bioRxiv Science⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/383059

Brood-holding causes workers to pay attention to the queen in the carpenter ant Camponotus japonicus

Hara, K.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

[Abstract]Brood accumulation, a fundamental behavior of offspring care in the carpenter ant Camponotus japonicus, is driven by alternation of holding run and empty-handed run behaviors. In the holding run, a worker holds a brood with her mandibles and carries it to the queen (holding run). After releasing it beside the queen, she hurries back to another brood (empty-handed run). To address the motivation for the brood-accumulation task, in this study, I observed these behaviors under experimental conditions. When workers performed the task in a situation that involved selection between their own and unfamiliar queens, they ran in significantly more restrictive ways during the holding run than during the empty-handed run. Hence, holding represents a different motivational state than empty-handed. In a second experiment, the workers were suddenly presented with an unfamiliar floor during the task. Regardless of whether they were holding or empty-handed, their running traces on the familiar floor were simple, whereas on the unfamiliar floor they were more complex. These results show that holding workers would pay attention to the queen, exploiting cues on the floor to restrict their responses to the queen.

Explore related subjects

animal behavior and cognitionPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Hara, K.. 2018-08-02. Brood-holding causes workers to pay attention to the queen in the carpenter ant Camponotus japonicus. https://doi.org/10.1101/383059

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Development of the Highly Sensitive Horse questionnaire to assess horses' sensory processing sensitivity

It is well established that individuals vary in how they respond to situations, but might they also perceive their environment differently? Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) is a multidimensional trait describing individual variation in the perception and response to sensory, emotional, and social stimuli. While extensively studied in humans, its presence in animals remains underexplored. We investigated whether horses might exhibit a comparable trait and developed the Highly Sensitive Horse questionnaire to assess equine SPS. A 104-item questionnaire was developed and refined using data from an online survey of 121 horses. The remaining 45 items were evaluated in an independent survey of 561 horses. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses identified a robust two-factor, 12-item structure reflecting dimensions similar to the human SPS dimensions of: Overstimulation, describing a tendency to become overwhelmed by intense or prolonged stimuli, and Sensitivity to subtleties, describing heightened perception of subtle environmental changes. The scale showed high internal consistency, excellent intra-rater and moderate inter-rater reliability. Although eSPS was associated with established behavioural traits, including fearfulness, it also explained unique behavioural variation beyond these traits. These findings suggest that horses differ in how they perceive their environment, providing a foundation to better understand equine behaviour, and opening new avenues for comparative sensory-processing research.

animal behavior and cognition↗
bioRxiv2026

Behavioral divergence across replicated predation regimes is species-specific in two sympatric poeciliid fishes

Predation is a potent driver of behavioral divergence across prey populations, yet whether shared predation regimes generate similar responses in coexisting prey species remains unclear. Species differences in reproductive and foraging traits may alter vulnerability to predators, generating species-specific responses. We compared behavior and cognition of two poeciliid fishes (Gambusia affinis and Poecilia latipinna) that differ in body size, the presence of male ornamentation, and mating tactics. We sampled both species across replicate high- and low-predation regimes and measured exploration, shyness, boldness, social motivation, and detour solve latency (N = 509). Multivariate behavior and cognition differed between predation regimes, and the magnitude of divergence varied with species but not body size. Consistent with the multivariate pattern, the more conspicuous P. latipinna exhibited higher boldness and overall lower exploration under high-predation, while high- and low-predation populations of G. affinis did not differ. These findings suggest either that the more conspicuous species experiences greater predation risk or that the less conspicuous species reduces its predation risk through alternative phenotypic responses. More broadly, species differences in reproductive phenotypes associated with sexual selection may help explain why shared predation regimes generate variable patterns of behavioral divergence across taxa.

animal behavior and cognition↗
bioRxiv2026

Capturing the rhythm: methodological choices shape inference from circadian activity data

Abstract 1. Statistical tools and analytical decisions for analysing animal activity data are often limited and poorly justified, particularly with respect to model choice, sampling design and temporal aggregation. These shortcomings can constrain our ability to draw accurate and biologically meaningful inferences about behaviour. 2. We interrogated 24 h activity data taken from individual males and females derived from five Drosophila melanogaster populations to generate a general framework for collecting and analysing activity data that systematically compares common model classes, continuous verses fragmented sampling strategies, and alternative temporal aggregation choices (time-bin sizes). 3. Our analyses identified generalised additive mixed models (GAMMs) applied to high-frequency continuous data with small-moderate bin sizes (1-5 minutes) as providing the most robust and interpretable inference for our complex, high-frequency activity data. 4. However, our interrogation of the data set confirmed that analytical and sampling decisions need to be tailored to the study species, the timing of activities and the nature of the behaviour of interest. Accordingly, polynomial and cosinor generalised linear models, increased but biologically targeted snapshot sampling, and bin sizes smaller than one hour yielded adequate analyses with similar biological conclusions when appropriately matched to the system. 5. Our approach provides an accessible decision-making framework for activity analyses that allows researchers across behavioural, ecological and evolutionary studies to justify and optimise choices about data collection and modelling. Such an approach improves the biological relevance of inference and supporting the use of modern tracking and analytical technologies.

animal behavior and cognition↗