Memória em beija-flores / Hummingbirds Memory

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2008

RESUMO

Hummingbirds are highly specialized for nectar consumption as a main food source. Since these animals exhibit one of the highest metabolic rates among endoterms, they depend on strategies that optimize the use of the available food resources. Therefore, a detailed memory for the location, quality and time of food availability is likely to be an important component of their feeding strategies and success. Recent studies have shown that some non-human animals exhibit the capacity of remembering "where" and "when" specific events ("what") occurred. Simultaneous recalling of "what", "where" and "when" specific events occurred characterizes a kind of memory known as "episodic-memory", considered, until recently, exclusive to humans. This study aimed at evaluating (1) the preference for either 20 or 40% sucrose solutions ("what") by exemplars of Amazilia lactea and Eupetomena macroura hummingbirds, (2) the memory for spatial locations ("where") and for intrinsic cues ("what") associated with food resources by exemplars of E. macroura, and (3) the ability of exemplars of E. macroura to learn an association including the time of day ("when") spatial locations ("where") offered profitable colored feeders ("what"). The results showed that the hummingbirds are capable of memorizing information about "what", "when" and "where" food resources are available and of using this information flexibly. Therefore, these results clearly indicate that hummingbirds exhibit an episodic-like type of memory.

ASSUNTO(S)

memória animal beija-flores - memória hummingbirds - memory animal memory

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