Moth-inspired navigation algorithm in a turbulent odor plume from a pulsating source

PLoS One. 2018 Jun 13;13(6):e0198422. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198422. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Some female moths attract male moths by emitting series of pulses of pheromone filaments propagating downwind. The turbulent nature of the wind creates a complex flow environment, and causes the filaments to propagate in the form of patches with varying concentration distributions. Inspired by moth navigation capabilities, we propose a navigation strategy that enables a flier to locate an upwind pulsating odor source in a windy environment using a single threshold-based detection sensor. This optomotor anemotaxis strategy is constructed based on the physical properties of the turbulent flow carrying discrete puffs of odor and does not involve learning, memory, complex decision making or statistical methods. We suggest that in turbulent plumes from a pulsating point source, an instantaneously measurable quantity referred as a "puff crossing time", improves the success rate as compared to the navigation strategies based on temporally regular zigzags due to intermittent contact, or an "internal counter", that do not use this information. Using computer simulations of fliers navigating in turbulent plumes of the pulsating point source for varying flow parameters such as turbulent intensities, plume meandering and wind gusts, we obtained statistics of navigation paths towards the pheromone sources. We quantified the probability of a successful navigation as well as the flight parameters such as the time spent searching and the total flight time, with respect to different turbulent intensities, meandering or gusts. The concepts learned using this model may help to design odor-based navigation of miniature airborne autonomous vehicles.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Animals
  • Computer Simulation
  • Female
  • Flight, Animal / physiology
  • Male
  • Models, Biological
  • Moths / physiology*
  • Pheromones / metabolism*
  • Spatial Navigation / physiology*
  • Wind

Substances

  • Pheromones

Grants and funding

This study is partially supported by the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) under grant 2013399 (http://www.bsf.org.il). The authors received specific funding for this work: AL RG AH. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. There was no additional external funding received for this study.