Abstract:The wolf spider Lycosa tarantula returns home by means of path integration. Previous studies demonstrated: (i) that the angular component of the outbound run is measured using a polarized-light compass associated with the anterior median eyes; (ii) changes in direction of the substratum are detected by the anterior lateral eyes (ALEs); and (iii) in relation to the linear component of the outbound run, an increase of optic flow, in either the lateral or ventral fields of view, caused spiders to search for the b… Show more
“…PI is well documented for many animals, but the studies of desert ants are the most extensive (Wehner, 1992; Wehner and Srinivasan, 1981; Wehner et al, 1996; 2004; 2006; Wolf, 2011; Wittlinger et al, 2006; 2007; Wittlinger and Wolf, 2013; Heinze et al, 2018; Srinivasan, 2015; Wittlinger et al, 2006; Wolf, 2011). PI has also been described for some groups of spiders (Ortega-Escobar, 2002; 2006; Ortega-Escobar and Ruiz, 2017; 2014; Görner and Claas, 1985; Moller and Görner, 1994; Seyfarth and Barth, 1972; Seyfarth et al, 1982), and a recent study showed evidence of path integration in the lesser Asian scorpion, Mesobuthus eupeus (Prévost and Stemme, 2020).…”
The Navigation by Chemotextural Familiarity Hypothesis (NCFH) suggests that scorpions use their midventral pectines to gather chemical and textural information near their burrows and use this information as they subsequently return home. For NCFH to be viable, animals must somehow acquire home-directed ″tastes″ of the substrate, such as through path integration (PI) and/or learning walks. We conducted laboratory behavioral trials using desert grassland scorpions (Paruroctonus utahensis). Animals reliably formed burrows in small mounds of sand we provided in the middle of circular, sand lined behavioral arenas. We processed overnight infrared video recordings with a MATLAB script that tracked animal movements at 1-2 s intervals. In all, we analyzed the movements of 23 animals, representing nearly 1500 hours of video recording. We found that once animals established their home burrows, they immediately made one to several short, looping excursions away from and back to their burrows before walking greater distances. We also observed similar excursions when animals made burrows in level sand in the middle of the arena (i.e., no mound provided). These putative learning walks, together with recently reported PI in scorpions, may provide the crucial home-directed information requisite for NCFH.
“…PI is well documented for many animals, but the studies of desert ants are the most extensive (Wehner, 1992; Wehner and Srinivasan, 1981; Wehner et al, 1996; 2004; 2006; Wolf, 2011; Wittlinger et al, 2006; 2007; Wittlinger and Wolf, 2013; Heinze et al, 2018; Srinivasan, 2015; Wittlinger et al, 2006; Wolf, 2011). PI has also been described for some groups of spiders (Ortega-Escobar, 2002; 2006; Ortega-Escobar and Ruiz, 2017; 2014; Görner and Claas, 1985; Moller and Görner, 1994; Seyfarth and Barth, 1972; Seyfarth et al, 1982), and a recent study showed evidence of path integration in the lesser Asian scorpion, Mesobuthus eupeus (Prévost and Stemme, 2020).…”
The Navigation by Chemotextural Familiarity Hypothesis (NCFH) suggests that scorpions use their midventral pectines to gather chemical and textural information near their burrows and use this information as they subsequently return home. For NCFH to be viable, animals must somehow acquire home-directed ″tastes″ of the substrate, such as through path integration (PI) and/or learning walks. We conducted laboratory behavioral trials using desert grassland scorpions (Paruroctonus utahensis). Animals reliably formed burrows in small mounds of sand we provided in the middle of circular, sand lined behavioral arenas. We processed overnight infrared video recordings with a MATLAB script that tracked animal movements at 1-2 s intervals. In all, we analyzed the movements of 23 animals, representing nearly 1500 hours of video recording. We found that once animals established their home burrows, they immediately made one to several short, looping excursions away from and back to their burrows before walking greater distances. We also observed similar excursions when animals made burrows in level sand in the middle of the arena (i.e., no mound provided). These putative learning walks, together with recently reported PI in scorpions, may provide the crucial home-directed information requisite for NCFH.
