Home › Botany › Vertical T-maze Choice Assay for Arthropod Response to Odorants
Botany JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Vertical T-maze Choice Assay for Arthropod Response to Odorants

DOI: 10.3791/50229-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Construct and prepare a vertical T-maze olfactometer for arthropod behavioral assays
  • ✓ Design and execute control tests to validate odorant presentation and eliminate bias
  • ✓ Measure arthropod attraction and repulsion responses to volatile chemical compounds
  • ✓ Interpret choice data to quantify odorant-driven behavioral preferences
Protocol

Biopharma Insights A vertical, T-maze olfactometer is described for assaying the behavioral response of arthropods. The olfactometer allows the experimenter to measure choices performed by test subjects when subjected to two potential odor fields. Both attraction to and repulsion from odorants can be measured with this device.

Difficulty
intermediate
Total time
~1–2 hours per assay (including setup, controls, and test runs)
Model organism
Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri)
Biosafety
BSL-1

Steps

1
Prepare olfactometer apparatus and odor samples

Assemble the vertical T-maze olfactometer, calibrate airflow, and prepare odorant solutions and solvent controls at defined concentrations for delivery.

▶ 00:47
2
Conduct control tests for bias and solvent effects

Run baseline trials using solvent-only odor fields and opposing arm configurations to confirm absence of positional bias and solvent-induced responses.

▶ 02:23
3
Test Asian citrus psyllid response to attractant

Release individual psyllids into the olfactometer and record their arm choice when presented with attractant odorant in one arm and solvent control in the other.

▶ 03:52
4
Analyze and interpret odorant response data

Compile choice frequency data across replicates and determine statistical significance of attraction or repulsion to characterize arthropod olfactory behavior.

▶ 05:09
💬 Comments coming soon