Friday 6 July 2012

Humidity Increases Odor Perception in Terrestrial Hermit Crabs



ScienceDaily (July 4, 2012) — Olfaction in land crabs is still in an early transitional stage between life in water and on land.

Max Planck scientists have found out that the olfactory system in hermit crabs is still underdeveloped in comparison to that of vinegar flies. While flies have a very sensitive sense of smell and are able to identify various odor molecules in the air, crabs recognize only a few odors, such as the smell of organic acids, amines, aldehydes, or seawater. Humidity significantly enhanced electrical signals induced in their antennal neurons as well as the corresponding behavioral responses to the odorants. The olfactory sense of vinegar flies, on the other hand, was not influenced by the level of air moisture at all. Exploring the molecular biology of olfaction in land crabs and flies thus allows insights into the evolution of the olfactory sense during the transition from life in water to life on land.


Continued: 
 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120704124103.htm

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