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Comparing inclined locomotion in a ground-living and a climbing ant species: sagittal plane kinematics

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Abstract

Formicine ants are able to detect slopes in the substrates they crawl on. It was assumed that hair fields between the main segments of the body and between the proximal leg segments contribute to graviception which triggers a change of posture in response to substrate slopes. The sagittal kinematics of two ant species were investigated and compared on different slopes. Cataglyphis fortis, a North African desert ant, is well known for its extraordinary sense of orientation in texturally almost uniform habitats, while Formica pratensis, a common central-European species, primarily uses landmarks and pheromone traces for orientation. A comparison of these two species reveals differences in postural adaptations during inclined locomotion. Only minor slope-dependent angular adjustments were observed. The largest is a 25° head rotation for Cataglyphis, even if the slope is changed by 150°, suggesting dramatic changes in the field of vision. The trunk’s pitch adjustment towards the increasing slope is low in both species. On all slopes Cataglyphis achieves higher running speeds than Formica and displays greater slope-dependent variation in body height. This indicates different strategies for coping with changing slopes. These specific aspects have to be reflected in the ants’ respective mode of slope perception.

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Abbreviations

φ :

Slope of the substrate

v abs :

Speed parallel to the substrate

l T :

Individual length of the alitrunk (thorax)

v rel = v abs/l T :

Relative speed

h abs :

Perpendicular distance between substrate and centre of mass (body height)

h COM = h abs/l T :

Relative distance between substrate and centre of mass

b :

Typical fluctuation of the centre of mass perpendicular to the substrate

α :

Angle between substrate and alitrunk axis

β :

Angle between caput (head) and alitrunk

γ :

Angle between caput and substrate

δ :

Angle between alitrunk and gaster (abdomen)

ε :

Angle between gaster and substrate

g :

Gravitational acceleration

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Harald Wolf for lending us his camera, Tobias Seidl and Matthias Wittlinger for help with field work and technical support, Susanne Lipfert, Christian Rode, Silvia Henze, Michael Günther and Rolf Beutel for proofreading and valuable suggestions. We are indebted to Rüdiger Wehner, who directed our attention to the wide and extraordinarily interesting world of ants. This study was funded by the Volkswagen Stiftung (I/78 578).

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  1. Science of Motion, Institute of Sport Science, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Seidelstr. 20, 07749, Jena, Germany

    Tom Weihmann & Reinhard Blickhan

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  1. Tom Weihmann
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  2. Reinhard Blickhan
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Correspondence to Tom Weihmann.

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Weihmann, T., Blickhan, R. Comparing inclined locomotion in a ground-living and a climbing ant species: sagittal plane kinematics. J Comp Physiol A 195, 1011–1020 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-009-0475-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-009-0475-y

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