Abstract
Nocturnal insects have remarkable visual capacities in dim light. They can navigate using both the surrounding panorama and celestial cues. Individual foraging ants are efficient navigators, able to accurately reach a variety of goal locations. During navigation, foragers compare the current panoramic view to previously learnt views. In this natural experiment, we observed the effects of large panorama changes, the addition of a fence and the removal of several trees near the nest site, on the navigation of the nocturnal bull ant Myrmecia midas. We examined how the ants’ navigational efficiency and behaviour changed in response to changes in ~ 30% of the surrounding skyline, following them over multiple nights. Foragers were displaced locally off-route where we collected initial orientations and homing paths both before and after large panorama changes. We found that immediately after these changes, foragers were unable to initially orient correctly to the nest direction and foragers’ return paths were less straight, suggesting increased navigational uncertainty. Continued testing showed rapid recovery in both initial orientation and path straightness.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Macquarie University for access to the field site and special thanks to MQ Property for providing us with the information related to the construction and changes. We also thank Ajay Narendra for his comments on experimental design. The work was supported by the Australian Research Council to KC for the project 'Navigating brains: the neurobiology of spatial cognition' (DP 1598700).
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Experiments and Analyses were designed by MI, KC and CF. MI and CF collected all data. MI and CF analyzed the data. KC, MI and CF drafted and revised the manuscript.
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The state of New South Wales does not have ethical regulations with regard to research on ants. The study was non-invasive and produced no notable adverse effects on individual ants.
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Islam, M., Freas, C.A. & Cheng, K. Effect of large visual changes on the navigation of the nocturnal bull ant, Myrmecia midas. Anim Cogn 23, 1071–1080 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-020-01377-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-020-01377-0