Exploration costs promote conservative collective foraging in the social caterpillar Malacosoma disstria

摘要: Collective choices of a food source are generally thought to arise from the amplification individual preferences. However, costs associated with foraging can also influence choice: animals faced poor-quality may either continue feeding on it (a conservative strategy), or search for potentially more profitable one risky strategy). Groups nomadic, trail-following Malacosoma disstria caterpillars were offered leaf two different hosts, side by determine preference, at distance investigate how exploration affect choice. Arenas and without pheromone trails used distinguish between direct travel unknown territory costs. When leaves side, groups second-instar showed clear preferences host trees, whereas fourth-instar larvae did not. distant each other, usually remained known source, irrespective preference group size. These likely relocate preferred when present, suggesting that effectively decrease leave even no trail was developmental shift in exploration. Our results show collective reflect low (second-instar trails), but not they high trails). Such strategy be adaptive if leaving greater than potential benefits discovering better alternative, example, homogenous environment like tree.