Honeybee cognitive ecology in a fluctuating agricultural setting of apple and pear trees

Díaz, Paula C.; Arenas, Andrés; Fernández, Vanesa M.; Martín, Cinthia Soledad Susic; Basilio, Alicia Mabel; Farina, Walter M.

doi:10.1093/beheco/art026

Cited by 20 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…In the case of honeybees, the dancer provides the coordinates of new food resources to other foragers (Dyer, 2002). This communication increases the efficiency by which the colony ‘superorganism’ can utilise food sources (Dornhaus & Chittka, 2004), and is fundamental for the ESs they provide (Dyer, 2002; Díaz et al ., 2013). Social insects also communicate by the use of pheromones, which can be manipulated in order to control their effects (e.g.…”

Section: Social Insect Traits and Their Relevance To Ecosystem Servicmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ecosystem services provided by social insects: traits, management tools and knowledge gaps

et al. 2020

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Social insects, i.e. ants, bees, wasps and termites, are key components of ecological communities, and are important ecosystem services (ESs) providers. Here, we review the literature in order to (i) analyse the particular traits of social insects that make them good suppliers of ESs; (ii) compile and assess management strategies that improve the services provided by social insects; and (iii) detect gaps in our knowledge about the services that social insects provide. Social insects provide at least 10 ESs; however, many of them are poorly understood or valued. Relevant traits of social insects include high biomass and numerical abundance, a diversity of mutualistic associations, the ability to build important biogenic structures, versatile production of chemical defences, the simultaneous delivery of several ESs, the presence of castes and division of labour, efficient communication and cooperation, the capacity to store food, and a long lifespan. All these characteristics enhance social insects as ES providers, highlighting their potential, constancy and efficiency as suppliers of these services. In turn, many of these traits make social insects stress tolerant and easy to manage, so increasing the ESs they provide. We emphasise the need for a conservation approach to the management of the services, as well as the potential use of social insects to help restore habitats degraded by human activities. In addition, we stress the need to evaluate both services and disservices in an integrated way, because some species of social insects are among the most problematic invasive species and native pests. Finally, we propose two areas of research that will lead to a greater and more efficient use of social insects as ES providers, and to a greater appreciation of them by producers and decision‐makers.

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Section: Social Insect Traits and Their Relevance To Ecosystem Servicmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ecosystem services provided by social insects: traits, management tools and knowledge gaps

et al. 2020

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“…While foraging, many social insect species make repeated journeys between an abundant resource and the nest, where larvae are fed (Díaz et al . ; Fernandes et al . ; Giurfa ; Jones et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How single events can influence decision‐making in foraging Vespula germanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) social wasps

Moreyra

Lozada

2018

Austral Entomology

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Social insects are known for their behavioural plasticity and learning abilities. In the present work, we evaluated whether a single past experience could influence Vespula germanica (F.) foraging behaviour by analysing wasp response in two changing situations: when food was displaced at different distances from a previously learned location and when the amount of resource was significantly decreased. In the former case, wasps were allowed to collect meat once from a dish which was later displaced 300, 600 or 900 mm from the previous location. Thus, on the second visit, wasps encountered an empty dish in place of the previously baited one. We recorded the time taken to find the displaced food, the number of hovers over the previously learned location and the direction of first approach of returning foragers. Wasps spent less time searching at the previously learnt site when the dish with food was displaced 300 mm rather than 600 or 900 mm from the learned location. In the second experiment, when two dishes with food were simultaneously offered, one containing 20 g and another 80 g, wasps preferred the 80 g dish. On their second visit, we switched the position of the dishes and recorded which dish wasps collected food from. We found that most wasps collected food from the previously learned location and not from the dish with the more abundant resource. This study illustrates the remarkable influence of a single collecting experience on V. germanica subsequent foraging behaviour.

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“…), while other preferences are learned in response to variable resource availability (Díaz et al. ; Knauer and Schiestl ). For the numerous pollinator‐dependent crops grown worldwide, floral traits that enhance pollinator attraction could result in greater crop yields.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bee visitation rates to cultivated sunflowers increase with the amount and accessibility of nectar sugars

Mallinger

Prasifka

2017

J Applied Entomology

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Pollinators make foraging decisions based on numerous floral traits, including nectar and pollen rewards, and associated visual and olfactory cues. For insect‐pollinated crops, identifying and breeding for attractive floral traits may increase yields. In this study, we examined floral trait variation within cultivated sunflowers and its effects on bee foraging behaviours. Over 2 years, we planted different sunflower inbred lines, including male‐fertile and male‐sterile lines, and measured nectar volume, nectar sugar concentration and composition, and corolla length. During bloom, we recorded visits by both managed honey bees and wild bees. We then examined consistency in relative nectar production by comparing field results to those from a greenhouse experiment. Sunflower inbred lines varied significantly in all floral traits, including the amount and composition of nectar sugars, and in corolla length. Both wild bee and honey bee visits significantly increased with nectar sugar amount and decreased with corolla length, but appeared unaffected by nectar sugar composition. While wild bees made more visits to sunflowers providing pollen (male‐fertile), honey bees preferred plants without pollen (male‐sterile). Differences in nectar quantity among greenhouse‐grown sunflower lines were similar to those measured in the field, and bumble bees preferentially visited lines with more nectar in greenhouse observations. Our results show that sunflowers with greater quantities of nectar sugar and shorter corollas receive greater pollination services from both managed and wild bees. Selecting for these traits could thus increase sunflower crop yields and provide greater floral resources for bees.

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Honeybee cognitive ecology in a fluctuating agricultural setting of apple and pear trees

Cited by 20 publications

References 32 publications

The ecosystem services provided by social insects: traits, management tools and knowledge gaps

The ecosystem services provided by social insects: traits, management tools and knowledge gaps

How single events can influence decision‐making in foraging Vespula germanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) social wasps

Bee visitation rates to cultivated sunflowers increase with the amount and accessibility of nectar sugars

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