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Ortega-Escobar J, Hebets EA, Bingman VP, Wiegmann DD, Gaffin DD. Comparative biology of spatial navigation in three arachnid orders (Amblypygi, Araneae, and Scorpiones). J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2023:10.1007/s00359-023-01612-2. [PMID: 36781447 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01612-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
From both comparative biology and translational research perspectives, there is escalating interest in understanding how animals navigate their environments. Considerable work is being directed towards understanding the sensory transduction and neural processing of environmental stimuli that guide animals to, for example, food and shelter. While much has been learned about the spatial orientation behavior, sensory cues, and neurophysiology of champion navigators such as bees and ants, many other, often overlooked animal species possess extraordinary sensory and spatial capabilities that can broaden our understanding of the behavioral and neural mechanisms of animal navigation. For example, arachnids are predators that often return to retreats after hunting excursions. Many of these arachnid central-place foragers are large and highly conducive to scientific investigation. In this review we highlight research on three orders within the Class Arachnida: Amblypygi (whip spiders), Araneae (spiders), and Scorpiones (scorpions). For each, we describe (I) their natural history and spatial navigation, (II) how they sense the world, (III) what information they use to navigate, and (IV) how they process information for navigation. We discuss similarities and differences among the groups and highlight potential avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eileen A Hebets
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA
| | - Verner P Bingman
- Department of Psychology and J. P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, USA
| | - Daniel D Wiegmann
- Department of Biological Sciences and J. P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, USA
| | - Douglas D Gaffin
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA
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Gaffin DD, Muñoz MG, Hoefnagels MH. Evidence of learning walks related to scorpion home burrow navigation. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:275795. [PMID: 35638243 PMCID: PMC9250797 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The navigation by chemo-textural 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 h 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. Highlighted Article: Evidence that sand scorpions perform looping walks immediately after establishing a burrow and the possible significance of these putative learning walks in terms of scorpion navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas D Gaffin
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Maria G Muñoz
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Mariëlle H Hoefnagels
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
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Homing in the arachnid taxa Araneae and Amblypygi. Anim Cogn 2020; 23:1189-1204. [PMID: 32894371 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01424-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Adequate homing is essential for the survival of any animal when it leaves its home to find prey or a mate. There are several strategies by which homing can be carried out: (a) retrace the outbound path; (b) use a 'cognitive map'; or (c) use path integration (PI). Here, I review the state of the art of research on spiders (Araneae) and whip spiders (Amblypygi) homing behaviour. The main strategy described in the literature as being used by these arachnids is PI. Behavioural and neural substrates of PI are described in a small group of spider families (Agelenidae, Lycosidae, Gnaphosidae, Ctenidae and Theraphosidae) and a whip spider family (Phrynidae). In spiders, the cues used to detect the position of the animal relative to its home are the position of the sun, polarized light patterns, web elasticity and landmarks. In whip spiders, the cues used are olfactory, tactile and, with a more minor role, visual. The use of a magnetic field in whip spiders has been rejected both with field and laboratory studies. Concerning the distance walked in PI, the possibility of using optic flow and idiothetic information in spiders is considered. The studies about outbound and inbound paths in whip spiders seem to suggest they do not follow the PI rules. As a conclusion, these arachnids' navigation relies on multimodal cues. We have detailed knowledge about the sensory origin (visual, olfactory, mechanosensory receptors) of neural information, but we are far from knowing the central neural structures where sensory information is integrated.
