Modulation of the sex pheromone detection by nutritional and hormonal signals in a male insect.

As in other animals, insects can modulate their odor-guided behaviors, especially sexual behavior, according to environmental and physiological factors such as the individual's nutritional state. This behavioral flexibility results from modifications of the olfactory pathways under the control of hormones. Most studies have focused on the central modulation of the olfactory system and less attention has been paid to the peripheral olfactory system.

Diet influence on male sexual maturation through interplay between insulin signaling and juvenile hormone in insects.

In animals, sexual maturation coincides with the development of sexual behaviors and reproductive system. These developmental events are influenced by diet and governed by endocrine signals. Here, for the first time in insects, we explored functional links between nutrition and juvenile hormone (JH) in the male reproductive physiology through the insulin signaling pathway (ISP) acting as a transducer of nutritional signals.

Diet acts on sexual behavior development in a male moth.

In many animals, drastic changes are observed during sexual maturation characterized by the reproductive system development concomitantly to the sexual behavior ontogenesis. These modifications are under the control of internal and external factors such as food. Sexual maturation requires considerable energetic investment, and diet has been shown to affect reproductive activities in many taxonomic groups, especially in insects and vertebrates.

Effect of Adult Male Diet on Fertilization and Hatching in an Insect.

As in other animals, diet is known to influence insect reproduction, and its impact has been intensively investigated in females. In our study, we examined the effects of various diets on male reproductive success in the moth a pest of many crops. Our experiments showed an increase in the rates of fertilization and hatching when males fed with various sugars (sucrose, fructose, and glucose) supplemented with sodium.

Regulation of feeding dynamics by the circadian clock, light and sex in an adult nocturnal insect.

Animals invest crucial resources in foraging to support development, sustenance, and reproduction. Foraging and feeding behaviors are rhythmically expressed by most insects. Rhythmic behaviors are modified by exogenous factors like temperature and photoperiod, and internal factors such as the physiological status of the individual.