File(s) not publicly available
Local and global vectors in desert ant navigation.
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 21:44 authored by M Collett, T S Collett, S Bisch, R WehnerDesert ants returning from a foraging trip to their nest navigate both by path integration and by visual landmarks1, 2, 3. In path integration, ants compute their net distance and direction from the nest throughout their outward1 and return4 journeys, and so can always return directly home from their current location1. As the path-integration vector is updated over the entire journey, we call it a global vector. On a familiar route, when ants can steer by visual landmarks, they adopt a fixed and often circuitous path consisting of several separate segments that point in different directions2,3,5. Here we show that, as in honeybees6, 7, 8, such multisegment journeys are composed partly of stored local movement vectors, which are associated with landmarks and are recalled at the appropriate place. We also show that a local vector learnt at one value of the global vector can be recalled at many values, and that expression of the global vector is temporarily inhibited while the local vector is used. These results indicate that the global vector is ignored during navigation through familiar, cluttered territory, but that it re-emerges to take the ant home once the insect leaves the clutter and other guidance strategies cease to operate.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
NatureISSN
0028-0836Publisher
NatureExternal DOI
Volume
394Page range
269-272ISBN
0028-0836Department affiliated with
- Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2012-02-06Usage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC