Wild non-eusocial bees learn a colour discrimination task in response to simulated predation events

Howard, Scarlett R.

doi:10.1007/s00114-021-01739-9

Cited by 11 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 78 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The trial lasted until the bee made a choice (all bees did so within the range of approximately 5 s to 60 s). Bees from both species appeared attracted to stimuli, showing a motivation to walk towards them upon placement into the arena as seen in Movie 1 and in recent experiments on these two species (Howard, 2021;Howard et al, 2021a). A choice was recorded once a bee climbed onto the flower stimulus (see Movie 1).…”

Section: Preference Testsmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Pilot experiments were conducted with multiple arenas to determine which size and shape would be best for the behavioural testing described in the current experiment and were the same (Howard, 2021) or similar (Howard et al, 2021a) to recent studies on L. lanarium and L.…”

Section: Apparatusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The arena was constructed of white plastic and was 16 cm in diameter (Fig. 1B; Howard, 2021). All bees were individually tested.…”

Section: Apparatusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such behaviour has been well studied in eusocial species such as A. mellifera (for examples, see Garcia et al, 2019;Giurfa et al, 1995;Howard et al, 2019d;Lehrer et al, 1995;Martin, 2004) and B. terrestris (for examples, see Essenberg et al, 2015;Lihoreau et al, 2016;Lunau, 1991;Pasquaretta et al, 2019;Rodríguez et al, 2004;Spaethe et al, 2001;Whitney et al, 2008). Although there are studies reporting the foraging and pollination behaviours of non-eusocial bees in field conditions (Stone et al, 1999;Welsford and Johnson, 2012;White et al, 2001) and foraging arenas (Dukas and Real, 1991), more controlled psychophysics experiments (Howard, 2021;Howard et al, 2021a;Menzel et al, 1988;Welsford and Johnson, 2012) are currently lacking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The current lack of information across the many diverse bee species is thought to be a result of a dearth of taxonomic expertise and funding (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-10/ bee-taxonomy-in-australia-a-dying-art/12647676; Sands, 2018;Saunders et al, 2021;Taylor et al, 2018). In Australia, the native eusocial stingless bee Tetragonula carbonaria ( previously Trigona carbonaria) has been studied for orientation and flight range (Leonhardt et al, 2016;Smith et al, 2017), colour preferences (Dyer et al, 2019(Dyer et al, , 2016a, flower constancy behaviour (White et al, 2001), nectar temperature preference (Norgate et al, 2010), pollination effectiveness (Heard, 1994) and flower detection abilities (Dyer et al, 2016b), but studies on other native species, particularly non-eusocial species, are lacking, although recent work has examined colour learning and preferences in native noneusocial halictid bees (Howard, 2021;Howard et al, 2021a). Other studies on native Australian bee foraging behaviour have mainly centred on their involvement in or potential to contribute to crop pollination.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Spontaneous choices for insect-pollinated flower shapes by wild non-eusocial halictid bees

Howard

Prendergast

Symonds

et al. 2021

Journal of Experimental Biology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The majority of angiosperms require animal pollination for reproduction and insects are the dominant group of animal pollinators. Bees are considered one of the most important and abundant insect pollinators. Research into bee behaviour and foraging decisions has typically centred on managed eusocial bee species, Apis mellifera and Bombus terrestris. Non-eusocial bees are understudied with respect to foraging strategies and decision-making, such as flower preferences. Understanding whether there are fundamental foraging strategies and preferences which are features of insect groups can provide key insights into the evolution of flower-pollinator co-evolution. In the current study, Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) lanarium and L. (Parasphecodes) sp., two native Australian generalist halictid bees, were tested for flower shape preferences between native insect-pollinated and bird-pollinated flowers. Each bee was presented with achromatic images of either insect-pollinated or bird-pollinated flowers in a circular arena. Both native bee species demonstrated a significant preference for images of insect-pollinated flowers. These preferences are similar to those found in A. mellifera, suggesting that flower shape preference may be a deep-rooted evolutionary occurrence within bees. With growing interest in the sensory capabilities of non-eusocial bees as alternative pollinators, the current study also provides a valuable framework for further behavioural testing of such species.

show abstract

Section: Preference Testsmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Apparatusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The arena was constructed of white plastic and was 16 cm in diameter (Fig. 1B; Howard, 2021). All bees were individually tested.…”

