| Title: | Reconnaissance and latent learning in ants |
| Author(s): | Franks NR; Hooper JW; Dornhaus A; Aukett PJ; Hayward AL; Berghoff SM; |
| Address: | "Centre for Behavioural Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1UG, UK. nigel.franks@bristol.ac.uk" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 0962-8452 (Print) 1471-2954 (Electronic) 0962-8452 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "We show that ants can reconnoitre their surroundings and in effect plan for the future. Temnothorax albipennis colonies use a sophisticated strategy to select a new nest when the need arises. Initially, we presented colonies with a new nest of lower quality than their current one that they could explore for one week without a need to emigrate. We then introduced a second identical low quality new nest and destroyed their old nest so that they had to emigrate. Colonies showed a highly significant preference for the (low quality) novel new nest over the identical but familiar one. In otherwise identical experiments, colonies showed no such discrimination when the choice was between a familiar and an unfamiliar high-quality nest. When, however, either all possible pheromone marks were removed, or landmarks were re-orientated, just before the emigration, the ants chose between identical low-quality new nests at random. These results demonstrate for the first time that ants are capable of assessing and retaining information about the quality of potential new nest sites, probably by using both pheromones and landmark cues, even though this information may only be of strategic value to the colony in the future. They seem capable, therefore, of latent learning and, more explicitly, learning what not to do" |
| Keywords: | Animals Ants/*physiology Choice Behavior/physiology *Cues Exploratory Behavior/*physiology Learning/*physiology Nesting Behavior/*physiology Orientation/*physiology Pheromones/physiology Spatial Behavior/*physiology Time Factors; |
| Notes: | "MedlineFranks, Nigel R Hooper, James W Dornhaus, Anna Aukett, Philippa J Hayward, Alexander L Berghoff, Stefanie M eng E19832/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom Comparative Study Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2007/04/12 Proc Biol Sci. 2007 Jun 22; 274(1617):1505-9. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0138" |
