Effect of flower complexity on relearning flower-handling skills in bumble bees

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (11) ◽  
pp. 2052-2058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Gegear ◽  
Terence M. Laverty
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Trifolium Pratense ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Lythrum Salicaria ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Access Time ◽  
Interference Effects ◽  
Flower Constancy ◽  
Flower Handling ◽  
Interference Hypothesis

Pollinators often forage sequentially among the flowers of the same plant species while bypassing flowers of other rewarding species. Darwin proposed that it is more efficient for pollinators to remain constant to one plant species because switching to a second species interferes with their ability to recall a previously learned flower-handling technique. This interference hypothesis was tested using Bombus impatiens workers. Bees that had learned to handle one type of flower (species A) were retested on species A after they had learned to handle a second type of flower (species B). Interference effects were detected by comparing flower access times (time to insert the tongue into the flower) during the retesting period with initial access times on species A. Bees retested on both simple (red clover, Trifolium pratense) and complex (toadflax, Linaria vulgaris) flowers showed no evidence of interference after learning simple-flowered plant species (blueweed, Echium vulgare; purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria). However, bees relearning the complex flowers of toadflax showed a 2.2-s (81%) increase over their initial access time after switching to a second complex-flowered species (orange touch-me-not, Impatiens capensis). These results suggest that the interference effects incurred by bees switching between toadflax and orange touch-me-not under biologically realistic conditions are relatively small, and are unlikely to account for flower constancy in bumble bees.

Costs to foraging bumble bees of switching plant species

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terence M. Laverty
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Trifolium Pratense ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Prunella Vulgaris ◽  
Flower Constancy ◽  
Flower Visit ◽  
Aconitum Napellus ◽  
Handling Methods ◽  
Vicia Cracca ◽  
Flower Handling

Many pollinators tend to move between flowers of the same species of plant even when flowers of other species are available. Reasons for this behaviour (known as flower constancy) are unclear. One possible explanation (proposed by Darwin) is that flower handling methods learned on one plant species interfere with previously learned handling methods of other plant species. Darwin's hypothesis was tested by measuring the constancy of bumble bees (Bombus fervidus) foraging in the field and looking for evidence of interference (increased handling times and flower handling errors) when bees switched among four species with relatively simple flowers (Prunella vulgaris, Trifolium pratense, T. hybridum, and Vicia cracca) and two species with more complex flowers (Aconitum napellus and Impatiens capensis). Bees foraging on simple flowers showed no tendency towards flower constancy, and switching between species did not increase handling times or handling errors. Foragers displayed strong constancy when visiting the species with more complex flowers and there was also some evidence of increased handling times and error frequencies following switches. However, the time costs of switching were small (about 1 s over the first flower visit after a switch) and are unlikely to account for flower constancy by bumble bees foraging under natural conditions.

How many flower types can bumble bees work at the same time?

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (7) ◽  
pp. 1358-1365 ◽  
Author(s):  
R J Gegear ◽  
T M Laverty
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bombus Impatiens ◽  
Interference Effects ◽  
Artificial Flower ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Flower Type ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Flower Handling

Bumble bees often restrict their foraging behaviour to the flowers of two plant species on a single foraging trip ("a major and a minor" sensu Heinrich), perhaps because learning additional flower-handling techniques interferes with their ability to recall previously learned flower-handling skills. This hypothesis was tested with bumble bees (Bombus impatiens) foraging on arrays of artificial flower types. Test bees were first trained on one flower type, then retested on the same flower type after learning one, two, or three different types. The number of flower types selected by bees on a mixed array consisting of several types was also tested. Interference effects increased with the number and complexity of interfering flower types: a 0% increase for one simple flower type; 278% for two simple flower types; 357% for three simple flower types; and 565% for two complex flower types; switching among more than two flower types caused substantial interference. On the mixed array of three flower types, none of the 20 foragers tested randomly visited all three types, 67% primarily visited two types, and 33% primarily visited one type. These findings suggest that the bees limited the number of flower types to two because of the substantial costs incurred when a third flower type was included in their foraging repertoire.