Section: Apparatusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Spontaneous choices for insect-pollinated flower shapes by wild non-eusocial halictid bees

Howard

Prendergast

Symonds

et al. 2021

Journal of Experimental Biology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Complex preference relationships between native and non-native angiosperms and foraging insect visitors in a suburban greenspace under field and laboratory conditions

Howard

Symonds

2023

Sci Nat

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The introduction and spread of non-native flora threatens native pollinators and plants. Non-native angiosperms can compete with native plants for pollinators, space, and other resources which can leave native bees without adequate nutritional or nesting resources, particularly specialist species. In the current study, we conducted flower preference experiments through field observations and controlled binary choice tests in an artificial arena to determine the impact of field vs. laboratory methods on flower preferences of native bees for native or non-native flowers within their foraging range. We conducted counts of insect pollinators foraging on the flowers of three plant species in a suburban green belt including one native (Arthropodium strictum) and two non-native (Arctotheca calendula and Taraxacum officinale) plant species. We then collected native halictid bees foraging on each of the three plant species and conducted controlled binary tests to determine their preferences for the flowers of native or non-native plant species. In the field counts, halictid bees visited the native plant significantly more than the non-native species. However, in the behavioural assays when comparing A. strictum vs. A. calendula, Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) lanarium (Family: Halictidae), bees significantly preferred the non-native species, regardless of their foraging history. When comparing A. strictum vs. T. officinale, bees only showed a preference for the non-native flower when it had been collected foraging on the flowers of that plant species immediately prior to the experiment; otherwise, they showed no flower preference. Our results highlight the influence that non-native angiosperms have on native pollinators and we discuss the complexities of the results and the possible reasons for different flower preferences under laboratory and field conditions.

show abstract

Aversive reinforcement improves visual discrimination learning in free-flying wasps (Vespula vulgaris)

Dyer,

Howard

2023

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding and assessing the capacity for learning, memory, and cognition in non-model organisms is a growing field. In invertebrate cognition, eusocial hymenopteran species such as honeybees, bumblebees, and ants are well-studied for their learning and memory abilities due to decades of research providing well-tested methods of training and assessing cognition. In the current study, we assess the use of different conditioning methods on visual learning in a non-model hymenopteran species which is becoming increasingly used in learning and memory tasks, the European wasp (Vespula vulgaris). We trained individual wasps to learn to discriminate between perceptually similar colours using absolute conditioning (reward on target stimulus in the absence of distractors), appetitive differential conditioning (reward on target stimulus and no outcome for incorrect stimulus), or appetitive-aversive differential conditioning (reward on target stimulus and aversive outcome for incorrect stimulus). When trained with absolute conditioning, wasps were unable to learn to discriminate between perceptually similar colours. However, when trained with appetitive differential conditioning or appetitive-aversive differential conditioning, wasps were able to learn to discriminate between two similar colours, although they performed best when an aversive reinforcement was provided during training. Our results show similarities to learning behaviour in honeybees and bumblebees, and provide insight into the learning and cognition of a non-model invertebrate. Our findings provide important comparative data to aid in understanding the evolution of learning and memory in hymenopterans. Significance statement Foraging insects such as bees, ants, and wasps visit a variety of food sources such as flowers, insect prey, and rotting fruit. Many of these insects must learn and recall resource traits such as location, scent, shape, colour, and size. To understand the process of learning in insects which are comparatively less studied than those such as honeybees and bumblebees, we trained wasps to discriminate between two similar colours using three different types of conditioning methods. Wasps were best able to learn to discriminate between the similar colours when trained with appetitive-aversive differential conditioning, where a reward is provided for a correct choice and an aversive outcome was providing for an incorrect choice. Our results show that similar to popular invertebrate cognition models, wasp learning is improved when an aversive outcome is introduced for incorrect choices.

show abstract

Wild non-eusocial bees learn a colour discrimination task in response to simulated predation events

Cited by 11 publications

References 78 publications

Spontaneous choices for insect-pollinated flower shapes by wild non-eusocial halictid bees

Spontaneous choices for insect-pollinated flower shapes by wild non-eusocial halictid bees

Complex preference relationships between native and non-native angiosperms and foraging insect visitors in a suburban greenspace under field and laboratory conditions

Aversive reinforcement improves visual discrimination learning in free-flying wasps (Vespula vulgaris)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About