Nest excavators' learning walks in the Australian desert ant Melophorus bagoti.

ABSTRACT: The Australian red honey ant, Melophorus bagoti, stands out as the most thermophilic ant in Australia, engaging in all outdoor activities during the hottest periods of the day during summer months. This species of desert ants often navigates by means of path integration and learning landmark cues around the nest. In our study, we observed the outdoor activities of M. bagoti workers engaged in nest excavation, the maintenance of the nest structure, primarily by taking excess sand out of the nest. Before undertaking nest excavation, the ants conducted a single exploratory walk. Following their initial learning expedition, these ants then engaged in nest excavation activities. Consistent with previous findings on pre-foraging learning walks, after just one learning walk, the desert ants in ou

SUBMITTER: Deeti S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11126504 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature