Insects rely on path integration (vector-based navigation) and landmark guidance to perform sophisticated navigational feats, rivaling those seen in mammals. Bees in particular exhibit complex navigation behaviors including creating optimal routes and novel shortcuts between locations, an ability historically indicative of the presence of a cognitive map. A mammalian cognitive map has been widely accepted. However, in insects, the existence of a centralized cognitive map is highly contentious. Using a controlled laboratory assay that condenses foraging behaviors to short distances in walking bumblebees, we reveal that vectors learned during path integration can be transferred to long-term memory, that multiple such vectors can be stored in parallel, and that these vectors can be recalled at a familiar location and used for homeward navigation. These findings demonstrate that bees meet the two fundamental requirements of a vector-based analog of a decentralized cognitive map: Home vectors need to be stored in long-term memory and need to be recalled from remembered locations. Thus, our data demonstrate that bees possess the foundational elements for a vector-based map. By utilizing this relatively simple strategy for spatial organization, insects may achieve high-level navigation behaviors seen in vertebrates with the limited number of neurons in their brains, circumventing the computational requirements associated with the cognitive maps of mammals.

中文翻译：

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蜜蜂大脑中的并行矢量记忆作为灵活导航的基础


昆虫依靠路径整合（基于矢量的导航）和地标引导来执行复杂的导航功能，可与哺乳动物中的导航功能相媲美。蜜蜂尤其表现出复杂的导航行为，包括在位置之间创建最佳路线和新颖的捷径，这种能力在历史上表明了认知地图的存在。哺乳动物认知图已被广泛接受。然而，在昆虫中，集中式认知图的存在存在很大争议。使用受控实验室测定，将步行大黄蜂的短距离觅食行为浓缩，我们发现在路径整合过程中学习的向量可以转移到长期记忆中，多个这样的向量可以并行存储，并且这些向量可以被调用在熟悉的位置并用于返航导航。这些发现表明，蜜蜂满足基于向量的去中心化认知地图模拟的两个基本要求：家乡向量需要存储在长期记忆中，并且需要从记忆的位置中调用。因此，我们的数据表明蜜蜂拥有基于矢量的地图的基本要素。通过利用这种相对简单的空间组织策略，昆虫可以实现在大脑中神经元数量有限的脊椎动物中看到的高级导航行为，从而绕过与哺乳动物认知图相关的计算要求。