“…PI is well documented for many animals, but the studies of desert ants are the most extensive ( Collett, 2019 ; Wehner, 1992 ; Wehner and Srinivasan, 1981 ; Wehner et al, 1996 , 2004 , 2006 ; Wolf, 2011 ; Wittlinger et al, 2006 , 2007 ; Wittlinger and Wolf, 2013 ; Heinze et al, 2018 ; Srinivasan, 2015 ). PI has also been described for some groups of spiders ( Ortega-Escobar, 2002 , 2006 ; Ortega-Escobar and Ruiz, 2014 , 2017 ; Görner and Claas, 1985 ; Moller and Görner, 1994 ; Nørgaard, 2005 ; Seyfarth and Barth, 1972 ; Seyfarth et al, 1982 ), and a recent study showed evidence of PI in the lesser Asian scorpion, Mesobuthus eupeus ( Prévost and Stemme, 2020 ). Fig.…”
The Navigation by Chemotextural Familiarity Hypothesis (NCFH) suggests that scorpions use their midventral pectines to gather chemical and textural information near their burrows and use this information as they subsequently return home. For NCFH to be viable, animals must somehow acquire home-directed “tastes” of the substrate, such as through path integration (PI) and/or learning walks. We conducted laboratory behavioral trials using desert grassland scorpions (Paruroctonus utahensis). Animals reliably formed burrows in small mounds of sand we provided in the middle of circular, sand-lined behavioral arenas. We processed overnight infrared video recordings with a MATLAB script that tracked animal movements at 1-2 s intervals. In all, we analyzed the movements of 23 animals, representing nearly 1500 hours of video recording. We found that once animals established their home burrows, they immediately made one to several short, looping excursions away from and back to their burrows before walking greater distances. We also observed similar excursions when animals made burrows in level sand in the middle of the arena (i.e., no mound provided). These putative learning walks, together with recently reported PI in scorpions, may provide the crucial home-directed information requisite for NCFH.
“…Wolf spiders may be capable of using idiothetic and allothetic information simultaneously or perhaps hierarchically to integrate orientation information. Ortega‐Escobar and Ruiz (2017) found that during path integration navigation, wolf spiders use the anterior median eyes to navigate via a polarized light compass and use other sets of eyes as visual odometers to record distance. Polarized light navigation could be construed as a type of orientation cue and, therefore, regarded as a landmark.…”
Spatial learning and navigation may be acquired through idiothetic information (i.e., self‐referential movement cues) or allothetic cues (e.g., external landmarks). Animals may use specific types of landmarks to navigate known as reference frames. A reference frame is an environmental shape or boundary that provides a framework for spatial localization. Wolf spiders produce draglines of silk as they move through the environment that could serve as reference frames and may predispose spiders to use other reference frames to navigate. Using a modified water T‐maze, we recorded the ability of adult female Tigrosa helluo wolf spiders to correctly navigate toward a target goal. We measured variation in spatial learning of the target location with and without a reference frame landmark (tape marking the correct path). Females were trained over ten consecutive trials to successfully achieve the goal. Training trials were then repeated the following day for each subject for a total of 20 trials over two days. In the landmark condition, after the 20 trials, we reversed the reference frame to the incorrect arm choice to test for a decline in performance. For each trial, we measured the latency to achieve the goal and number of reversions or path retracing. Results indicate significantly shorter time to goal over subsequent trials with shorter mean latency to achieve the goal on the second day compared with the first. The landmark treatment showed significantly fewer wrong turns and path retracings than the control, and the reversal of the reference frame significantly increased the latency to achieve the goal. Wolf spiders can learn simple T‐maze navigation under our testing conditions, but learning is enhanced when reference frames are present. Landmarks are important for spider allothetic spatial navigation, and learned spatial navigation tasks are better retained over two days in the presence of reference frames.
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