Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Memory and chemical communication in the orientation of two mass-recruiting ant species

  • Research Articles
  • Published:
Insectes Sociaux Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

The relative contribution of visual and chemical components in the orientation ofLasius niger andIridomyrmex humilis (Argentine ant) workers during mass recruitment to newly discovered food sources is analyzed over short time intervals. While both species orient in response to the trail pheromone, a large number ofL. niger foragers rapidly switch to a more individual orientation, based on their memory of environmental cues.I. humilis workers, on the other hand, predominantly use collective chemical cues. The effect of the number of reinforcements on visual learning and its interference with chemical communication show that olfactory cues always prevail in the Argentine ant. InL. niger, the proportion of ants orienting to visual cues is independent of the trail concentration. Detailed observations of the trail-laying behavior of individually marked foragers show that nearly all theI. humilis workers initially lay a trail, whereas only half theL. niger foragers do so. This proportion decreases considerably with the number of trips performed byL. niger workers, while remaining constant for the Argentine ants. These results are interpreted with respect to the species' behavioral ecology.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aron, S., J. L. Deneubourg and J. M. Pasteels, 1988. Visual cues and trail-following idiosyncrasy inLeptothorax unifasciatus: an orientation process during foraging.Ins. Soc. 35:355–366.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aron, S., J. M. Pasteels and J. L. Deneubourg, 1989. Trail-laying behaviour during exploratory recruitment in the Argentine ant,Iridomyrmex humilis (Mayr).Biol. Behav. 14:207–211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beckers, R., S. Goss, J. L. Deneubourg and J. M. Pasteels, 1989. Colony size, communication and ant foraging strategy.Psyche 96:239–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beckers, R., S. Goss, J. L. Deneubourg and J. M. Pasteels, 1992. Trail laying behaviour during food recruitment in the antLasius niger (L.).Ins. Soc. 39:59–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benois, A., 1973. Incidence des facteurs écologiques sur le cycle annuel et l'activité saisonnière de la fourmi d'ArgentineIridomyrmex humilis (Mayr) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), dans la région d'Antibes.Ins. Soc. 20:267–296.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buys, B., 1987. Competition for nectar between Argentine antsIridomyrmex humilis and honeybeesApis mellifera on black ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon).S. Afr. J. Zool. 22:173–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cavill, G. W. K., P. L. Robertson and N. W. Davies, 1979. An Argentine ant aggregation factor.Experientia 35:989–990.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherix, D., 1987. Relation between diet and polyethism inFormica colonies. In:From Individual to Collective Behavior in Social Insects (Pasteels, J. M. and J. L. Deneubourg, Eds.), Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, pp. 155–176.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cosens, D. and N. Toussaint, 1985. An experimental study of the foraging strategy of the wood antFormica aquilonia.Anim. Behav. 33:541–552.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Bach, P., C. A. Fleschner and E. J. Dietrieck, 1951. A biological check method for evaluating the effectiveness of entomophagous insects.J. Econ. Entomol. 44:763–766.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deneubourg, J. L., S. Aron, S. Goss, J. M. Pasteels and G. Duerinck, 1986. Random behaviour, amplification processes and number of participants: how they contribute to the foraging properties of ants.Physica 22:176–186.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deneubourg, J. L., S. Goss, J. M. Pasteels, D. Fresneau and J. P. Lachaud, 1987. Self-organization mechanisms in ant societies (II): Learning in foraging and division of labor. In:From Individual to Collective Behavior in Social Insects (Pasteels, J. M. and J. L. Deneubourg, Eds.), Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, pp. 177–196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Donisthorpe, H., 1927.The Guests of British ants, their Habits and Life-Histories, Routledge and Sons, London, 436 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fourcassié, V. and G. Beugnon, 1988. How do red wood ants orient when foraging in a three dimensional system? I — Laboratory experiments.Ins. Soc. 35:92–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gérard, V., 1987. L'orientation visuelle et chimique chez la fourmiLasius niger (L.). Mémoire de Licence, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, 79 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henquell, D. and H. Abdi, 1981. Influence respective des repères visuels et des repères chimiques dans l'orientation deFormica polyctena au cours de l'exploitation d'une source de nourriture.Ins. Soc. 28:47–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hölldobler, B., 1971. Homing in the harvester antPogonomyrmex badius (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).Science 171:1149–1151.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hölldobler, B., 1976. Recruitment behavior, home range orientation and territoriality in harvester antsPogonomyrmex (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 1:3–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hölldobler, B., 1978. Ethological aspects of chemical communication in ants.Advances in the Study of Behavior 8:75–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hölldobler, B., M. Möglich and U. Maschwitz, 1974. Communication by tandem running in the antCamponotus sericeus.J. Comp. Physiol. 90:105–127.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hölldobler, B. and E. O. Wilson, 1990.The Ants. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass., 732 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaffé, K., C. Ramos, C. Lagalla and L. Parra, 1990. Orientation cues used by ants.Ins. Soc. 37:101–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klotz, J. H. and B. L. Reid, 1992. The use of spatial cues for structural guidline orientation inTapinoma sessile andCamponotus pennsylvanicus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).J. Insect Behav. 5:71–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lenoir, A., 1979. Le comportement alimentaire et la division du travail chez la fourmiLasius niger.Bull. Biol. Fr. & Belg. 113:79–314.

    Google Scholar 

  • Markin, G. P., 1970a. Foraging behaviour of the Argentine ant in a California citrus grove.J. Econ. Entomol 63:140–744.

    Google Scholar 

  • Markin, G. P., 1970b. The seasonal life cycle of the Argentine antIridomyrmex humilis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), in southern California.Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 63:1238–1242.

    Google Scholar 

  • McIver, J. D., 1991. Dispersed central place foraging in Australian meat ants.Ins. Soc. 38:129–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Möglich, U. and B. Hölldobler, 1975. Communication and orientation during foraging and emigration in the antFormica fusca.J. Comp. Physiol. 101:275–288.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, C. R., C. D. Jorgensen, H. L. Black and J. Whiting, 1991. Maintenance of foraging trails by the giant tropical antParaponera clavata (Insecta: Formicidae: Ponerinae).Ins. Soc. 38:221–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newell, W., 1908. Notes on the habits of the Argentine or New Orleans ant,Iridomyrmex humilis Mayr.J. Econ. Entomol. 1:21–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newell, W., 1909. The life history of the Argentine ant.J. Econ. Entomol. 2:174–192.

    Google Scholar 

  • Passera, L., 1984.L'organisation sociale des fourmis, Privat, Toulouse, 360 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pasteeis, J. M., J. L. Deneubourg and S. Goss, 1987 a. Transmission and amplification of information in a changing environment: the case of insect societies. In:Law of Nature and Human Conduct (Prigogine, I. and M. Sanglier, Eds.), G.O.R.D.E.S., Bruxelles, pp. 129–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pasteels, J. M., J. L. Deneubourg and S. Goss, 1987b. Self-organization mechanisms in ant societies (I): Trail recruitment to newly discovered food sources: In:From Individual to Collective Behavior in Social Insects (Pasteels, J. M. and J. L. Deneubourg, Eds.), Birkhäuser-Verlag, Basel, pp. 155–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinet, Y. and J. M. Pasteels, 1991. Spatiotemporal evolution of the trail network inLasius fuliginosus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).Belg. J. Zool. 121:55–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, P. L., M. L. Dudzinski and C. J. Orton, 1980. Exocrine gland involvement in trailing behaviour in the Argentine ant (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae).Anim. Behav. 28:1255–1273.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosengren, R., 1971. Route fidelity, visual memory and recruitment behaviour in foraging wood ants and the genusFormica (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).Acta Zool. Fenn. 133:1–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosengren, R. and W. Fortelius, 1986. Ortstreue (site allegiance) in foraging ants of theFormica rufa group: Hierarchy of orienting cues and long term memory.Ins. Soc. 33:306–337.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosengren, R. and W. Fortelius, 1987. Trail communication and directional recruitment to food in red wood ants (Formica).Ann. Zool. Fenn. 24:137–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, S. and N. J. Castellan, 1988.Nonparametric Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences, McGraw-Hill Int., New York, 399 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skaife, S. H., 1955. The Argentine ant,Iridomyrmex humilis Mayr.Trans. Roy. Soc. South-Africa 34:355–377.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stradling, D. J., 1970. The estimation of worker ant population by the mark release-recapture method: an improved marking technique.J. Anim. Ecol. 39:575–591.

    Google Scholar 

  • Traniello, J. F. A., 1980. Colony specificity in the trail pheromone of an ant.Naturwissenschaften 67:361–362.

    Google Scholar 

  • Traniello, J. F. A., 1989. Chemical trails, orientation and territorial interactions in the antLasius neoniger.J. Insect. Behav. 2:339–354.

    Google Scholar 

  • Traniello, J. F. A. and S. C. Levings, 1986. Intra- and intercolony patterns of nest dispersion in the antLasius neoniger: correlations with territoriality and foraging ecology.Oecologia 69:413–419.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Vorhis Key, S. E. and T. C. Baker, 1982a. Trail following responses of the Argentine antIridomyrmex humilis (Mayr) to a synthetic trail pheromone component and analogs.J. Chem. Ecol. 8:3–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Vorhis Key, S. E. and T. C. Baker, 1982b. Specificity of laboratory trail following by the Argentine ant,Iridomyrmex humilis, to (Z)-9-hexadecenal, analogs and gaster extract.J. Chem. Ecol. 8:1057–1064.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Vorhis Key, S. E. and T. C. Baker, 1986. Observations on the trail deposition and recruitment behaviors of the Argentine ant,Iridomyrmex humilis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 79:283–288.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Vorhis Key, S. E., L. K. Gaston and T. C. Baker, 1981. Effects of gaster extract trail concentration on the trail following behaviour of the Argentine antIridomyrmex humilis (Mayr).J. Insect Physiol. 27:363–370.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vilela, E. F., K. Jaffe and P. E. Howse, 1987. Orientation in leaf-cutting ants (Formicidae: Attini).Anim. Behav. 35:1443–1453.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, E. O., 1955. A monographic revision of the genusLasius.Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 113:1–201.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, E. O., 1971.The Insect Societies. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 548 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, E. O. and M. Pavan, 1959. Glandular sources and specificity of some chemical releasers of social behavior in Dolichoderine ants.Psyche 66:70–76.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. S. Aron

    Present address: Centre de Recherche en Biologie du Comportement U.R.A. C.N.R.S. 664, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Biologie Animale et Cellulaire, C. P. 160, Belgium

    S. Aron & J. M. Pasteels

  2. Service de Chimie-Physique II, Université Libre de Bruxelles, C. P. 231, B-1050, Bruxelles, Belgium

    R. Beckers & J. L. Deneubourg

Authors
  1. S. Aron
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. R. Beckers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. L. Deneubourg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. J. M. Pasteels
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Aron, S., Beckers, R., Deneubourg, J.L. et al. Memory and chemical communication in the orientation of two mass-recruiting ant species. Ins. Soc 40, 369–380 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01253900

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01253900

Key words

Search

Navigation