Meeting Abstract

P3-27   -   Determining saccade-like turn refinement during visually guided foraging in Pogonomyrmex occidentalis Langdon, TR*; de la Penna, J; Alvarez, L; Correa , E; Co, V; Lent, DD; California State University Fresno; California State University Fresno; California State University Fresno; California State University Fresno; California State University Fresno; California State University Fresno taylorlangdon8@mail.fresnostate.edu

Many insect species navigate large areas of terrain by using visual stimuli and cues for guidance. This research aims to further understand how insects first establish their navigational routes in and respond to their natural and changing environments. Previous research in our lab has shown that the visually guided western harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex occidentalis) can remember specific environmental factors to locate a food source. Here we describe the visual navigation behavior of the western harvester ant during early learning and in response to changes in the environment. During foraging, these ants produce saccade-like turns (SLTs) towards visual features so that they can maintain trajectory. Once these SLTs are established, the ants use them to make the appropriate corrective turns and maintain their trajectory towards their goal. The experiments were done in the laboratory using a high-resolution 360-degree naturalistic panoramic environment. Ants were filmed during their learning walks and the direction and number of SLTs were recorded. We determined that as learning progresses, the SLTs became more refined in response to the visual cues located at their goal. The ants direct their viewing direction to prominent features within the scene. Following the learning phase, ants were tested by removing different objects within the panoramic scene. We examined how they responded to specific cues being removed by measuring the changes in number and directions of the SLTs. When cues are removed from foraging behavior is differentially disrupted depending on which cues within the panoramic scene are removed. These experiments allow us to better understand the learning and relearning of western harvester ant foraging routes in a changing, naturalistic environment.