Issue 12 Arthropoda

S

leep: we know what it is,

but what about other

animals? It turns out all

Lucy Evans L6th at the end of a productive and busy year asks an important question on (many) of our minds...

animals including arthropods

Do arthropods sleep?

spend some time during a 24

hour cycle where they move

very little, which we think is

sleep.The main benefit of

sleep in mammals

is for

consolidating memory: by

sleep. Without

Process have

selectively strengthening or

adequate rest, they don’t forage

to take over to supply the

clearing synapses, needed for

well and females lay eggs on

brain with sugar but not

learning.When asleep, insects

the wrong plants for their

much is known about this.

are immobile and less

caterpillar offspring to eat.

To conclude, it appears that

responsive to external stimuli,

Research in fruit flies show

insects and other arthropods

which was first discovered in

similar genes activated during

do sleep, and in many ways

the honeybee. In sleeping

sleep as in mammals and, like

their form of sleep is similar

bees, neurons in a part of

us, sleep deprived honeybees

to mammalian sleep, however

their brain don’t respond to

have impaired dancing skills,

it is difficult to detect this

light patterns that they would

which can prevent bees from

biological process. Fruit flies,

be able to normally respond

getting home. Fruit flies

as well as honeybees, have

to. Measuring sleep in insects

carrying mutations in circadian

been instrumental in

poses many challenges as it

clock genes no longer sleep in

developing our understanding

can be difficult to

one major phase but rather

of this scientific realm ∎

differentiate between true

sleep in multiple chunks.

sleep and sleep-like states.

Energy is still required during

For example, butterflies rest

sleep due to the protein

in the late afternoon by

synthesis and repair which

hiding under leaves, but it is

occur.As no food is consumed

unknown if they actually

and heart rate decreases, other

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