Operant conditioning in antlion larvae and its impairment following exposure to elevated temperatures.

ABSTRACT: Although ambush predators were previously considered limited in their cognitive abilities compared to their widely foraging relatives, there is accumulating evidence it does not hold true. Pit-building antlions are already known to associate vibrations in the sand with the arrival of prey. We used a T-maze and successfully trained antlions to turn right or left against their initial turning bias, leading to a suitable substrate for digging traps. We present here the first evidence for operant conditioning and T-maze solving in antlions. Furthermore, we show that exposure of second instar larvae to an elevated temperature led to impaired retention of what was learned in a T-maze when tested after moulting into the third instar, compared to larvae raised under a more benign temperature. We s

SUBMITTER: Miler K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9107435 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature