Abstract
Working on three ant species of the genus Myrmica, M. ruginodis, M. rubra, and M. sabuleti, we showed that foragers can expect the subsequent time at which food will be available on the basis of the previous times at which food was present. The ants acquired this expectative ability right after having experienced two time shifts of food delivery. Moreover, the ants' learning score appeared to be a logarithmic function of time (i.e., of the number of training days). This ability to expect subsequent times at which an event will occur may be an advantageous ethological trait.
Highlights
Many animals can memorize the places where an event occurs
Using feeders, Laca [1] experimentally showed that steers (Bos taurus x B. indicus) avoid areas where they learned that no food is available and present long-term spatial memory for returning to previous food loaded locations
We showed that M. sabuleti Meinert, 1861, workers possess this ability and that it is not detained by callow ants but is acquired in the course of their experiences [7]
Summary
Many animals can memorize the places where an event occurs. Using feeders, Laca [1] experimentally showed that steers (Bos taurus x B. indicus) avoid areas where they learned that no food is available and present long-term spatial memory for returning to previous food loaded locations. Ksiksi and Laca [2] demonstrated that steers remembered food locations for at least 48 days. Working with feeders in a seminatural environment experiment, Winter and Stich [3] showed that nectar-feeding bats (Glossophaga soricina) learn to avoid depleted food locations and are able to memorize 40 behavior actions for efficiently finding food. Animals can learn the time of the day at which an event regularly occurs and may present some anticipation. Bees, dogs, and cats can react to the presence of food some time before its effective delivery [4]
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