Context-dependent use of olfactory cues by foragers of Vespula germanica social wasps

YOSSEN, BELEN; BUTELER, MICAELA; LOZADA, MARIANA

ANIMAL COGNITION

SPRINGER HEIDELBERG

Lugar: HEIDELBERG; Año: 2021

1435-9448

Food search is guided by cues fromdifferent sensory modalities, such as olfactory and visual. In social wasps,olfaction plays a key role in locating new resources. However, while severalstudies have focused on the importance of odours in predation, less is knownabout their role during scavenging, when spatial memories become a relevantguidance mechanism. Here, we investigated whether the use of odours duringcarrion exploitation by Vespula germanicawasps depends on whether they are locating or relocating the resource. Bymeans of field choice experiments, we evaluated wasp response to odours: anodour eliciting a spontaneous aversive response, a learnt odour eliciting anappetitive response, and the conspecifics'odour eliciting an attractive response. Experiments were conducted in differentcontexts, i.e. during food localisation by naïve foragers, relocalisation of aresource at the learnt site and relocalisation of a resource that had beendisplaced from the learnt site. All olfactory stimuli evaluated markedlyinfluenced foraging decisions in naïve wasps and in experienced wasps when thefood was moved from the learnt location. However, odours were ignored duringthe wasp?s return to the foraging site. These results suggest a cue hierarchy,in which local landmarks are more reliable to relocate carrion, while olfactionwould be useful to locate novel resources or relocate a known source whenspatial memories fail. Our findings demonstrate a context-dependent use ofodours during carrion exploitation by V.germanica wasps and highlight the importance of spatial memories as animportant factor modulating odour response.