Visual navigation in desert ants Cataglyphis fortis: are snapshots coupled to a celestial system of reference?
(2002) In Journal of Experimental Biology 205(14). p.1971-1978- Abstract
- Central-place foraging insects such as desert ants of the genus Cataglyphis use both path integration and landmarks to navigate during foraging excursions. The use of landmark information and a celestial system of reference for nest location was investigated by training desert ants returning from an artificial feeder to find the nest at one of four alternative positions located asymmetrically inside a four-cylinder landmark array. The cylindrical landmarks were all of the same size and arranged in a square, with the nest located in the southeast corner. When released from the compass direction experienced during training (southeast), the ants searched most intensely at the fictive nest position. When instead released from any of the three... (More)
- Central-place foraging insects such as desert ants of the genus Cataglyphis use both path integration and landmarks to navigate during foraging excursions. The use of landmark information and a celestial system of reference for nest location was investigated by training desert ants returning from an artificial feeder to find the nest at one of four alternative positions located asymmetrically inside a four-cylinder landmark array. The cylindrical landmarks were all of the same size and arranged in a square, with the nest located in the southeast corner. When released from the compass direction experienced during training (southeast), the ants searched most intensely at the fictive nest position. When instead released from any of the three alternative directions of approach (southwest, northwest or northeast), the same individuals instead searched at two of the four alternative positions by initiating their search at the position closest to the direction of approach when entering the landmark square and then returning to the position at which snapshot, current landmark image and celestial reference information were in register. The results show that, in the ants visual snapshot memory, a memorized landmark scene can temporarily be decoupled from a memorized celestial system of reference. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/131275
- author
- Åkesson, Susanne LU and Wehner, Rüdiger
- organization
- publishing date
- 2002
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Journal of Experimental Biology
- volume
- 205
- issue
- 14
- pages
- 1971 - 1978
- publisher
- The Company of Biologists Ltd
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000177259600001
- scopus:0036023231
- ISSN
- 1477-9145
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- c1bf566d-256b-4a0a-8ff4-1c14e11cfcb9 (old id 131275)
- alternative location
- http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/abstract/205/14/1971
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 12:32:33
- date last changed
- 2022-01-27 06:32:59
@article{c1bf566d-256b-4a0a-8ff4-1c14e11cfcb9,
abstract = {{Central-place foraging insects such as desert ants of the genus Cataglyphis use both path integration and landmarks to navigate during foraging excursions. The use of landmark information and a celestial system of reference for nest location was investigated by training desert ants returning from an artificial feeder to find the nest at one of four alternative positions located asymmetrically inside a four-cylinder landmark array. The cylindrical landmarks were all of the same size and arranged in a square, with the nest located in the southeast corner. When released from the compass direction experienced during training (southeast), the ants searched most intensely at the fictive nest position. When instead released from any of the three alternative directions of approach (southwest, northwest or northeast), the same individuals instead searched at two of the four alternative positions by initiating their search at the position closest to the direction of approach when entering the landmark square and then returning to the position at which snapshot, current landmark image and celestial reference information were in register. The results show that, in the ants visual snapshot memory, a memorized landmark scene can temporarily be decoupled from a memorized celestial system of reference.}},
author = {{Åkesson, Susanne and Wehner, Rüdiger}},
issn = {{1477-9145}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{14}},
pages = {{1971--1978}},
publisher = {{The Company of Biologists Ltd}},
series = {{Journal of Experimental Biology}},
title = {{Visual navigation in desert ants Cataglyphis fortis: are snapshots coupled to a celestial system of reference?}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/2965353/624188.pdf}},
volume = {{205}},
year = {{2002}},
}