Cover Caption

It is often assumed that learning improves foraging, but its direct benefits are not often examined. We demonstrate the contribution of learning to the foraging success of desert ants when a trained colony successfully competes against a naïve one. The outcome also depends on the relative group size. Desert Cataglyphis ants search individually for food (mostly dead prey) without laying pheromone trails (see pages 241-250). The cover photo shows a Cataglyphis niger worker searching for food in its typical sandy habitat. Photo provided Arik Dorfman.