Question

In the digger wasp experiment, it was shown that the wasp used the arrangement of a ring of pinecones to navigate back to the nest. Which experiment would test if the wasp can use any arrangement of objects in the environment to find her nest, rather than only a "ring" shape?

a.) Place a ring of pinecones around the nest while the wasp is inside. After she leaves the nest, place several differently shaped arrangements of pinecones near the nest and see if she can locate her nest.
b.) Place a ring of pinecones around the nest while the wasp is inside. After she leaves the nest, arrange the pinecones in a triangle and see if she can navigate back to the nest.
c.) Place a ring of pinecones around the nest while the wasp is inside. After she leaves the nest, place a ring of rocks to the side of the nest and see if she returns to the arrangement of rocks instead of the nest. Repeat using other materials.
d.) Place a triangle of pinecones around the nest while the wasp is inside. After she leaves the nest, move the triangle to the side of the nest and see if she returns to the arrangement of pinecones instead of the nest. Repeat for other shapes.

Answer 1

The experiment to test if wasps can navigate using various shapes is to d) change the configuration of pinecones from a ring to different shapes after the wasp leaves and observe if she can still find her nest.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct experiment to test if a digger wasp can use any arrangement of objects in the environment to find her nest is an option (d): Place a triangle of pinecones around the nest while the wasp is inside. After she leaves the nest, move the triangle to the side of the nest and see if she returns to the arrangement of pinecones instead of the nest. Repeat for other shapes. This experiment would assess if the wasp's navigational abilities are flexible and if she can adapt to different environmental cues rather than being reliant on only a "ring" shape. The experiment is premised on altering the configuration of cues around the nest after the wasp has left, to determine if she uses specific shapes or the presence of any consistent environmental cue. If the wasp finds her way back to the nest with different shapes, it suggests she doesn't need the specific ring structure but instead can utilize various configurations or landmarks to locate her nest.