Transfer of orientation memories in untethered wood ants (Formica rufa) from walking in an arena to walking on a motion compensation treadmill

AbstractThe scale of natural insect navigation during foraging makes it challenging to study, in a controlled way, the navigation processes that an insect brain can support. Virtual Reality and trackball setups have offered experimental control over visual environments while studying tethered insects, but potential limitations and confounds introduced by tethering motivates the development of alternative untethered solutions. In this paper we validate the use of a motion compensator (or ‘treadmill’) to study visually-driven behaviour of freely moving wood ants (Formica rufa). We show how this setup allows naturalistic walking behaviour and motivation over long timeframes. Furthermore, we show that ants are able to transfer associative and navigational memories from classical maze and arena contexts to our treadmill. Thus, we demonstrate the possibility to study navigational behaviour over ecologically relevant durations (and virtual distances) in precisely controlled environments, bridging the gap between natural and highly controlled laboratory experiments.1Summary statementWe have developed and validated a motion compensating treadmill for wood ants which opens new perspectives to study insect navigation behaviour in a fully controlled manner over ecologically relevant durations.

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A motion compensation treadmill for untethered wood ants (Formica rufa): evidence for transfer of orientation memories from free-walking training

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.228601 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 223 (24) ◽

pp. jeb228601

Author(s):

Roman Goulard ◽

Cornelia Buehlmann ◽

Jeremy E. Niven ◽

Paul Graham ◽

Barbara Webb

Keyword(s):

Motion Compensation ◽

Laboratory Experiments ◽

Formica Rufa ◽

Insect Navigation ◽

Wood Ants ◽

Long Time ◽

Controlled Environments ◽

Freely Moving ◽

Time Frames ◽

Natural Scale

ABSTRACTThe natural scale of insect navigation during foraging makes it challenging to study under controlled conditions. Virtual reality and trackball setups have offered experimental control over visual environments while studying tethered insects, but potential limitations and confounds introduced by tethering motivates the development of alternative untethered solutions. In this paper, we validate the use of a motion compensator (or ‘treadmill’) to study visually driven behaviour of freely moving wood ants (Formica rufa). We show how this setup allows naturalistic walking behaviour and preserves foraging motivation over long time frames. Furthermore, we show that ants are able to transfer associative and navigational memories from classical maze and arena contexts to our treadmill. Thus, we demonstrate the possibility to study navigational behaviour over ecologically relevant durations (and virtual distances) in precisely controlled environments, bridging the gap between natural and highly controlled laboratory experiments.

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Impact of central complex lesions on visual orientation in ants: Turning behaviour, but not the overall movement direction, is disrupted

10.1101/2021.02.02.429334 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Scarlett Dell-Cronin ◽

Cornelia Buehlmann ◽

Angela Diyalagoda Pathirannahelage ◽

Roman Goulard ◽

Barbara Webb ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visual Navigation ◽

Central Complex ◽

Movement Direction ◽

Insect Brain ◽

Visual Orientation ◽

Heading Direction ◽

Orientation Response ◽

Wood Ants ◽

Turning Behaviour ◽

Freely Moving

ABSTRACTWood ants are excellent navigators using a combination of innate and learnt navigational strategies to travel between their nest and feeding sites. Visual navigation in ants has been studied extensively, however, we only know little about the underlying neural mechanisms. The central complex (CX) is located at the midline of the insect brain. It receives sensory input that allows an insect to keep track of the direction of sensory cues relative to its own orientation and to control movement. We show here direct evidence for the involvement of the central complex in the innate visual orientation response of freely moving wood ants. Lesions in the CX disrupted the control of turning in a lateralised manner, but had no effect on the overall heading direction, walking speed or path straightness.

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The binding and recall of snapshot memories in wood ants (Formica rufa L.)

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.00771 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 207 (3) ◽

pp. 393-398 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

P. Graham

Keyword(s):

Formica Rufa ◽

Wood Ants

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Population studies on hill building wood-ants of the Formica rufa-group

Oecologia ◽

10.1007/bf00346504 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 418-421 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

D. Klimetzek

Keyword(s):

Population Studies ◽

Formica Rufa ◽

Wood Ants ◽

Formica Rufa Group

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Peer Review #2 of "Nests of red wood ants (Formica rufa-group) are positively associated with tectonic faults: a double-blind test (v0.1)"

10.7287/peerj.3903v0.1/reviews/2 ◽

2017 ◽

Keyword(s):

Peer Review ◽

Double Blind ◽

Blind Test ◽

Formica Rufa ◽

Red Wood Ants ◽

Tectonic Faults ◽

Wood Ants ◽

Formica Rufa Group

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Fight tactics in wood ants: individuals in smaller groups fight harder but die faster

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2011.0062 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 278 (1722) ◽

pp. 3243-3250 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Tim P. Batchelor ◽

Mark Briffa

Keyword(s):

Group Size ◽

Negative Influence ◽

Resource Holding Potential ◽

Attrition Rates ◽

Formica Rufa ◽

Wood Ants ◽

Social Animals ◽

Group Members ◽

Per Capita ◽

The Individual

When social animals engage in inter-group contests, the outcome is determined by group sizes and individual masses, which together determine group resource-holding potential (‘group RHP’). Individuals that perceive themselves as being in a group with high RHP may receive a motivational increase and increase their aggression levels. Alternatively, individuals in lower RHP groups may increase their aggression levels in an attempt to overcome the RHP deficit. We investigate how ‘group RHP’ influences agonistic tactics in red wood ants Formica rufa . Larger groups had higher total agonistic indices, but per capita agonistic indices were highest in the smallest groups, indicating that individuals in smaller groups fought harder. Agonistic indices were influenced by relative mean mass, focal group size, opponent group size and opponent group agonistic index. Focal group attrition rates decreased as focal group relative agonistic indices increased and there was a strong negative influence of relative mean mass. The highest focal attrition rates were received when opponent groups were numerically large and composed of large individuals. Thus, fight tactics in F. rufa seem to vary with both aspects of group RHP, group size and the individual attributes of group members, indicating that information on these are available to fighting ants.

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Seasonal Changes in Sugar and Amino Acid Preference in Red Wood Ants of The Formica rufa Group

Sociobiology ◽

10.13102/sociobiology.v67i2.3760 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 67 (2) ◽

pp. 144

Author(s):

Natalia E.L. Madsen ◽

Joachim Offenberg

Keyword(s):

Amino Acid ◽

Seasonal Changes ◽

Food Sources ◽

Individual Species ◽

Sugar Solution ◽

Formica Rufa ◽

Red Wood Ants ◽

Wood Ants ◽

Formica Rufa Group ◽

Mutualistic Relationship

Red wood ants of the Formica rufa group are important ecosystem engineers throughout the Northern Hemisphere with potential to be commercially produced and used as predatory agents in biological control programs. However, in order to do that, their mutualistic relationship with aphids needs to be disrupted. This may be achieved by developing artificial sugar-based solutions with a composition that makes them more attractive than aphid honeydew. The present field study investigated Formica rufa’s preference for several sugar and amino acid sources, as well as potential seasonal changes in these preferences. Red wood ants consistently preferred sucrose to monosaccharides and were most attracted to solutions containing an amino acid source, albeit seasonal differences were observed with regard to which amino acid sources were most preferred. Recruitment to offered sugar solutions was highest during July, when colony requirements were high, and during October, when alternative food sources were scarce. Since ant preference for sugar solution constituents seems to be species-specific and show seasonal dynamics, artificial food aimed at disrupting ant-aphid mutualisms should be tailored to individual species and seasons.

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