Sercan Sayin

Editor’s summary Nearly 20 years ago, a study of collective motion in locusts published in Science concluded that animals moving collectively do so in a way similar to particles. This conclusion has set the tone for much thinking about such movement in nature.

Abstract Desert locust plagues threaten the food security of millions. Central to their formation is crowding-induced social plasticity from solitarious to gregarious phenotypes. We investigated the impact of population density changes on locusts foraging choices and their neurobiology by examining how relevant food and social odors are coded in the antennal lobe.

Highlights • Hunger motivates persistent food odor tracking even without reward • Two synaptically connected MBONs, -γ1pedc>αβ and -α2sc, regulate odor tracking • Octopamine neurons connect feeding and counteract MBON and odor tracking • Dopaminergic neurons and Dop1R2 signaling promote persistent tracking Summary In pursuit of food, hungry animals mobilize significant energy resources and overcome exhaustion and fear.