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Shape discrimination by wasps ( Paravespula germanica ) at the food source: generalization among various types of contrast

Lehrer, Miriam ; Campan, Raymond

In: Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 2004, vol. 190, no. 8, p. 651-663

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    Titre
    • Shape discrimination by wasps ( Paravespula germanica ) at the food source: generalization among various types of contrast
    Auteur
    • Lehrer, Miriam. Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Campan, Raymond. Formerly Laboratoire d'Ethologie et Cognition Animale, Université Paul Sabatier, 118, route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France
    Type de document
    • Postprint
    Langue
    • Anglais
    Publié dans
    • Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 2004, vol. 190, no. 8, p. 651-663. Springer-Verlag; http://www.springer.de
    Autre version électronique
    Identifiant OAI-PMH
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:321202
    Summary
    Wasps (Paravespula germanica) were trained and tested at an artificial feeding site, using convex shapes that produced colour contrast, luminance contrast, or motion contrast against the background. With each of the three types of contrast, we tested the wasps' capacity to discriminate the learned shape from novel shapes. In addition, in each experiment we tested the wasps' capability to recognize the learned shape when it offered a different type of contrast than that it had during the training. With the coloured shapes, a side-glance at the colour discrimination performance of the wasps was possible in addition. Wasps are found to discriminate between a variety of convex shapes regardless of the type of contrast that they produce against the background. Mainly, they discriminate the learned shape from novel shapes even if the colour of the shapes or the type of contrast they produce against the background is altered in the test. Thus, wasps generalize the learned shape from one colour to another, as well as between colour contrast, luminance contrast, and motion contrast