scholarly journals Recruitment in Swarm-Founding Wasps:Polybia occidentalisDoes not Actively Scent-Mark Carbohydrate Food Sources

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Taylor ◽  
Erik V. Nordheim ◽  
Teresa I. Schueller ◽  
Robert L. Jeanne
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Sucrose Solution ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Scent Mark ◽  
Social Bees ◽  
Left Behind

Scent marking food resources is expected to enhance foraging efficiency reducing search time. Many social bees exhibit this behavior, but scent-marking is absent in social wasps, except forVespa mandarinia. We tested for scent marking in the swarm-founding wasp,Polybia occidentalis. This wasp has moderately large colonies and utilizes resources that are concentrated in time and space, making scent marking profitable. Also, this wasp uses chemical markings to lead nestmates to a new nest site during swarm emigration, making it possible that it could use the same behavior to recruit nestmates to a food source. Foragers from 11 colonies were given a choice between a previously visited feeder and an unvisited one, both containing a rich, unscented sucrose solution. There was no difference in the number of visits to the two treatments. However, some individuals chose the feeder on one side more often. We conclude that foragers of this species of wasp do not use odor marks left behind by nestmates to find food, but they do exhibit the tendency, when returning to a food source that has not been depleted, to choose a resource based on its relative position, presumably by using visual cues.

scholarly journals Negative feedback: ants choose unoccupied over occupied food sources and lay more pheromone to them

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (163) ◽  
pp. 20190661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Wendt ◽  
Nico Kleinhoelting ◽  
Tomer J. Czaczkes
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Negative Feedback ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Mate Recognition ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Lasius Niger ◽  
Surface Lipid ◽  
Feedback Systems ◽  
Pheromone Trails

In order to make effective collective decisions, ants lay pheromone trails to lead nest-mates to acceptable food sources. The strength of a trail informs other ants about the quality of a food source, allowing colonies to exploit the most profitable resources. However, recruiting too many ants to a single food source can lead to over-exploitation, queuing, and thus decreased food intake for the colony. The nonlinear nature of pheromonal recruitment can also lead colonies to become trapped in suboptimal decisions, if the environment changes. Negative feedback systems can ameliorate these problems. We investigated a potential source of negative feedback: whether the presence of nest-mates makes food sources more or less attractive. Lasius niger workers were trained to food sources of identical quality, scented with different odours. Ants fed alone at one odour. At the other odour ants fed either with other feeding nest-mates, or with dummy ants (black surface lipid-coated glass beads). Ants tended to avoid food sources at which other nest-mates were present. They also deposited less pheromone to occupied food sources, suggesting an active avoidance behaviour, and potentiating negative feedback. This effect may prevent crowding at a single food source when other profitable food sources are available elsewhere, leading to a higher collective food intake. It could also potentially protect colonies from becoming trapped in local feeding optima. However, ants did not avoid the food associated with dummy ants, suggesting that surface lipids and static visual cues alone may not be sufficient for nest-mate recognition in this context.

scholarly journals EXPRESS: Two Variations and One Similarity in Memory Functions Deployed by Mice and Humans to Support Foraging

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110105
Author(s):  
Spencer Talbot ◽  
Todor Gerdjikov ◽  
Carlo De Lillo
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Memory Functions ◽  
Term Memory

Assessing variations in cognitive function between humans and animals is vital for understanding the idiosyncrasies of human cognition and for refining animal models of human brain function and disease. We determined memory functions deployed by mice and humans to support foraging with a search task acting as a test battery. Mice searched for food from the top of poles within an open-arena. Poles were divided into groups based on visual cues and baited according to different schedules. White and black poles were baited in alternate trials. Striped poles were never baited. The requirement of the task was to find all baits in each trial. Mice’s foraging efficiency, defined as the number of poles visited before all baits were retrieved, improved with practice. Mice learnt to avoid visiting un-baited poles across trials (Long-term memory) and revisits to poles within each trial (Working memory). Humans tested with a virtual-reality version of the task outperformed mice in foraging efficiency, working memory and exploitation of the temporal pattern of rewards across trials. Moreover, humans, but not mice, reduced the number of possible movement sequences used to search the set of poles. For these measures interspecies differences were maintained throughout three weeks of testing. By contrast, long-term-memory for never-rewarded poles was similar in mice and humans after the first week of testing. These results indicate that human cognitive functions relying upon archaic brain structures may be adequately modelled in mice. Conversely, modelling in mice fluid skills likely to have developed specifically in primates, requires caution.

