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Moreyra S, Lozada M. Spatial configuration learning in
Vespula germanica
forager wasps. Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Moreyra
- Laboratorio Ecotono, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medio Ambiente (INIBIOMA), CONICET Universidad Nacional del Comahue (CRUB) Bariloche Argentina
| | - Mariana Lozada
- Laboratorio Ecotono, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medio Ambiente (INIBIOMA), CONICET Universidad Nacional del Comahue (CRUB) Bariloche Argentina
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2
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Patel RN, Kempenaers J, Heinze S. Vector navigation in walking bumblebees. Curr Biol 2022; 32:2871-2883.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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3
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Gallistel C. The physical basis of memory. Cognition 2021; 213:104533. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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4
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Paffhausen BH, Petrasch J, Wild B, Meurers T, Schülke T, Polster J, Fuchs I, Drexler H, Kuriatnyk O, Menzel R, Landgraf T. A Flying Platform to Investigate Neuronal Correlates of Navigation in the Honey Bee ( Apis mellifera). Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:690571. [PMID: 34354573 PMCID: PMC8329708 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.690571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Navigating animals combine multiple perceptual faculties, learn during exploration, retrieve multi-facetted memory contents, and exhibit goal-directedness as an expression of their current needs and motivations. Navigation in insects has been linked to a variety of underlying strategies such as path integration, view familiarity, visual beaconing, and goal-directed orientation with respect to previously learned ground structures. Most works, however, study navigation either from a field perspective, analyzing purely behavioral observations, or combine computational models with neurophysiological evidence obtained from lab experiments. The honey bee (Apis mellifera) has long been a popular model in the search for neural correlates of complex behaviors and exhibits extraordinary navigational capabilities. However, the neural basis for bee navigation has not yet been explored under natural conditions. Here, we propose a novel methodology to record from the brain of a copter-mounted honey bee. This way, the animal experiences natural multimodal sensory inputs in a natural environment that is familiar to her. We have developed a miniaturized electrophysiology recording system which is able to record spikes in the presence of time-varying electric noise from the copter's motors and rotors, and devised an experimental procedure to record from mushroom body extrinsic neurons (MBENs). We analyze the resulting electrophysiological data combined with a reconstruction of the animal's visual perception and find that the neural activity of MBENs is linked to sharp turns, possibly related to the relative motion of visual features. This method is a significant technological step toward recording brain activity of navigating honey bees under natural conditions. By providing all system specifications in an online repository, we hope to close a methodological gap and stimulate further research informing future computational models of insect navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin H Paffhausen
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julian Petrasch
- Dahlem Center for Machine Learning and Robotics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Benjamin Wild
- Dahlem Center for Machine Learning and Robotics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thierry Meurers
- Dahlem Center for Machine Learning and Robotics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tobias Schülke
- Dahlem Center for Machine Learning and Robotics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes Polster
- Dahlem Center for Machine Learning and Robotics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Inga Fuchs
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Helmut Drexler
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Oleksandra Kuriatnyk
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tim Landgraf
- Dahlem Center for Machine Learning and Robotics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Collado MÁ, Montaner CM, Molina FP, Sol D, Bartomeus I. Brain size predicts learning abilities in bees. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:201940. [PMID: 34017597 PMCID: PMC8131939 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
When it comes to the brain, bigger is generally considered better in terms of cognitive performance. While this notion is supported by studies of birds and primates showing that larger brains improve learning capacity, similar evidence is surprisingly lacking for invertebrates. Although the brain of invertebrates is smaller and simpler than that of vertebrates, recent work in insects has revealed enormous variation in size across species. Here, we ask whether bee species that have larger brains also have higher learning abilities. We conducted an experiment in which field-collected individuals had to associate an unconditioned stimulus (sucrose) with a conditioned stimulus (coloured strip). We found that most species can learn to associate a colour with a reward, yet some do so better than others. These differences in learning were related to brain size: species with larger brains-both absolute and relative to body size-exhibited enhanced performance to learn the reward-colour association. Our finding highlights the functional significance of brain size in insects, filling a major gap in our understanding of brain evolution and opening new opportunities for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Á. Collado
