Where Paths Meet and Cross: Navigation by Path Integration in the Desert Ant and the Honeybee

Overview

Journal J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol

Publisher Springer

Specialties Neurology
Social Sciences

Date 2015 May 15

PMID 25971358

Citations 18

Authors

Mandyam V Srinivasan

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Animals that travel large distances in search of food need to be equipped with navigation systems that are capable of keeping track of the distance and direction of travel throughout their outbound journey, so that they may return home expeditiously and without losing their way. The challenge of homing is especially acute when the environment is devoid of landmarks. Desert ants and honeybees are able to meet this challenge, despite their minuscule brains and restricted computational capacity. This article reviews some of the processes and mechanisms that underlie the homing abilities of these creatures, which are among the best-understood navigators in the animal kingdom.

Citing Articles

Neuroarchitecture of the Central Complex in the Madeira Cockroach Rhyparobia maderae: Tangential Neurons.

Jahn S, Althaus V, Seip A, Rotella S, Heckmann J, Janning M J Comp Neurol. 2024; 532(12):e70009.

PMID: 39658819 PMC: 11632141. DOI: 10.1002/cne.70009.

Non-symbolic estimation of big and small ratios with accurate and noisy feedback.

Morton N, Grice M, Kemp S, Grace R Atten Percept Psychophys. 2024; 86(6):2169-2186.

PMID: 38992321 PMC: 11410853. DOI: 10.3758/s13414-024-02914-6.

Taking a shortcut: what mechanisms do fish use?.

Sibeaux A, Newport C, Green J, Karlsson C, Engelmann J, Burt de Perera T Commun Biol. 2024; 7(1):578.

PMID: 38755224 PMC: 11099040. DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06179-5.

Integration of optic flow into the sky compass network in the brain of the desert locust.

Zittrell F, Pabst K, Carlomagno E, Rosner R, Pegel U, Endres D Front Neural Circuits. 2023; 17:1111310.

PMID: 37187914 PMC: 10175609. DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1111310.

Parallel motion vision pathways in the brain of a tropical bee.

Honkanen A, Hensgen R, Kannan K, Adden A, Warrant E, Wcislo W J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2023; 209(4):563-591.

PMID: 37017717 PMC: 10354172. DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01625-x.

References

Labhart T . Polarization-sensitive interneurons in the optic lobe of the desert ant Cataglyphis bicolor. Naturwissenschaften. 2000; 87(3):133-6. DOI: 10.1007/s001140050691. View

Mizunami M, Weibrecht J, Strausfeld N . Mushroom bodies of the cockroach: their participation in place memory. J Comp Neurol. 1998; 402(4):520-37. View

Hrncir M, Jarau S, Zucchi R, Barth F . A stingless bee (Melipona seminigra) uses optic flow to estimate flight distances. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2003; 189(10):761-8. DOI: 10.1007/s00359-003-0448-5. View

Graham P, Cheng K . Which portion of the natural panorama is used for view-based navigation in the Australian desert ant?. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2009; 195(7):681-9. DOI: 10.1007/s00359-009-0443-6. View

Esch H, Zhang S, Srinivasan M, Tautz J . Honeybee dances communicate distances measured by optic flow. Nature. 2001; 411(6837):581-3. DOI: 10.1038/35079072. View

Wittlinger M, Wehner R, Wolf H . The desert ant odometer: a stride integrator that accounts for stride length and walking speed. J Exp Biol. 2007; 210(Pt 2):198-207. DOI: 10.1242/jeb.02657. View

Chiappe M, Seelig J, Reiser M, Jayaraman V . Walking modulates speed sensitivity in Drosophila motion vision. Curr Biol. 2010; 20(16):1470-5. PMC: 4435946. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2010.06.072. View

Seidl T, Wehner R . Walking on inclines: how do desert ants monitor slope and step length. Front Zool. 2008; 5:8. PMC: 2430559. DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-5-8. View

Cheung A, Zhang S, Stricker C, Srinivasan M . Animal navigation: the difficulty of moving in a straight line. Biol Cybern. 2007; 97(1):47-61. DOI: 10.1007/s00422-007-0158-0. View

10.

Srinivasan M . Honeybees as a model for the study of visually guided flight, navigation, and biologically inspired robotics. Physiol Rev. 2011; 91(2):413-60. DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00005.2010. View

11.

Lebhardt F, Koch J, Ronacher B . The polarization compass dominates over idiothetic cues in path integration of desert ants. J Exp Biol. 2012; 215(Pt 3):526-35. DOI: 10.1242/jeb.060475. View

12.

Collett T, Graham P, Durier V . Route learning by insects. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2003; 13(6):718-25. DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2003.10.004. View

13.

Heinze S, Homberg U . Maplike representation of celestial E-vector orientations in the brain of an insect. Science. 2007; 315(5814):995-7. DOI: 10.1126/science.1135531. View

14.

Capaldi E, Smith A, Osborne J, Fahrbach S, Farris S, Reynolds D . Ontogeny of orientation flight in the honeybee revealed by harmonic radar. Nature. 2000; 403(6769):537-40. DOI: 10.1038/35000564. View

15.

Wehner R, Muller M . The significance of direct sunlight and polarized skylight in the ant's celestial system of navigation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006; 103(33):12575-9. PMC: 1567920. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0604430103. View

16.

El Jundi B, Pfeiffer K, Heinze S, Homberg U . Integration of polarization and chromatic cues in the insect sky compass. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2014; 200(6):575-89. DOI: 10.1007/s00359-014-0890-6. View

17.

Cheung A, Zhang S, Stricker C, Srinivasan M . Animal navigation: general properties of directed walks. Biol Cybern. 2008; 99(3):197-217. DOI: 10.1007/s00422-008-0251-z. View

18.

Rossel S, Wehner R . The bee's map of the e-vector pattern in the sky. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982; 79(14):4451-5. PMC: 346690. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.79.14.4451. View

19.

Evangelista C, Kraft P, Dacke M, Labhart T, Srinivasan M . Honeybee navigation: critically examining the role of the polarization compass. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2014; 369(1636):20130037. PMC: 3886325. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0037. View

20.

Ekstrom A, Kahana M, Caplan J, Fields T, Isham E, Newman E . Cellular networks underlying human spatial navigation. Nature. 2003; 425(6954):184-8. DOI: 10.1038/nature01964. View