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Neuroanatomical and behavioral correlates of spatial memory in Clark's nutcrackers
Abstract
The structure and organization of the spatial memory system of Clark's nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana) were examined using three different experimental paradigms. The natural history of Clark's nutcrackers implies that they are capable of processing large amounts of spatial information accurately. In Experiments 1 and 2, Clark's nutcrackers were tested for their ability to access spatial information using both stay and shift response strategies in an operant test of spatial memory. Not only were Clark's nutcrackers capable of using the two different response strategies equally well, but subtle differences were discovered in how birds using each strategy coded spatial information into memory. Stay birds appeared to remember serial components from the list of to-be-remembered spatial locations. The spatial configuration of the to-be-remembered spatial locations played more of a role in the ability of shift birds to remember spatial locations. In Experiment 3, a naturalistic study examining the role landmarks play in accurate site identification, Clark's nutcrackers relied heavily on tall ($>$.5m) landmarks and landmarks proximal ($<$.5m) to the to-be-located site. Nutcrackers were also flexible in which landmarks they could use as cues to locate a position in space. Nutcrackers were capable of using separate subsets of a larger configuration of landmarks around a to-be-located site in order to accurately locate the site. In Experiment 4, the area of the brain responsible for spatial information processing (hippocampal complex) was measured in Clark's nutcrackers and three related corvids that are less dependent on stores in the wild. Clark's nutcrackers were found to have a larger hippocampal complex than the other three species. All four experiments support the premise that Clark's nutcrackers are capable of processing spatial information both flexibly and rapidly.
Subject Area
Zoology|Experimental psychology|Psychobiology|Psychology
Recommended Citation
Basil, Jennifer Anne, "Neuroanatomical and behavioral correlates of spatial memory in Clark's nutcrackers" (1993). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9408256.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9408256