Aksoy, Volkan2024-06-122024-06-1220140892-75531572-8889https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-013-9432-2https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14551/21177Homing paths of Formica cunicularia foragers from an artificial food reward were analyzed on a familiar terrain and in displacement experiments on a familiar and an unfamiliar terrain. Foragers were tested either when relatively new to a foraging route (untrained group) or after a day's experience with it (trained group). Untrained foragers followed direct homing paths to the nest site when tested in the familiar terrain but followed tortuous paths when displaced to the unfamiliar terrain. Trained foragers behaved similarly to untrained ones when tested from the food reward to the nest site in the familiar terrain but their behavior changed in displacements. Irrespective of the familiarity of the displacement site, these foragers followed paths taking them to the expected nest sites. The results showed that foragers did not rely on chemical cues for homing and revealed that untrained foragers disregarded path integration and were directed to the nest site when it is in their visual panorama. On the contrary, trained foragers may have relied on path integration on familiar and unfamiliar terrain. The results also demonstrated that experience greatly affected the preferential use of visual and vector based cues by foragers during homing.en10.1007/s10905-013-9432-2info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessFormica CuniculariaHomingPath IntegrationLocal VectorsVisual OrientationExperienceAustralian Desert AntWood AntsPath-IntegrationLocal VectorsCataglyphis-FortisMelophorus-BagotiEn-RouteNavigationGuidanceStrategiesArticle273357369Q2WOS:0003338891000062-s2.0-84898056875Q3