Effect of a colour dimorphism on the flower constancy of honey bees and bumble bees

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 587-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J Gegear ◽  
Terence M Laverty
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
Flower Colour ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Flower Constancy ◽  
Flower Colours ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Flower Handling ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Colour Dimorphism

We assessed the flower constancy of Italian honey bees (Apis mellifera ligustica Spinelli, 1808) and bumble bees (Bombus impatiens Cresson, 1863) by presenting individual foragers with a mixed array of equally rewarding yellow and blue flowers after they were trained to visit each colour in succession. All honey bees showed a high degree of flower constancy to one colour and rarely visited the alternate colour, whereas most bumble bees indiscriminately visited both colours. Foraging rates (flowers visited per minute) and flower handling times did not differ between honey bee and bumble bee foragers; however, bumble bees tended to fly farther between consecutive flower visits and make fewer moves to nearest neighbouring flowers than honey bees. When bees were forced to specialize on one of two previously rewarding flower colours by depleting one colour of reward, honey bees required almost twice as many flower visits to specialize on the rewarding flower colour as bumble bees. Together, these results suggest that the relationship between individual flower constancy and colour differences is not a general behavioural phenomenon in honey and bumble bees, perhaps because of differences in the ability of each group to effectively manage multiple colours at the same time and location.

Food-Gathering Behaviour of Honey, Bumble, and Leaf-Cutter Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in Alberta

1961 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 409-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Hobbs ◽  
W. O. Nummi ◽  
J. F. Virostek
Keyword(s):  
Medicago Sativa ◽  
Trifolium Pratense ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Western Canada ◽  
Effective Pollinators

In the prairie region of Western Canada certain species of bumble bees are the principal pollinators of red clover, Trifolium pratense L. (Hobbs, 1957). Certain bumble and leaf-cutter bees are the only effective pollinators of alfalfa, Medicago sativa L., in Western Canada (Hobbs and Lilly, 1954; Hobbs, 1956; Peck and Bolton, 1946; Stephen, 1955). Unfortunately, bumble and leaf-cutter bees are seldom very abundant.

scholarly journals Comparison of buckwheat, red clover, and purple tansy as potential surrogate plants for use in semi-field pesticide risk assessments withBombus impatiens

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela E. Gradish ◽  
G. Christopher Cutler ◽  
Andrew J. Frewin ◽  
Cynthia D. Scott-Dupree
Keyword(s):  
Trifolium Pratense ◽  
Insect Pest ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Growth Characteristics ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Plant Type

Background.Bumble bees (Bombusspp.) are important wild and managed pollinators. There is increased interest in incorporating data on bumble bees into risk assessments for pesticides, but standardized methods for assessing hazards of pesticides in semi-field and field settings have not yet been established for bumble bees. During semi-field studies, colonies are caged with pesticide-treated flowering surrogate plants, which must be attractive to foragers to ensure colony exposure to the test compound, and must produce an ample nectar and pollen to sustain colonies during testing. However, it is not known which plant(s) are suitable for use in semi-field studies with bumble bees.Materials and Methods.We comparedB. impatiensforaging activity and colony development on small plots of flowering buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum, var. common), red clover (Trifolium pratense), and purple tansy (Phacelia tanacetifolia) under semi-field conditions to assess their suitability as surrogate plants for pesticide risk assessment studies with bumble bees. We also compared the growth characteristics and input requirements of each plant type.Results.All three plant types generally established and grew well. Red clover and purple tansy experienced significant weed pressure and/or insect pest damage. In contrast, pest pressure was extremely low in buckwheat. Overall,B. impatiensforaging activity was significantly greater on buckwheat plots than red clover or purple tansy, but plant type had no effect on number of individuals produced per colony or colony weight.Discussion.Because of the consistently high foraging activity and successful colony development observed on buckwheat plots, combined with its favourable growth characteristics and low maintenance requirements, we recommend buckwheat as a surrogate plant for use in semi-field pesticide toxicity assessments withB. impatiens.

scholarly journals Comparative Study of the Bioactive Properties and Elemental Composition of Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) and Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) Sprouts during Germination

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (20) ◽  
pp. 7249
Author(s):  
Elena Roxana Chiriac ◽  
Carmen Lidia Chiţescu ◽  
Claudia Sandru ◽  
Elisabeta-Irina Geană ◽  
Mariana Lupoae ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medicago Sativa ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Trifolium Pratense ◽  
Statistical Processing ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Elemental Content ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Total Polyphenols ◽  
Alfalfa Sprouts ◽  
The Individual

