Complexity and plasticity in honey bee phototactic behaviour

Abstract

the UV, since its decay in valence is slower than for blue or green. Another possibility would be that UV is integrated differently from the other wavelengths and that this impacts how it is compared. Recent data supports this hypothesis: UV induces configural processing of olfactory-visual compounds (i.e. the compound is different from the sum of its components), whereas blue and green produced elemental compounds 48. A different comparison mechanism could explain that exposure to blue/green did not impact the bees' behaviour during blue/green vs UV tests, but did so during blue vs green tests (Fig. 5E-H). Overall, our results demonstrate that animals with a complex visual system, like the honey bee, can exhibit refined phototaxis behaviour. In particular, they can adapt this behaviour based on individual experience. These results also open new questions that should be addressed in future studies. We are especially curious about the ecological relevance of such modulation, as well as the mechanisms supporting it. Methods Honey bees. Bees were taken from colonies housed on the roof of the University of Konstanz, Germany. The bees participating in the experiments were caught as they left the colony, and were thus most likely foragers. They were introduced inside the behavioural training and testing chamber yAPIS immediately after being caught. To check calibrated intensities, 3 groups (one for each wavelength pair) of 18 bees were tested (total n = 54). Conditioning experiments were done with 6 treatment groups in parallel (3 paired and 3 unpaired) of 96 bees each, total n = 576. The 3 CS-only groups contained 48 bees each (total n = 144). The experiment in which green was trained with 12 pairing trials included 2 groups (paired + unpaired) of 48 bees each (total n = 96). Finally, the experiment in which light intensities were varied included 6 groups ((2 symmetrical pairing and 1 naïve control) × 2 wavelengths varying in intensity) of 48 bees each (total n = 288).

Investigating the Influence of Varied Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Wavelengths on Phototactic Behavior and Opsin Genes in Vespinae

“…Phototactic behavior is also influenced by light intensity and is often used to assess an animal’s ability to discriminate between different levels of light intensity [ 10 , 11 ]. The underlying mechanisms of phototaxis are not hardwired and can be modulated by various external factors, such as light, wavelength, intensity, sex, developmental stages, environmental conditions, and biological rhythms [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Insect phototactic behavior is also subject to modulation during biological rhythms, with different species exhibiting peak light-up periods at specific times [ 18 , 19 ].…”

Influence of ultraviolet radiation and temperature on the phototactic response of tropical species of stingless bees

“…This behaviour can be modi ed by light intensity and wavelength, although it appears that bees are mainly colour-blind (Kaiser et al 1977; Menzel and Greggers 1985;Erber and Scheiner 2006). Nonetheless, studies on Apis mellifera Linnaeus (1758) (Hymenoptera, Apidae) suggest that although all types of photoreceptors can in uence phototactic behaviour, their contributions may vary (Nouvian and Galizia 2020). In dark-adapted honeybees, the UV light receptor (S) seems to have the greatest contribution, followed by the green (L) and blue (M) receptors (Bertholf 1931;Labhart 1974; Kaiser et al 1977, Nouvian andGalizia 2020).…”

“…Nonetheless, studies on Apis mellifera Linnaeus (1758) (Hymenoptera, Apidae) suggest that although all types of photoreceptors can in uence phototactic behaviour, their contributions may vary (Nouvian and Galizia 2020). In dark-adapted honeybees, the UV light receptor (S) seems to have the greatest contribution, followed by the green (L) and blue (M) receptors (Bertholf 1931;Labhart 1974; Kaiser et al 1977, Nouvian andGalizia 2020). However, research on this behaviour and its spectral sensitivity in other bee groups, such as stingless bees, is limited.…”