Cognitive plasticity in foraging Vespula germanica wasps
Paola D'Adamo1, Mariana Lozada
1Laboratory Ecotono-INIBIOMA, Quintral 1250-8400, Bariloche, Argentina. paodadamo@hotmail.com
Journal of Insect Science (Online)
|January 7, 2012
Summary
The invasive German yellowjacket wasp (Vespula germanica) can learn to associate visual patterns with food locations. These wasps demonstrate generalization, recognizing a food source even when the visual pattern changes slightly.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Ecology
- Insect Cognition
- Invasive Species Biology
Background:
- Vespula germanica (F.) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) is an invasive social wasp with complex foraging behaviors.
- Learning and memory are crucial for efficient foraging in social insects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the learning and memory capabilities of Vespula germanica foragers.
- To determine if V. germanica can discriminate between different orientation patterns and generalize choices to novel patterns.
Main Methods:
- Foraging wasps were trained to associate distinct stripe orientation patterns with specific food locations.
- The wasps' responses to a novel pattern, sharing orientation but differing in other aspects, were evaluated.
Main Results:
- Vespula germanica foragers successfully learned to associate specific stripe orientations with food rewards.
- Wasps demonstrated generalization, choosing the novel pattern when it retained the learned orientation, despite other visual differences.
Conclusions:
- Vespula germanica exhibits significant visual learning and memory capabilities related to foraging.
- The ability to generalize learned visual cues is a key factor in the foraging success of this invasive wasp.
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