Different behavioral response between male and female German cockroach, Blattella germanica, to various arrangements of food and water in an experimental arena

摘要

The movement of the German cockroach Blattella germanica between conditioned and unconditioned harborages was examined in the laboratory with various arrangements of food and water in the test arena. Three different groups of adult cockroaches were used for the experiments; male- or female-only group and a sexually mixed group. In the case of the sexually separated groups, about 50% of males moved into the unconditioned harborage at the end of the experiment, while only a few females moved into the unconditioned harborage during the experimental period of 21days. However, in the sexually mixed group, males became less active than in the sexually separated group. In contrast, females became active and the number of females moving into the unconditioned harborage was equal to the males after the 15th day of the experiment. When the position of food and water was changed serially the behavioral response of males as well as females was different from that observed under the experimental conditions of fixed position of food and water. These results indicated that male and female cockroaches move together into an unconditioned harborage in mixed group and their moving activity is affected by the position of food and water in relation to the location ofthe conditioned and unconditioned harborage.