Methods of scent marking in the domestic cat

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 1093-1099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary N. Feldman
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Tree Bark ◽  
Scent Mark ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Felis Silvestris ◽  
Felis Silvestris Catus ◽  
The Face ◽  
Visual Mark

Carnivores use various scent-marking methods. Semi-feral domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus) were observed to use the same means as their wild counterparts. Adult males performed most urine spray marking. Cats scratched tree bark, producing a visual mark, and probably used trees both as markers and for claw sharpening. Most scratching trees were located along frequently used paths rather than along territorial boundaries or scattered randomly throughout a home range. Bark consistency affected the tree species that were scratched, with soft bark preferred. Although deposition of faeces and urine was recorded, there was no clear evidence for their use as territorial markers; cats primarily eliminated away from the core area of the home range. Most faeces were buried, although exposed deposits were also observed. Cats also rubbed against objects, probably using glandular secretions from the face and tail areas to scent mark. Males rubbed objects more than females, and males scent marked more. Individual males may use different means of scent marking. Scent marking in this study supports the idea that cats do not defend territories, instead patrolling and reinforcing marks throughout a looser home range. The suggestion has been made that different forms of marking may serve separate signalling functions.

RED JUNGLE FOWL HAVE MORE CONTRAFREELOADING THAN WHITE LEGHORN LAYERS: EFFECT OF FOOD DEPRIVATION AND CONSEQUENCES FOR INFORMATION GAIN

Behaviour ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 139 (9) ◽  
pp. 1195-1209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Jensen ◽  
Karin Schütz ◽  
Christina Lindqvist
Keyword(s):  
Food Deprivation ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Information Gain ◽  
High Gain ◽  
Alternative Food ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Production Environment ◽  
White Leghorn ◽  
Wood Shavings ◽  
Red Jungle Fowl

AbstractContrafreeloading (CFL), i.e. choosing food which requires work over free food, occurs at a higher rate in red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) compared to White Leghorn layers. We examined whether this difference between breeds was altered by food deprivation and whether it affected the information gained about alternative food sources. In a first experiment, twenty birds of each breed were deprived for zero, three and six hours and then allowed a choice of feeding from freely available food or food mixed with wood shavings. In both breeds, CFL tended to decrease after deprivation, but jungle fowl consistently showed more CFL than Leghorns also after food deprivation. This shows that differences in CFL between breeds were not altered by food deprivation, and the larger CFL in jungle fowl may represent a genetically based difference in feeding strategy. In a second experiment, we examined whether the differences in CFL affected how the birds acquired information about alternative food sites of different quality. Twenty birds of each breed were allowed to forage during three 10 min sessions in a four armed maze, where symbols in each end of the arms indicated the location of four different quality food sources; 'high gain' (freely available food), 'medium gain' (70% food, 30% wood shavings), 'low gain' (30% food), and 'no gain' (100% wood shavings). Each bird was then tested in the same maze when the 'high gain' food source and its symbol had been removed, and the other three sources contained only the symbols and wood shavings. Jungle fowl chose the symbol indicating the best available food source significantly more often than the Leghorns. The results indicate that Leghorn gain less information during foraging, which may have consequences for their adaptation capacity in a production environment. This could either be a consequence of Leghorns showing less CFL, or a generally impaired learning capacity of Leghorns compared to jungle fowl.

scholarly journals The contribution of the Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis) to the winter diet of frugivores in novel ecosystems

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk HR Spennemann
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Canary Island ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Novel Ecosystems ◽  
Date Palms ◽  
Phoenix Canariensis ◽  
Winter Diet ◽  
Native Foods

Abstract With the increasing expansion in urban areas, many species have adapted to utilising horticulturally used plants as alternate or augmentary food sources, in particular, during winter – when native foods are largely absent. Ornamental palms, particularly Canary Island Date Palms, fruit continuously during most of the year and thus provide a stable food supply. Based on observational, metric and bio-chemical data, this paper examines the role Canary Island Date Palms can and do play in the nutrition of frugivorous animals, in particular, for birds. It demonstrates that with its nearly year-round provisioning of drupes, the palm plays a major role as a ‘staple’ and backup food source for several species.

scholarly journals MODIFIKASI BARU ALGORITMA KOLONI LEBAH BUATAN UNTUK MASALAH OPTIMASI GLOBAL

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Nursyiva Irsalinda ◽  
Sugiyarto Surono
Keyword(s):  
Food Source ◽  
Artificial Bee Colony ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Optimization Technique ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Abc Algorithm ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
Objective Function Values ◽  
Better Than

Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm is one of metaheuristic optimization technique based on population. This algorithm mimicking honey bee swarm to find the best food source. ABC algorithm consist of four phases: initialization phase, employed bee phase, onlooker bee phase and scout bee phase. This study modify the onlooker bee phase in selection process to find the neighborhood food source. Not all food sources obtained are randomly sought the neighborhood as in ABC algorithm. Food sources are selected by comparing their objective function values. The food sources that have value lower than average value in that iteration will be chosen by onlooker bee to get the better food source. In this study the modification of this algorithm is called New Modification of Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm (MB-ABC). MB-ABC was applied to 4 Benchmark functions. The results show that MB-ABC algorithm better than ABC algorithm

Digestive physiological characteristics of black soldier fly larvae reared on five organic wastes

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Q.X. Sun ◽  
X.C. Li ◽  
X.H. Tan ◽  
Y.W. Dong ◽  
C.H. You ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Enzyme Activity ◽  
Growth Performance ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Digestive Enzyme ◽  
Organic Wastes ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Black Soldier Fly ◽  
Ph Values ◽  
Black Soldier Fly Larvae ◽  
Luminal Ph

Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) are able to utilise a broad range of organic wastes to fulfil their growth needs. To acquire this basic knowledge of its digestive adaptation to various food, five organic wastes (soybean meal [SBM], wheat bran [WB], beer yeast [BY], kitchen waste [KW] and chicken manure [CM]) were fed to 3-day-old BSFL for 16 days. The growth performance, luminal pH of the gut, midgut histology, digestive enzyme activity and intestinal bacterial microbiota of the larvae were assessed. Growth performance was greatest in the KW group followed by the SBM group and was worst in the CM group. Nutrient compositions of larvae were not significantly affected by those of the food sources, with the exception of crude ash. The ultrastructural observations of midgut showed the number of mitochondria in CM and BY groups was less than other three groups. Twenty-four hours after feeding, weakly acidic, acidic, strongly acidic, and alkaline luminal pH values were detected in the anterior, middle and posterior segments of the gut in all groups, but the luminal pH values of the hindgut varied with food source. Significant lipase and esterase activity, cellulase activity, and amylase activity were detected in the intestines of larvae reared on KW, WB and BY, respectively, revealing that digestive enzyme activity was closely associated with the nutrient composition of the food source. Bacterial composition and diversity differed significantly between groups and were characterised by specific indicator bacteria, which may play important roles in food digestibility. The results suggested that different food sources induced adaptive physical, chemical and biological changes in the digestive tracts of BSFL and may indicate that BSFL developed specific strategies for nutrient utilisation and accumulation. The knowledge acquired here will be beneficial for developing rearing protocols to optimise bioconversion in this insect for their various applications.

Pinpointing food sources: olfactory and anemotactic orientation in desert ants, Cataglyphis fortis

2000 ◽  
Vol 203 (5) ◽  
pp. 857-868 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Wolf ◽  
R. Wehner
Keyword(s):  
Food Source ◽  
Video Tracking ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Integration Scheme ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Feeding Site ◽  
Desert Ants ◽  
Feeding Station ◽  
Visually Based ◽  
Cataglyphis Fortis

Desert ants, Cataglyphis fortis, search for a repeatedly visited food source by employing a combined olfactory and anemotactic orientation strategy (in addition to their visually based path-integration scheme). This behaviour was investigated by video-tracking consecutive foraging trips of individually marked ants under a variety of experimental conditions, including manipulations of the olfactory and wind-detecting systems of the ants. If the wind blows from a constant direction, ants familiar with the feeding site follow outbound paths that lead them into an area 0.5-2.5 m downwind of the feeding station. Here, the ants apparently pick up odour plumes emanating from the food source and follow these by steering an upwind course until they reach the feeder. If the food is removed, foragers usually concentrate their search movements within the area downwind of the feeding site. Only when the wind happens to subside or when tail-wind conditions prevail do the ants steer direct courses towards the food. Elimination of olfactory input by clipping the antennal flagella, or of wind perception by immobilising the bases of the antennae, altered the foraging behaviour of the ants in ways that supported these interpretations. Ants with clipped flagella were never observed to collect food items.

Space use, cave choice, and spatial learning in the dendrobatid frog Colostethus palmatus

2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Horst Lüddecke
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Learning ◽  
Daily Activity ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Habitat Choice ◽  
Test Area ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Similar Search

AbstractMoving in and out of small cavelike structures is a common daily activity of Colostethus palmatus. Such sites are used for shelter and spawning. Therefore, cave quality is important to survival and reproductive success. The frogs' association with caves was studied in a 24-cave communal paludarium. Adult frogs recognised cave quality, and chose large damp caves for spawning, but large, wet and dark caves were preferred for shelter, while small ones were used less or ignored. The search time needed to find an available cave gradually shortened over trials, reaching a minimum in about eight days, indicating that frogs learned cave position. Males and females had similar search times. Frogs less familiar with the test area had longer initial search times than frogs with more experience, but achieved equally short search times after about eight days. In conjunction with previous findings the results suggest that visual cues are important in habitat choice and spatial learning, and that territorial and reproductive behaviour are intimately associated with learning performance.

scholarly journals The effect of neighbouring klipspringer on the scent–marking behaviour of a group of klipspringer in the Kruger National Park

Koedoe ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kruger ◽  
J. Du P. Bothma ◽  
J.M. Kruger
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
Scent Mark ◽  
Scent Marks ◽  
Marking Behaviour ◽  
Strip Transect

Both the male and the female klipspringer scent-mark their ranges. A pair of pre-orbital glands below the eyes produces the scent. The secretion is a sticky, substance that is deposited on a suitable twig. Klipspringer scent marks were surveyed in a specific klipspringer range in the Kruger National Park with the use of a strip transect method. The results showed that klipspringer in the Kruger National Park scent-mark more frequently on the boundaries of their ranges and also more on those sides where there is another resident klipspringer group.

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