Epsilon Open Archive

Abstract

Chemosensory systems play an oversize role in shaping the life of an insect, such that fundamental behaviors—mating, food choice and seeking, predator and parasitoid avoidance, and egg-laying—are strongly regulated by external chemical stimuli. The recent focus on the molecular mechanisms of chemosensory detection in insect chemical ecology research has identified canonical chemosensory receptors in insects that consist of odorant receptors (ORs), gustatory receptors (GRs), and ionotropic receptors (IRs). Much has been learned about the structure, function and evolution of chemosensory receptors since the initial discovery of ORs in Drosophila melanogaster in 1999, however, many outstanding questions remain. With this research topic, we aim to shine a light on expression patterns, reception properties, and evolutionary trends pertinent to insect chemosensory receptors. While intended to cover all chemosensory receptor families, this research topic is clearly biased toward ORs, reflecting the paucity of research conducted on GRs and IRs.