Data from: Attraction to and learning from social cues in fruitfly larvae

We examined the use of social information in fruitfly larvae, which
represent an ideal model system owing to their robust learning abilities,
small number of neurons and well-studied neurogenetics. Focal larvae
showed attraction to the distinct odour emanating from food occupied by
other larvae. In controlled learning experiments, focal larvae preferred
novel odours previously paired with food occupied by other larvae over
novel odours previously paired with unoccupied food. When we gave groups
of larvae a choice between food patches differing in quality, more larvae
aggregated on the higher-quality food, suggesting that attraction to and
learning about cues associated with other larvae can be beneficial.
Furthermore, larvae were more likely to find the best available food patch
in trials when that food patch was occupied by other larvae than in trials
when that food patch was unoccupied. Our data suggest, however, that the
benefits from joining others may be at least partially offset by the
fitness costs of increased competition, because larvae reared in isolation
did as well as or better than larvae reared in groups on three key fitness
parameters: developmental rate, survival rate and adult dry body mass. Our
work establishes fruitfly larvae as a highly tractable model species for
further research on the mechanisms that modulate behaviour and learning in
a social context.