Spatial configuration learning in Vespula germanica forager wasps

SABRINA MOREYRA; MARIANA LOZADA

ETHOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2023

0179-1613

In the present study, we sought to evaluate spatial learning in V. germanica waspswhen dealing with environmental changes while localising food in a Y-maze.We analysed whether foragers learn the spatial configuration of a Y-mazeand remember the location of the entrance when the position of vertical and horizontal cues was modified after a single collecting experience. Four experiments were performed in order to assess how returning wasps localise the previously rewarded site under contextualchanges (N = 84). The results demonstrate that wasps learned the spatial configurationof a Y-maze, after one visit, in all given circumstances. Foragers chose to re-enterthe maze through the entrance, irrespective of the contextual changes in the verticalcues or the relative geographical position of the Y-maze (horizontal cues). Moreover,our findings reveal that wasps responded differently in relation to the location of thevertical and horizontal cues on their second visit. When the horizontal cues were keptin the original position after the first visit, wasps ignored the novel location of thevertical cues. Conversely, when the position of the Y-maze was changed, the cylinders seemed to have had a greater influence on the initial wasps´ response. The currentinvestigation confirms previous findings on the versatile behaviour of V. germanicawhen dealing with modifications in anthropised scenarios, which might favour its establishment in novel territories suffering from unpredictable environmental changesdue to the climate crisis.