Abstract
Communication and learning from each other are part of the success of animal societies. Social insects invest considerable effort into signalling to their nestmates the locations of the most profitable resources in their environment. Growing evidence also indicates that insects glean such information through cues inadvertently provided by their conspecifics. Here, we investigate social information use in the foraging decisions by gregarious cockroaches (Blattella germanica L.). Individual cockroaches given a simultaneous choice in a Y-olfactometer between the odour of feeding conspecifics and the mixed odour of food plus non-feeding conspecifics showed a preference for the arm scented with the odour of feeding conspecifics. Social information (the presence of feeding conspecifics) was produced by cockroaches of all age classes and perceived at short distance in the olfactometer arms, suggesting the use of inadvertently provided cues rather than signals. We discuss the nature of these cues and the role of local enhancement (the selection of a location based on cues associated with the presence of conspecifics) in the formation of feeding aggregations in B. germanica. Similar cue-mediated recruitments could underpin a wide range of collective behaviours in group-living insects.
Highlights
IntroductionSocial information is transmitted in the form of ‘signals’ shaped by natural selection to convey particular messages, or ‘cues’ inadvertently provided as a coincidental by-product of others’ behaviour or metabolic activity [1,2]
Group-living provides animals with the opportunity to learn from each other
Our study demonstrates that B. germanica cockroaches use social information when making foraging decisions, most possibly through low volatile cues inadvertently provided by feeding conspecifics rather than signals
Summary
Social information is transmitted in the form of ‘signals’ shaped by natural selection to convey particular messages, or ‘cues’ inadvertently provided as a coincidental by-product of others’ behaviour or metabolic activity [1,2]. Social insects invest considerable effort into passing on learnt information about the location and/or the quality of available resources to their nestmates in the form of signals. This is epitomized by complex recruitment behaviours underpinning the collective selection of feeding or resting sites in highly integrated colonies of honeybees [7,8], ants [9,10] and caterpillars [11]. We would expect inadvertent social information use to be widespread in group-living insects and play a key role in shaping social interactions in a wide range of species, including species exhibiting low levels of social cohesion [18]
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