Researchers from McMaster University have been investigating the evolutionary roots of social learning in insects. As part of the on-going study, Reuven Dukas, associate professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, and graduate student, Sachin Sarin, discovered that 'inexperienced' (virgin) female fruit files can learn from their more experienced neighbors.

The research team discovered that when the virgin flies landed on decaying fruit where mated females had previously laid their eggs, the novices later preferred to lay their eggs in the same place - rather than seek out other ripe fruit.

Their research suggests that even solitary insects may demonstrate social learning - and raises the possibility that such learning has promoted the evolution of socializing as a survival mechanism.

"The fruit fly is much more sophisticated than many people think or really want to believe," explains Dukas. "It shares many of the same genes and the same compounds that control learning in humans. This first documentation of social learning in fruit flies opens up exciting avenues for research on the evolution and neurogenetics of social learning."

Source: McMaster University (2009, September 28). Pesky Fruit Flies Learn From Experienced Females. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 29, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916103428.htm