Wittlinger and colleagues (2007) experimentally manipulated the length of the legs of desert ants (Cataglyphis bicolor), shortening some and lengthening others. This was done to test the ants' ability to use stride length to determine
A) the degree to which wind resistance has displaced their travel.
B) the distance they have traveled on their outward route from the nest.
C) the way back to their nest, even if they are experimentally displaced just as they begin their return home.
D) their direction on their outward route from the nest.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Wittlinger and colleagues' experiment aimed to understand how desert ants estimate the distance they have traveled. By altering the ants' leg lengths, they could observe changes in the ants' ability to gauge the distance back to their nest, demonstrating that ants use stride length as a key factor in their navigation system.

Wittlinger and Colleagues (2007) Experimentally Manipulated the Length of the Legs