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Drosophila melanogaster grooming possesses syntax with distinct rules at different temporal scales

Fig 7

Within-motif transitions dominate grooming syntax.

A: The maximum likelihood transition matrix, (Eq 2), provides the best estimate of the Markov chain dynamics observed in grooming behavior (Eq 1). The network representation of (left) illustrates transition probabilities using edge thickness (thicker edges indicate higher probabilities). Shown on the right is the matrix representation of discrete time transition probabilities (fit to the discrete time ethogram from Fig 1 with no duration information), with probability magnitude indicated by color. Here, the anterior motif, consisting of front leg rubbing and head cleaning, is indicated by the red circle (left) and red square (right). The posterior motif, consisting of abdominal grooming, back leg rubbing, and wing cleaning, is delineated by the blue circle (left) and blue square (right). B: Maximum likelihood transition probabilities for ethograms binned according to the schema shown in Fig 3. Matrices fit to data with two (left) and three (right) duration categories show similar within-motif structure with increased resolution (s = short, m = medium, l = long). For example, both matrices illustrate that anterior motif transitions between long bouts dominate syntax.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007105.g007