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Behavioral pattern of pill bugs revealed in virtually infinite multiple T-maze

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Abstract

A behavior called turn alternation has been studied extensively in terrestrial isopods. This behavior is seen when they alternate their path choice on successive trials of the T-maze test. We made the multiple T-maze device which consists of two turntables with a T-maze mounted on each and examined the behavior of 36 pill bugs (Armadillidium vulgare) that each completed 130 successive T-maze trials. As a result, in addition to turn alternation, turn repetition (turning in the same direction on two successive turns) appeared at a rate of 20%. In the turn sequences, we observed segments consisting of successive turn alternations and defined the number of turn alternations in a segment as the length of it. Cumulative frequency distribution of segment lengths obeyed power law with exponent of 1.76. This result suggests that pill bugs in the multiple T-maze device behaved as Lévy walkers which forage in an environment, where resources are unpredictably distributed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bioengineering, Shinshu University, Ueda, Japan

    Jin Murano, Meiji Mitsuishi & Toru Moriyama

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  1. Jin Murano
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  2. Meiji Mitsuishi
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  3. Toru Moriyama
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Correspondence to Toru Moriyama.

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Murano, J., Mitsuishi, M. & Moriyama, T. Behavioral pattern of pill bugs revealed in virtually infinite multiple T-maze. Artif Life Robotics 23, 444–448 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10015-018-0457-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10015-018-0457-7

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