The binding and recall of snapshot memories in wood ants (Formica rufa L.)

摘要

Insects can locate spatial goals by means of 2-D retinotopic views of the surrounding landmarks, which they memorise from the vantage point of the goal. Wood ants acquire such snapshot memories while fixating conspicuous landmarks with frontal retina, and their snapshots extend horizontally at least 120degrees into the periphery. Are spatially separate items within such an extended snapshot bound together so that a snapshot is recalled as a whole, or are its components recognised individually?