Current work

How do ants perceive the contents of the fluids that they receive?

If the contents of trophallactic fluid are so important, shouldn’t an ant be able to detect the quality of the trophallactic fluid she is being given?
To explore this question, we perform a number of two-choice tests, where a single ant can freely choose to feed on fluid mixtures containing different components of trophallactic fluid. We perform the tests with an automated behavioral monitoring system that uses capacitance measurement to detect the physical interaction of an animal with food (flyPAD). Then, we analyze how ants behave in presence of these components : Do they perceive them? Do they like them?

Researcher: Nicole Andreoli