For many locusts, life in a swarm is a picnic. Crowded conditions create a locust-eat-locust world. But it turns out some migrating insects deploy a “don’t-eat-me” pheromone that can deter their cannibalistic companions.
When jammed together, juvenile migratory locusts (Locusta migratoria) emit a volatile compound known as phenylacetonitrile, or PAN, researchers report in the May 5 Science. Locusts engineered to not give off the pheromone were eaten more often, the study found. And those unable to detect PAN were more likely to eat others producing it. The results suggest the compound has a role in suppressing cannibalism.
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