration levels, which can be related to the level of a target, such as aflatoxin. Eventually these models will be used to understand learning and memory mechanisms at the intracellular level. (2007)
Source
| Name | Department | |
| Glen Raines | grains@uga.edu | Biological and Agricultural Engineering |