Physical and biological effects on moths' navigation performance

In odor-mediated insect navigation, the local olfactory environment of an organism is defined as an odorscape. Using the nocturnal pink bollworm moth ( Pectinophora gossypiella ), we tested the combined effect of bio-physical aspects in the moth's immediate odorscape to shed light on the intertwined impacts of natural and sexual selection pressures on the moths' navigation performances. Three key factors were tested: The quality of the females as reflected in their emitted pheromones, ii) the availability of pheromone resources, and iii) the airflow characteristics. The navigation performance of the males was investigated using a wind tunnel assay equipped with 3D infrared high-speed cameras. The navigation patterns of the males were analyzed using ethological and biomechanical parameters. The results indicate that natural and sexual selection play an important role in the pheromone-mediated navigation of male moths with the role of natural selection overrides that of sexual selection. During his mate-finding navigation, the male moth applies a decision-making process weighting information from the odorscapes' biological and physical characteristics, trading off the cost of flying under different flow conditions, the availability of different odor sources, and their quality.