Electroreception: Novel Appearances in Terrestrial Ecology
Electroreception: Novel Appearances in Terrestrial Ecology
About Me
I am a Biology major and Environmental Studies/Geology Minor from San Rafael, CA. I’m a huge cook and naturalist, with a passion for sustainability and socially aware environmentalism. Apart from the classes at school, I’m the President of Macalester Anime Society and an active part of MacShare, so drop by on Friday afternoons to buy some produce! The past few years have served as a journey to finding my path, from paleontology to environmental policy, so I’m happy to be a little more focused on working in environmental consulting and ecological research. I want the work I do to actually improve the conditions with which we treat and interact with the environment, so I hope to find the way I do that soon.
Abstract
Traditionally, Electroreception has been studied primarily in aquatic contexts due to the more conductive nature of water environments.However, in the past few years, especially since 2021, there have been a growing number of studies examining the capacity in terrestrial invertebrates to detect electrical fields. This project aimed to review the major literature on terrestrial electroreception in invertebrates, as well as examine some points of note across studies This adaptation has appeared in numerous different species, evolved for purposes including: predator detection, dispersal, and reward assessment and learning. They range from species of worms like C. elegans to Bumblebees to various caterpillars. The mechanics with which these invertebrates detect electrical fields are not homologous across species, as they appear as mechanosensory hairs (setae), antennae, and electrosensory cells. I hope there is more research done into the phylogeny of electroreception of invertebrates, to find if this feature has developed independently so many times or is derived from a common ancestor. Additionally, what passive behaviors examined in the past for many more invertebrate organisms may be influenced by electroreception, similar to that of the caterpillars and treehoppers.