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Prévost ED, Stemme T. Non-visual homing and the current status of navigation in scorpions. Anim Cogn 2020; 23:1215-1234. [PMID: 32350712 PMCID: PMC7700070 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01386-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Within arthropods, the investigation of navigational aspects including homing abilities has mainly focused on insect representatives, while other arthropod taxa have largely been ignored. As such, scorpions are rather underrepresented concerning behavioral studies for reasons such as low participation rates and motivational difficulties. Here, we review the sensory abilities of scorpions related to navigation. Furthermore, we present an improved laboratory setup to shed light on navigational abilities in general and homing behavior in particular. We tracked directed movements towards home shelters of the lesser Asian scorpion Mesobuthus eupeus to give a detailed description of their departure and return movements. To do so, we analyzed the departure and return angles as well as measures of directness like directional deviation, lateral displacement, and straightness indices. We compared these parameters under different light conditions and with blinded scorpions. The motivation of scorpions to leave their shelter depends strongly upon the light condition and the starting time of the experiment; highest participation rates were achieved with infrared conditions or blinded scorpions, and close to dusk. Naïve scorpions are capable of returning to a shelter object in a manner that is directionally consistent with the home vector. The first-occurring homing bouts are characterized by paths consisting of turns about 10 cm to either side of the straightest home path and a distance efficiency of roughly three-quarters of the maximum efficiency. Our results show that neither chemosensation nor vision, but rather path integration based on proprioception, plays a superior role in the homing of scorpions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Danielle Prévost
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Torben Stemme
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
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Wiegmann DD, Casto P, Hebets EA, Bingman VP. Distortion of the local magnetic field appears to neither disrupt nocturnal navigation nor cue shelter recognition in the amblypygidParaphrynus laevifrons. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel D. Wiegmann
- Department of Biological Sciences Bowling Green State University Bowling Green OH USA
- J. P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior Bowling Green State University Bowling Green OH USA
| | - Patrick Casto
- Department of Biological Sciences Bowling Green State University Bowling Green OH USA
| | - Eileen A. Hebets
- School of Biological Sciences University of Nebraska‐Lincoln Lincoln NE USA
| | - Verner P. Bingman
- J. P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior Bowling Green State University Bowling Green OH USA
- Department of Psychology Bowling Green State University Bowling Green OH USA
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Nocturnal navigation by whip spiders: antenniform legs mediate near-distance olfactory localization of a shelter. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Fleischmann PN, Grob R, Wehner R, Rössler W. Species-specific differences in the fine structure of learning walk elements in Cataglyphis ants. J Exp Biol 2017; 220:2426-2435. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.158147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Cataglyphis desert ants are famous navigators. Like all central place foragers, they are confronted with the challenge to return home, i.e. relocate an inconspicuous nest entrance in the ground, after their extensive foraging trips. When leaving the underground nest for the first time, desert ants perform a striking behavior, so-called learning walks that are well structured. However, it is still unclear how the ants initially acquire the information needed for sky- and landmark-based navigation, in particular how they calibrate their compass system at the beginning of their foraging careers. Using high-speed video analyses, we show that different Cataglyphis species include different types of characteristic turns in their learning walks. Pirouettes are full or partial rotations (tight turns about the vertical body axis) during which the ants frequently stop and gaze back in the direction of the nest entrance during the longest stopping phases. In contrast, voltes are small walked circles without directed stopping phases. Interestingly, only Cataglyphis ant species living in a cluttered, and therefore visually rich, environment (i.e. C. noda and C. aenescens in southern Greece) perform both voltes and pirouettes. They look back to the nest entrance during pirouettes, most probably to take snapshots of the surroundings. In contrast, C. fortis inhabiting featureless saltpans in Tunisia perform only voltes and do not stop during these turns to gaze back at the nest – even if a set of artificial landmarks surrounds the nest entrance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline N. Fleischmann
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany
| | - Robin Grob
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany
| | - Rüdiger Wehner
- Brain Research Institute, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zürich CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Wolfgang Rössler
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany
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Development of site fidelity in the nocturnal amblypygid, Phrynus marginemaculatus. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 203:313-328. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1169-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2016] [Revised: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Abstract
Despite their tiny eyes and brains, nocturnal insects have evolved a remarkable capacity to visually navigate at night. Whereas some use moonlight or the stars as celestial compass cues to maintain a straight-line course, others use visual landmarks to navigate to and from their nest. These impressive abilities rely on highly sensitive compound eyes and specialized visual processing strategies in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Warrant
- Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden
| | - Marie Dacke
- Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden
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Rueger T, Gardiner NM, Jones GP. Homing is not for everyone: displaced cardinalfish find a new place to live. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2016; 89:2182-2188. [PMID: 27500497 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/17/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
It was tested whether the pajama cardinalfish Sphaeramia nematoptera (Apogonidae) could home by displacing individuals up to 250 m within and among isolated reefs. Contrary to expectations, only two of 37 (5·4%) displaced S. nematoptera returned home and another 16 (43·2%) were found to have joined other social groups and did not home after 26 months of observations; while over the same period, 94% of control S. nematoptera remained associated with home corals, demonstrating strong site attachment. Hence, while this species has the potential to return home, being able to do so may not be as critical as previously assumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Rueger
- College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811 QLD, Australia.
