Can red flowers be conspicuous to bees?<i>Bombus dahlbomii</i>and South American temperate forest flowers as a case in point

Martínez-Harms, Jaime; Palacios, Adrián; Márquez, Natalia; Estay, Patricia; Arroyo, Mary T. K.; Mpodozis, Jorge

doi:10.1242/jeb.037622

Cited by 32 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…In addition, the lower distance yielded by red flowers in the color space of bees as compared to the respective distances in the chromaticity diagram of the beetles suggests that the visual strategy used by honeybees to find red flowers differs from that used by beetles. While trichromatic bees seem to perceive red flowers through achromatic mechanisms (Martínez-Harms et al 2010), the evidence presented here indicates that P. israelitus have the receptor-based color vision to chromatically perceive red flowers. The capacity to chromatically perceive red could mediate the learning of red flowers by their color and thus the apparent specialization on such flowers reported for glaphyrids in the southeast Mediterranean region.…”

Section: Modeling Color Perceptionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Evidence of red sensitive photoreceptors in Pygopleurus israelitus (Glaphyridae: Coleoptera) and its implications for beetle pollination in the southeast Mediterranean

et al. 2012

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A very well-documented case of flower-beetle interaction is the association in the Mediterranean region between red bowl-shaped flowers and beetles of the family Glaphyridae. The present study examines the visual mechanisms by which Pygopleurus israelitus (Glaphyridae: Scarabaeoidea: Coleoptera) would perceive the colors of flowers they visit by characterizing the spectral sensitivity of its photoreceptors. Our measurements revealed the presence of three types of photoreceptors, maximally sensitive in the UV, green and red areas of the spectrum. Using color vision space diagrams, we calculated the distribution of beetle-visited flower colors in the glaphyrid and honeybee color space and evaluated whether chromatic discrimination differs between the two types of pollinators. Respective color loci in the beetle color space are located on one side of the locus for green foliage background, whereas in the honeybee the flower color loci surround the locus occupied by green foliage. Our results represent the first evidence of a red sensitive photoreceptor in a flower-visiting coleopteran species, highlighting Glaphyridae as an interesting model group to study the role of pollinators in flower color evolution.

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Section: Modeling Color Perceptionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Evidence of red sensitive photoreceptors in Pygopleurus israelitus (Glaphyridae: Coleoptera) and its implications for beetle pollination in the southeast Mediterranean

et al. 2012

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“…P. cochleariae may possess a red receptor or the red stimulus may excite the green receptor more strongly than the simultaneously presented green stimulus (Döring & Chittka, 2007). Alternatively, a potential red-blindness may cause the detection of an achromatic darkwhite contrast in this test situation, as is also assumed for bees (Martínez-Harms et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Relevance of visual and olfactory cues for host location in the mustard leaf beetle Phaedon cochleariae

Kühnle

Müller

2010

Physiological Entomology

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The relevance of visual and olfactory cues for host‐plant location is investigated in males and females of the oligophagous mustard leaf beetle Phaedon cochleariae Fabricius (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Different objects are offered in a walking arena and the behaviour of beetles is observed. Beetles orient toward vertically or horizontally striped black and white pattern independent of stripe orientation. The results suggest that contrast facilitates orientation in the field, whereas the pattern itself may be less important for host location in dense vegetation. The response to green and yellow objects is tested to investigate discrimination abilities between young (green) and mature (yellow) leaves. Beetles prefer green over yellow independent of material (cardboard or leaves of Nasturtium officinale R. Br., Brassicaceae). Preference behaviour tested in a dual‐choice contact assay coincides with visual preferences, where adults prefer young, more nutritious leaves for feeding and oviposition. Furthermore, females discriminate between visual cues of green leaves and green cardboard, whereas males do not, indicating that females are more sensitive in colour discrimination. Differences in colour wavelength influence the choice of beetle behaviour more strongly than differences in intensity. Both sexes of P. cochleariae prefer volatiles of the host plant N. officinale, whereas only females respond to the main volatile compound 2‐phenylethyl isothiocyanate. Given a choice between visual and olfactory cues, males orientate towards the colour cues, whereas females do not show any preferences. In males, visual cues may thus override olfactory cues, whereas, in females, both are equally important, which may reflect different ecological requirements and/or physiological abilities.

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“…Our data show that both honey bees and bumble bees should be able to discriminate against the red‐flowering and white‐flowering morphs of M. moschata through differential stimuli to the green (long‐wavelength) photoreceptor. In addition, the color morphs may differ with respect to achromatic contrast between anthers and petals, or between flowers and foliage, and these differences could influence differential foraging decisions (Chittka & Waser 1997; Martínez‐Harms et al . 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Floral color variation and associations with fitness‐related traits inMalva moschata(Malvaceae)

Frey

Dunton

Garland

2011

Plant Species Biology

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Genetic polymorphisms for floral color are interesting phenomena to study because they are likely to be maintained by opposing selective forces. Pollinator preferences may exert direct selection on floral color; however, floral color might also be the indirect target of selection through genetic associations with other traits under selection. Malva moschata (Malvaceae) is a North American species that produces either red or white flowers. In the present study, we present reflectance spectrophotometry data that characterize the nature of floral color variation in this species and show that honey bees and bumble bees should be able to distinguish between the morphs through differential sensitivity at the green (long-wavelength) photoreceptor. Second, we use a series of phenotypic measures to investigate whether the color morphs differ with respect to other floral traits, vegetative traits or female reproductive success, and use a series of correlation analyses to infer the relative independence of color from these other traits. We found that red-flowered morphs produced more anthers per flower and had greater leaf area, and that whiteflowered morphs had greater percentage fruit set; however, there were no reproductive success differences between the morphs. The relationship between flower size and anther number was the only correlation that differed between the morphs. Finally, a series of pollinator-choice experiments showed that bumble bees strongly prefer red morphs in terms of visit frequency and duration, but honey bees have no preference. Taken together, our results suggest that color is rather independent of other phenotypic traits, and that honey bee abundance is likely to play a role in maintaining color variation in this system.

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Can red flowers be conspicuous to bees?Bombus dahlbomiiand South American temperate forest flowers as a case in point

Cited by 32 publications

References 35 publications

Evidence of red sensitive photoreceptors in Pygopleurus israelitus (Glaphyridae: Coleoptera) and its implications for beetle pollination in the southeast Mediterranean

Evidence of red sensitive photoreceptors in Pygopleurus israelitus (Glaphyridae: Coleoptera) and its implications for beetle pollination in the southeast Mediterranean

Relevance of visual and olfactory cues for host location in the mustard leaf beetle Phaedon cochleariae

Floral color variation and associations with fitness‐related traits inMalva moschata(Malvaceae)

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