Asingle lobsterIs an insectharmless and vulnerable. But if you join thousands or even millions of companions, together they form aplaguethat can destroy entire crops. A team of researchers from the University of Oxford has identified that the increase inserotonin, a neurotransmitter also known as a “wellness hormone,” is responsible for the herding behavior of desert locusts. Details are published in the journal Science.
The scientists, led by Michael Anstey, studied the lobsters’ serotonin levels as they engaged in both solitary and gregarious behaviors. The results revealed that when locusts gather inswarmshaveserotonin levels nearly three times higherthan when they behave like shy and even antisocial insects. Before 1921 it was thought that solitary and gregarious locusts were different species, since they differ even physically.
“Until now, although we knew the stimuli that caused this amazingJeckyll and Hyde transformation, no one had been able to identify the changes in the nervous system that turned antisocial locusts into monstrous swarms, “explains Anstey.
The discovery could lead to the development of nNew Methods for Controlling Devastating and Costly Locust Pests, which periodically cause large losses to crops, especially in Africa and China. These orthopterans take between 5 and 8 hours to travel 96 kilometers and can consume the equivalent of their weight daily. In November 2008, swarms over four miles long ravaged Australia.
In humans,serotoninplays a very important role in mood, mood, anxiety, sleep regulation, pain perception, and eating and sexual behavior.