Considering the growing interest in functional foods, the identification of the individual species of elements is of great importance in understanding specific nutraceutical properties. The present study aims to compare the dynamic of the elemental content (K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Ni, and Se), total polyphenols, and antioxidant activity of Trifolium pratense L. and Medicago sativa L. sprouts in different germination stages. The elemental profile was established by atomic absorption spectroscopy after the microwave acid digestion of the samples, while total polyphenols and anti-radical activity were evaluated by UV-Vis spectroscopic methods. Phenolic compounds and anti-radical activity of both alfalfa and red clover sprouts varied with germination stages. Germination can significantly increase the anti-radical activity in the first 3 days of germination, followed by a decline in the following days. An increase in total polyphenols was noticed, starting from the second day of germination in both plant species. There were significant (p < 0.05) differences for Ca, Na, Fe, K, Zn, and Mg contents among the sprouts, depending on the germination stage and plant species. The calcium contents of alfalfa ranged between 200.74 µg/g DW (raw seeds) and 2765.31 µg/g DW (sprouted), while in red clover between 250.83 µg/g DW and 601.59 µg/g DW. Maximum selenium content in alfalfa sprouts, reached in the 3rd day of germination (11.42 µg/g DW), exceeded the maximum value measured in red clover (9.42 µg/g DW). The data were subject to statistical processing using analysis of variance (ANOVA), multivariate analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA).

The influence of season on lambs' feeding preference for plantain, chicory and red clover

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (10) ◽  
pp. 1241 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Pain ◽  
J. R. Corkran ◽  
P. R. Kenyon ◽  
S. T. Morris ◽  
P. D. Kemp
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Trifolium Pratense ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Diet Selection ◽  
Similar Rate ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrate ◽  
Intake Rate ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Selection Of

The objective of the three studies reported here was to examine the grazing preference and diet selection of lambs for plantain (Plantago laceolata), chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) and red clover (Trifolium pratense) compared with New Zealand’s conventional ryegrass (Lolium perenne) pasture. Study One investigated the diet selection of lambs for 7 days at the beginning of March, using transects with tagged plants on a mixed plantain, chicory and red clover sward. Study Two was an outdoor preference experiment conducted in both March and May by observation of lambs on adjacent monocultures of plantain, chicory and red clover. Study Three was an indoor feeding trial that aimed to determine the intake rate and relative preference of weaned lambs for two herbages (chicory and plantain), two legumes (lucerne and red clover) and ryegrass pasture, in both spring (November) and summer (March). Study One determined that when grazing the mixed sward for a period of 7 days, the mean day that lambs commenced grazing red clover, chicory and plantain was Day 1.6 ± 0.1, 4.8 ± 0.2 and 6.2 ± 0.2, respectively, with significant (P < 0.05) differences between all species. In relation to preference as observed in Study Two, more lambs (P < 0.05) were seen to be grazing red clover at any time, and more lambs were grazing chicory (P < 0.05) than plantain. There was, also an interaction of season with preference, with plantain becoming more acceptable (P < 0.05) to the lambs in May (late autumn) versus March (early autumn). In Study Three, the term ‘preference’ refers to the natural logarithm of the ratio of amounts eaten between the forage being tested and the alternative forage offered simultaneously. This was established in triplicate by offering pairs of all the plant species side by side to individually penned lambs. The results indicated that plantain was consumed at a similar rate (P > 0.05) to that of ryegrass, whereas red clover and chicory had higher voluntary feed intakes, likely due to lower fibre content. The intake rate of chicory was greater in summer than spring and may be related to increased palatability due to the increased water-soluble carbohydrate content of chicory in summer. Regardless of season, average preference for red clover was always higher (P < 0.05) than that of chicory, plantain and ryegrass. Plantain was considerably less preferred in summer than spring. Differences in diet selection and preference may offer a unique opportunity to manipulate utilisation of pastures using a diverse range of plant species.

Comparisons of Floral Response of Seed Lots of Dollard Red Clover, Trifolium pratense L. 1

Crop Science ◽  
1965 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 425-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Bula ◽  
R. G. May ◽  
C. S. Garrison ◽  
C. M. Rincker ◽  
J. G. Dean
Keyword(s):  
Trifolium Pratense ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Trifolium Pratense L
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