An experimental analysis on the magnetic field sensitivity of the black-meadow ant<i>Formica pratensis</i>Retzius (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Çamlitepe, Yılmaz; Aksoy, Volkan; Uren, N. C.; Yılmaz, Aykut; Becenen, İsmail

doi:10.1556/abiol.56.2005.3-4.5

Cited by 28 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…This also made the ants positively phototactic. Because ants are known to obtain directional information from magnetic field lines (Camlitepe and Stradling, 1995;Camlitepe et al, 2005;Riveros and Srygley, 2008) and idiothetic cues (Cosens and Toussaint, 1985;Aksoy and Camlitepe, 2005), monochromatic test stimuli were interchanged after every fifteenth forager. Prior to each test, food was removed and the feeding boxes were replaced with clean empty ones.…”

Section: Elimination Of Cuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

First evidence of fine colour discrimination ability in ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Çamlitepe

Aksoy

2010

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYIn the present study, we report the first evidence that ants discriminate and learn perceptually close colour stimuli. Foragers of the ant species Cataglyphis aenescens and Formica cunicularia were trained in a Y-maze choice apparatus to monochromatic light stimuli of a constant intensity associated with a food reward. Two stimuli, with a mean wavelength of 40nm perceptual distance, were chosen from the UV (340nm vs 380nm) and the green (510nm vs 550nm) range because these species are UV-green dichromats. Foragers were trained with two conditioning paradigms [absolute conditioning (AC) and differential conditioning (DC)]. In the UV range, C. aenescens foragers failed to discriminate when presented with a small colour difference in both training procedures. Foragers also failed in the green range when trained with AC but showed significant bias towards the rewarded stimulus when trained with DC. Formica cunicularia foragers achieved the task in the UV range when trained with DC only. In the green range, F. cunicularia foragers showed clear preference for the rewarded stimulus in both training conditioning procedures. Foragers never failed in choosing the rewarded stimulus in DC even when the intensity of the rewarded stimulus was reduced by one log unit. This clearly indicates that DC is of paramount importance to discriminate perceptually close colour stimuli.

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Section: Elimination Of Cuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

First evidence of fine colour discrimination ability in ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Çamlitepe

Aksoy

2010

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Fruit flies learned the magnetic position of the source of light that attracted them. In spite of the fact that other diverse experimental approaches were published (AcostaAvalos et al, 2001;Banks and Srygley, 2003;Camlitepe et al, 2005;Etheredge et al, 1999;Perez et al, 1999;Srygley et al, 2006;Ugolini, 2006;Vácha and Soukopová, 2004;Zhang et A relatively simple all-laboratory behavioural assay of insect magnetoreception has been developed. We found non-conditioned reactions of American cockroach to the periodical shifts of the geomagnetic field.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laboratory behavioural assay of insect magnetoreception:magnetosensitivity of Periplaneta americana

Vácha

2006

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY A relatively simple all-laboratory behavioural assay of insect magnetoreception has been developed. We found non-conditioned reactions of American cockroach to the periodical shifts of the geomagnetic field. The movement activity of animals individually placed into Petri dishes was scored as a number of body turns. Test groups were exposed to a 90-min interval with the horizontal component of the geomagnetic field periodically rotated by 60° back and forth with 5 min periodicity. The number of body turns was compared with the preceding and following intervals and with the corresponding interval of the control group kept in the natural field. We obtained a significant increase in activity when changes in field were applied. Interestingly, the period of increased activity did not coincide precisely with the 90 min stimulation interval. The onset of animal restlessness was delayed by tens of minutes and persisted correspondingly after the stimulation stopped. A respective evaluation criterion was suggested and verified. Owing to its simplicity and minimal manipulation of the insects, together with low demands on the memory and motivation state of animals, the approach potentially may be used as a laboratory diagnostic tool indicating magnetoreception in insect neurophysiology research.

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“…The only data come from Arendse and Vrins (1975) who discovered that the magnetic reaction of Tenebrio molitor was correctly oriented in a field where the vertical component was reduced to less than 4% (only the horizontal component remained); they therefore assumed that the polarity principle-most likely magnetite-was used. Although a number of works of more recent dates give altogether a convincing evidence that insects perceive and orient themselves according to the magnetic field (Acosta-Avalos et al 2001;Banks and Srygley 2003;Camlitepe et al 2005;Etheredge et al 1999;Esquivel et al 2006;Perez et al 1999;Srygley et al 2006;Ugolini 2006), we have no certain data pointing at one or the other type of compass orientation achieved by means of the inverted inclination test.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Tenebrio beetles use magnetic inclination compass

Vácha

Drštková

Půžová

2008

Naturwissenschaften

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Animals that guide directions of their locomotion or their migration routes by the lines of the geomagnetic field use either polarity or inclination compasses to determine the field polarity (the north or south direction). Distinguishing the two compass types is a guideline for estimation of the molecular principle of reception and has been achieved for a number of animal groups, with the exception of insects. A standard diagnostic method to distinguish a compass type is based on reversing the vertical component of the geomagnetic field, which leads to the opposite reactions of animals with two different compass types. In the present study, adults of the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor were tested by means of a two-step laboratory test of magnetoreception. Beetles that were initially trained to memorize the magnetic position of the light source preferred, during the subsequent test, this same direction, pursuant geomagnetic cues only. In the following step, the vertical component was reversed between the training and the test. The beetles significantly turned their preferred direction by 180 degrees. Our results brought until then unknown original findings that insects, represented here by the T. molitor species, use-in contrast to another previously researched Arthropod, spiny lobster-the inclination compass.

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An experimental analysis on the magnetic field sensitivity of the black-meadow antFormica pratensisRetzius (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Cited by 28 publications

References 18 publications

First evidence of fine colour discrimination ability in ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

First evidence of fine colour discrimination ability in ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Laboratory behavioural assay of insect magnetoreception:magnetosensitivity of Periplaneta americana

Tenebrio beetles use magnetic inclination compass

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