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Townsville, 4811 QLD, Australia.
| | - N M Gardiner
- College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811 QLD, Australia
| | - G P Jones
- College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811 QLD, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Townsville, 4811 QLD, Australia
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Kamran M, Moore PA. Comparative Homing Behaviors in Two Species of Crayfish,Fallicambarus FodiensandOrconectes Rusticus. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Kamran
- Laboratory for Sensory Ecology; Department of Biological Sciences and J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior; Bowling Green State University; Bowling Green OH USA
| | - Paul A. Moore
- Laboratory for Sensory Ecology; Department of Biological Sciences and J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior; Bowling Green State University; Bowling Green OH USA
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12
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Hebets EA, Aceves-Aparicio A, Aguilar-Argüello S, Bingman VP, Escalante I, Gering EJ, Nelsen DR, Rivera J, Sánchez-Ruiz JÁ, Segura-Hernández L, Settepani V, Wiegmann DD, Stafstrom JA. Multimodal sensory reliance in the nocturnal homing of the amblypygid Phrynus pseudoparvulus (Class Arachnida, Order Amblypygi)? Behav Processes 2014; 108:123-30. [PMID: 25446626 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2014] [Revised: 08/30/2014] [Accepted: 09/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Like many other nocturnal arthropods, the amblypygid Phrynus pseudoparvulus is capable of homing. The environment through which these predators navigate is a dense and heterogeneous tropical forest understory and the mechanism(s) underlying their putatively complex navigational abilities are presently unknown. This study explores the sensory inputs that might facilitate nocturnal navigation in the amblypygid P. pseudoparvulus. Specifically, we use sensory system manipulations in conjunction with field displacements to examine the potential involvement of multimodal - olfactory and visual - stimuli in P. pseudoparvulus' homing behavior. In a first experiment, we deprived individuals of their olfactory capacity and displaced them to the opposite side of their home trees (<5m). We found that olfaction-intact individuals were more likely to be re-sighted in their home refuges than olfaction-deprived individuals. In a second experiment, we independently manipulated both olfactory and visual sensory capacities in conjunction with longer-distance displacements (8m) from home trees. We found that sensory-intact individuals tended to be re-sighted on their home tree more often than sensory-deprived individuals, with a stronger effect of olfactory deprivation than visual deprivation. Comparing across sensory modality manipulations, olfaction-manipulated individuals took longer to return to their home trees than vision-manipulated individuals. Together, our results indicate that olfaction is important in the nocturnal navigation of P. pseudoparvulus and suggest that vision may also play a more minor role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileen A Hebets
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, 348 Manter Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.
| | | | | | - Verner P Bingman
- Department of Psychology and J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USA
| | - Ignacio Escalante
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2060 San José, Costa Rica
| | - Eben J Gering
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, 348 Manter Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA; Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, 3700 E Gull Lake Dr, Hickory Corners, MI 49060, USA
| | - David R Nelsen
- Department of Biology and Allied Health, Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, TN 37315, USA
| | - Jennifer Rivera
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2060 San José, Costa Rica
| | - José Ángel Sánchez-Ruiz
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras, P.O. Box 70377, San Juan, PR 00931, USA
| | | | - Virginia Settepani
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116 Building 1540, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Daniel D Wiegmann
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USA
| | - Jay A Stafstrom
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, 348 Manter Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
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