Organizational and activational effects of hormones on insect behavior

The concepts of hormone organization and: activation provide a framework fo r thinking about the influence of hormones on development, brain, and behav ior in vertebrates. There is good evidence for activational effects of horm ones on the nervous system and behavior in insects, but organizational effe cts are almost never discussed in the insect: literature: This paper explor es the utility of the concepts of hormonal organization and activation of b ehavior in insects. We describe the two concepts as developed from studies of vertebrates, review some insect examples that appear to fit this classif ication scheme, and consider how explicit use of the concept of organizatio n might benefit studies of the insect brain and behavior. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.