| Records |
| Author |
Dreier, S.; van Zweden, J.S.; D'Ettorre, P. |
| Title |
Long-term memory of individual identity in ant queens |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2007 |
Publication |
Biology Letters |
Abbreviated Journal |
Biol Lett |
| Volume |
3 |
Issue |
5 |
Pages |
459-462 |
| Keywords |
Aggression; Animals; Ants/*physiology; Conditioning, Operant; Evolution; Female; *Memory; *Recognition (Psychology); Social Dominance |
| Abstract |
Remembering individual identities is part of our own everyday social life. Surprisingly, this ability has recently been shown in two social insects. While paper wasps recognize each other individually through their facial markings, the ant, Pachycondyla villosa, uses chemical cues. In both species, individual recognition is adaptive since it facilitates the maintenance of stable dominance hierarchies among individuals, and thus reduces the cost of conflict within these small societies. Here, we investigated individual recognition in Pachycondyla ants by quantifying the level of aggression between pairs of familiar or unfamiliar queens over time. We show that unrelated founding queens of P. villosa and Pachycondyla inversa store information on the individual identity of other queens and can retrieve it from memory after 24h of separation. Thus, we have documented for the first time that long-term memory of individual identity is present and functional in ants. This novel finding represents an advance in our understanding of the mechanism determining the evolution of cooperation among unrelated individuals. |
| Address |
Institute of Biology, Department of Population Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. sdreier@bi.ku.dk |
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Thesis |
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| Publisher |
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Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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| Language |
English |
Summary Language |
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Original Title |
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| Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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| Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1744-9561 |
ISBN |
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Medium |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
PMID:17594958 |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4649 |
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| Author |
Franks, N.R.; Richardson, T. |
| Title |
Teaching in tandem-running ants |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Nature |
Abbreviated Journal |
Nature |
| Volume |
439 |
Issue |
7073 |
Pages |
153 |
| Keywords |
*Animal Communication; Animals; Ants/*physiology; Feedback/physiology; Learning/*physiology; *Teaching |
| Abstract |
The ant Temnothorax albipennis uses a technique known as tandem running to lead another ant from the nest to food--with signals between the two ants controlling both the speed and course of the run. Here we analyse the results of this communication and show that tandem running is an example of teaching, to our knowledge the first in a non-human animal, that involves bidirectional feedback between teacher and pupil. This behaviour indicates that it could be the value of information, rather than the constraint of brain size, that has influenced the evolution of teaching. |
| Address |
School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 IUG, UK. nigel.franks@bristol.ac.uk |
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Thesis |
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Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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| Language |
English |
Summary Language |
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Original Title |
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| Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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| Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1476-4687 |
ISBN |
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Medium |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
PMID:16407943 |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4651 |
| Permanent link to this record |