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Americo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
- Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF-UAB), Campus de Bellaterra, Edifici C, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallés, Spain
| | - Cristina M. Montaner
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Americo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Francisco P. Molina
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Americo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
- Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF-UAB), Campus de Bellaterra, Edifici C, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallés, Spain
| | - Daniel Sol
- Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF-UAB), Campus de Bellaterra, Edifici C, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallés, Spain
| | - Ignasi Bartomeus
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Americo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
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6
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Collado MÁ, Menzel R, Sol D, Bartomeus I. Innovation in solitary bees is driven by exploration, shyness and activity levels. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb232058. [PMID: 33443044 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.232058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Behavioural innovation and problem solving are widely considered to be important mechanisms by which animals respond to novel environmental challenges, including those induced by human activities. Despite their functional and ecological relevance, much of our current understanding of these processes comes from studies in vertebrates. Understanding of these processes in invertebrates has lagged behind partly because they are not perceived to have the cognitive machinery required. This perception is, however, challenged by recent evidence demonstrating sophisticated cognitive capabilities in insects despite their small brains. Here, we studied innovation, defined as the capacity to solve a new task, of a solitary bee (Osmia cornuta) in the laboratory by exposing naive individuals to an obstacle removal task. We also studied the underlying cognitive and non-cognitive mechanisms through a battery of experimental tests designed to measure associative learning, exploration, shyness and activity levels. We found that solitary bees can innovate, with 11 of 29 individuals (38%) being able to solve a new task consisting of lifting a lid to reach a reward. However, the propensity to innovate was uncorrelated with the measured learning capacity, but increased with exploration, boldness and activity. These results provide solid evidence that non-social insects can solve new tasks, and highlight the importance of interpreting innovation in the light of non-cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Á Collado
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Americo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
- CREAF (Centre for Ecological Research and Applied Forestries), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia E-08193, Spain
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Freire Universität Berlin, Institut für Biologie - Neurobiologie, Königin-Luise-Str. 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Daniel Sol
- CREAF (Centre for Ecological Research and Applied Forestries), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia E-08193, Spain
- CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia E-08193, Spain
| | - Ignasi Bartomeus
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Americo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
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Jin N, Paffhausen BH, Duer A, Menzel R. Mushroom Body Extrinsic Neurons in Walking Bumblebees Correlate With Behavioral States but Not With Spatial Parameters During Exploratory Behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:590999. [PMID: 33192371 PMCID: PMC7606933 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.590999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Central place foraging insects like honeybees and bumblebees learn to navigate efficiently between nest and feeding site. Essential components of this behavior can be moved to the laboratory. A major component of navigational learning is the active exploration of the test arena. These conditions have been used here to search for neural correlates of exploratory walking in the central arena (ground), and thigmotactic walking in the periphery (slope). We chose mushroom body extrinsic neurons (MBENs) because of their learning-related plasticity and their multi-modal sensitivities that may code relevant parameters in a brain state-dependent way. Our aim was to test whether MBENs code space-related components or are more involved in state-dependent processes characterizing exploration and thigmotaxis. MBENs did not respond selectively to body directions or locations. Their spiking activity differently correlated with walking speed depending on the animals' locations: on the ground, reflecting exploration, or on the slope, reflecting thigmotaxis. This effect depended on walking speed in different ways for different animals. We then asked whether these effects depended on spatial parameters or on the two states, exploration and thigmotaxis. Significant epochs of stable changes in spiking did not correlate with restricted locations in the arena, body direction, or walking transitions between ground and slope. We thus conclude that the walking speed dependencies are caused by the two states, exploration and thigmotaxis, rather than by spatial parameters.
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Kamran M, Moore ME, Fisher AM, Moore PA. Examination of Homing Behaviors in Two Species of Crayfish Following Translational Displacements. Integr Org Biol 2019; 1:obz008. [PMID: 33791524 PMCID: PMC7671143 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obz008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Crayfish have been model systems for examining complex behaviors and the underlying neural mechanisms that guide these behaviors. While spatial learning has been examined in a subset of crayfish species, homing behaviors remained largely unexamined. Here we examined homing behavior following translational displacements in a primary burrowing (Creaserinus fodiens) and tertiary burrowing species (Faxonius rusticus). Individuals of both species were placed in an arena with artificial burrows embedded within the arena floor. The arena floor was fitted with a panel, which served as a treadmill belt to allow for translational displacement. Individuals were displaced after they had left the burrows. The movement pathways of displaced crayfish were compared with those in two control groups, one which underwent no displacement and the second in which the treadmill belt was displaced but returned to its original position almost immediately. Homing success for displaced individuals of both species was considerably reduced in comparison to the control groups. Moreover, displaced primary burrowers had significantly lower homing success in comparison to displaced tertiary burrowers. Primary burrowers exhibited greater homing error and significantly impaired homing behaviors compared with tertiary burrowers. Furthermore, heading angles in displaced groups (of both species) were significantly higher than the control group of both species. Species-specific differences in homing success and homing error indicate that primary burrowers were more negatively impacted by translational displacements. These homing differences indicate that these two species of crayfish have differing homing strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Kamran
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97330, USA
| | - Meghan E Moore
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USA
| | - Andrea M Fisher
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Florida St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA
| | - Paul A Moore
- J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind & Behavior, Departments of Biological Sciences and Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USA.,Laboratory for Sensory Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USA
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Austin MW, Horack P, Dunlap AS. Choice in a floral marketplace: the role of complexity in bumble bee decision-making. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew W Austin
- Department of Biology, University of Missouri – St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Patricia Horack
- Department of Biology, University of Missouri – St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Aimee S Dunlap
- Department of Biology, University of Missouri – St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
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Characterization of the first-order visual interneurons in the visual system of the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris). J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 203:903-913. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1201-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Revised: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Learned Use of Picture Cues by Bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) in a Delayed Matching Task. Behav Sci (Basel) 2016; 6:bs6040022. [PMID: 27754410 PMCID: PMC5197935 DOI: 10.3390/bs6040022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2016] [Revised: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Picture-object correspondence provides an alternate method of investigating delayed matching by providing a cue (picture) which may be spontaneously perceived as similar but different from a corresponding target. Memory for, and corresponding choice of, a target corresponding to a cue could be facilitated by the use of a picture. Bumblebees have been found to both easily differentiate images from corresponding objects but also spontaneously perceive a similarity between the two. Herein, an approach was designed to test the possible use of picture cues to signal reward in a delayed matching task. Target choice preference corresponding to picture cues was tested among three bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) colonies using photograph cues (presented prior to target stimuli) corresponding to one of four target stimuli. Photograph cues were the only predictor of corresponding target reward, presented in stable locations. Rewarded and unrewarded tests show a choice preference significantly higher than chance for targets matching the cue. Results suggest that bumblebees can learn to use picture cues in a delayed matching task. Furthermore, experience, conditions of reward inconsistency and location, are discussed as possible contributing factors to learning in a delayed matching task.
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12
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Heinrich B. A Note on Iris Flower Anthesis: Mechanism and Meaning of Sudden Flower Opening. Northeast Nat (Steuben) 2016. [DOI: 10.1656/045.023.0309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Jin N, Klein S, Leimig F, Bischoff G, Menzel R. The neonicotinoid clothianidin interferes with navigation of the solitary bee Osmia cornuta in a laboratory test. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [PMID: 26206356 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.123612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Pollinating insects provide a vital ecosystem service to crops and wild plants. Exposure to low doses of neonicotinoid insecticides has sub-lethal effects on social pollinators such as bumblebees and honeybees, disturbing their navigation and interfering with their development. Solitary Hymenoptera are also very important ecosystem service providers, but the sub-lethal effects of neonicotinoids have not yet been studied well in those animals. We analyzed the ability of walking Osmia to remember a feeding place in a small environment and found that Osmia remembers the feeding place well after 4 days of training. Uptake of field-realistic amounts of the neonicotinoid clothianidin (0.76 ng per bee) altered the animals' sensory responses to the visual environment and interfered with the retrieval of navigational memory. We conclude that the neonicotinoid clothianidin compromises visual guidance and the use of navigational memory in the solitary bee Osmia cornuta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanxiang Jin
- Institut Biologie, Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28-30, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Simon Klein
- Institut Biologie, Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28-30, Berlin 14195, Germany Master Biosciences, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 Allée d'Italie, 69007 Lyon, France Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Université de Toulouse (UPS), 118 route de Narbonne, cedex 9 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Fabian Leimig
- Institut Biologie, Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28-30, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Gabriela Bischoff
- Institute for Ecological Chemistry, Plant Analysis and Stored Product Protection, Julius Kühn-Institut, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Königin-Luise- Straße 19, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institut Biologie, Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28-30, Berlin 14195, Germany
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