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Multiple sources of celestial compass information in the Central Australian desert ant Melophorus bagoti
- Source :
- Journal of Comparative Physiology A. 200:591-601
- Publication Year :
- 2014
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2014.
-
Abstract
- The Central Australian desert ant Melophorus bagoti is known to use celestial cues for compass orientation. We manipulated the available celestial cues for compass orientation for ants that had arrived at a feeder, were captured and then released at a distant test site that had no useful terrestrial panoramic cues. When tested in an enclosed transparent box that blocked some or most of the ultraviolet light, the ants were still well oriented homewards. The ants were again significantly oriented homewards when most of the ultraviolet light as well as the sun was blocked, or when the box was covered with tracing paper that eliminated the pattern of polarised light, although in the latter case, their headings were more scattered than in control (full-cue) conditions. When the position of the sun was reflected 180° by a mirror, the ants headed off in an intermediate direction between the dictates of the sun and the dictates of unrotated cues. We conclude that M. bagoti uses all available celestial compass cues, including the pattern of polarised light, the position of the sun, and spectral and intensity gradients. They average multiple cues in a weighted fashion when these cues conflict.
- Subjects :
- Rotation
Ultraviolet Rays
Physiology
Position of the Sun
Polarised light
Statistics, Nonparametric
Compass Orientation
Behavioral Neuroscience
Homing Behavior
Orientation
Compass
Ultraviolet light
Animals
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Remote sensing
Test site
biology
Ants
Australia
Desert (particle physics)
Feeding Behavior
Melophorus bagoti
biology.organism_classification
Geography
Space Perception
Animal Science and Zoology
Solar System
Cues
Desert Climate
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 14321351 and 03407594
- Volume :
- 200
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Comparative Physiology A
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....97b59cecf534daa3b099e0e9ebe240af
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-014-0899-x