Grah Gunnar, Ronacher Bernhard
Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2008 Jun;194(6):517-22. doi: 10.1007/s00359-008-0324-4. Epub 2008 Mar 8.
Desert ants (Cataglyphis fortis) navigate by a combination of path integration and landmark-based route memories. Their ability to correct sloped path segments to their ground distances enables them to orientate accurately even in undulating terrain. In this study, we tested whether or not ants incorporate vertical components of an itinerary into their route memory in similar ways as they do with visual landmarks and horizontal changes of direction. In two separate experiments, we trained desert ants to walk over artificial hills and later tested their acceptance of slopes within novel contexts. In the first paradigm, ants had to traverse a hill only on their outbound run, but not on their homebound trip. In a follow-up experiment, we confronted ramp-trained animals with descents in a completely new temporal and spatial context. The animals transferred their newly acquired acceptance of slopes from the outbound to the homebound run as well as to novel foraging trips. Cataglyphis obviously dissociates the experience of sloped path segments from the original context in which they appeared, thus reducing their significance as a navigational aid.
沙漠蚂蚁（猫蚁）通过路径整合和基于地标的路线记忆相结合的方式导航。它们将倾斜路径段校正为地面距离的能力使它们即使在起伏的地形中也能准确地定向。在这项研究中，我们测试了蚂蚁是否会以与处理视觉地标和水平方向变化类似的方式，将行程中的垂直分量纳入其路线记忆。在两个独立的实验中，我们训练沙漠蚂蚁走过人工山丘，随后在新环境中测试它们对斜坡的接受程度。在第一个实验范式中，蚂蚁只需要在外出行程中翻越一座小山，而在返程时则不需要。在后续实验中，我们让经过斜坡训练的蚂蚁在全新的时间和空间背景下面对下坡路。这些蚂蚁将它们新获得的对斜坡的接受程度从外出行程转移到了返程，以及新的觅食行程中。猫蚁显然将倾斜路径段的经历与其出现的原始背景分离开来，从而降低了它们作为导航辅助的重要性。
