Social and Individual Learning in the Fall Field Cricket

Abstract

Social learning is a well-studied process in vertebrates, yet insect social learning studies have historically neglected solitary insects. To bridge this gap, I investigated whether the fall field cricket, Gryllus pennsylvanicus, could use individual and social learning to associate water with visual and odour cues. Demonstrator crickets had firsthand experience sampling water paired with cues, and observer crickets watched the demonstrators. I therefore tested demonstrators for individual learning and observers for social learning. I tested for learning by measuring cue preference in the absence of water. When quantifying cue preference by the proportion of time spent near rewarded cues, there was no evidence of individual or social learning. However, when quantifying cue preference by the first cue investigation (>3 seconds) during the test, crickets showed evidence of individual but not social learning. There was also a small effect of cue type on learning. These results differ from previous studies that found social learning in other species of crickets. The findings highlight that there are interspecific differences in learning and social behaviour, and that the method of quantifying learning can influence the outcome.