Foraging by bumble bees on patches of artificial flowers: a laboratory study

1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (10) ◽  
pp. 1866-1870 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. K. Hartling ◽  
R. C. Plowright
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Study ◽  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Bee Foraging ◽  
Bombus Atratus ◽  
Artificial Flowers ◽  
Repeat Visits

A remotely controlled artificial flower system for investigation of bumble bee foraging behaviour in the laboratory is described. The behaviour of Bombus atratus Fkln. workers from captive colonies trained to forage on patches of artificial flowers in a flight room conformed well to the predictions of optimal foraging theory. Within-patch movement was systematic, tending to minimize repeat visits to flowers sampled previously. Between-patch movement was influenced both by frequency of encounters with empty flowers in the first patch and by inter-patch distance.

Effect of local spatial plant distribution and conspecific density on bumble bee foraging behaviour

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 334-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
BENOÎT GESLIN ◽  
MATHILDE BAUDE ◽  
FRANCOIS MALLARD ◽  
ISABELLE DAJOZ
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Plant Distribution ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Conspecific Density ◽  
Bee Foraging

scholarly journals Foraging behaviour of Brazilian riverine and coastal fishers: How much is explained by the optimal foraging theory?

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 236 ◽  
Author(s):  
PriscilaF.M. Lopes ◽  
Natalia Hanazaki ◽  
RenatoA.M. Silvano ◽  
Mariana Clauzet ◽  
Milena Ramires ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Foraging Theory

LE CHOIX DE LA DIRECTION DES TRAJETS ENTRE FLEURS DES BOURDONS (BOMBUS) BUTINEURS

1997 ◽  
Vol 129 (5) ◽  
pp. 915-925 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Plowright ◽  
Nathalie Cantin-Plante
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiment ◽  
Decision Rule ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
The Other ◽  
Simple Rule ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
Artificial Flowers ◽  
Straight Ahead

AbstractIn a laboratory experiment on the decision rule underlying the avoidance of flower revisitation by foraging bumble bees (Bombus impatiens), artificial flowers were arranged in two rows. For each flower visited, the choice was either to travel straight ahead onto a flower in the same row or to change direction and choose a flower in the other row. The distance between rows was manipulated to be smaller than, equal to, or greater than the distance between flowers in the same row. When the distances between adjacent flowers within a row and between rows were equal, a significant tendency to travel straight ahead was observed. This tendency was sensitive to changes in distance between rows, even when the distances between rows far exceeded the distance between flowers within a row. The tendency was abolished when the distance between rows was smaller than the distance between flowers within a row. A significant alternation of the bumble bee between rows (zigzag path) was observed in only one condition: when not only the distance between rows was much smaller than the distance between flowers in the same row, but also when the rows were staggered such that the bee could alternate between rows while still travelling in an almost straight line. These results show that the two variables of distance and angle are integrated, and that the choices made by bumble bees do not reflect a simple rule. Future research on tradeoffs is suggested.

Foraging in the subterranean social Damaraland mole-rat, Cryptomys damarensis: an investigation into size-dependent geophyte utilization and foraging patterns

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandy Barnett ◽  
Nigel C Bennett ◽  
Steven R Telford ◽  
Jennifer U.M Jarvis
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Foraging Patterns ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
Mole Rat ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Resource Patches ◽  
Rate Of Consumption

The foraging behaviour of captive colonies of the Damaraland mole-rat, Cryptomys damarensis, was investigated in an artificial soil-filled burrow system provided with three tray patches that varied in bulb and corm (i.e., geophyte) density and size. Members of two founder colonies (comprising three and four mole-rats) were exposed to resource patches that varied in food profitability (both size and density of geophytes). There was no preference for excavating any of the patches with different densities or sizes of geophytes. The larger geophytes were preferentially stored and the smaller ones preferentially eaten both on encounter and within the food store. The duration of handling and rate of consumption of geophytes by 15 animals of various body sizes from three colonies were recorded. Handling time was related to the size of the geophytes. Small geophytes were less profitable to consume. It was concluded that the mole-rats generally followed the qualitative predictions of optimal foraging theory but fell short of being energy maximizers.

The Foraging Behaviour of Mongolian Gerbils: a Behavioural Need or a Need To Know?

Behaviour ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 133 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 129-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Björn Forkman
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Meriones Unguiculatus ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Mongolian Gerbils ◽  
The Third ◽  
Fourth Experiment

AbstractIn the present paper Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) were shown to prefer to forage from an unprofitable food source when it contained hidden food, but not when the food was clearly visible. Four experiments were performed, in each experiment the animal could forage from either a food source with easily accessible food or from a food source which required more work. In the first experiment the animal could choose between seeds with husks and those without, and in the second experiment between seeds glued to a stick and seeds in a bowl. In both these experiments the animals could see the food of both food sources. The animals chose to forage from the most profitable food source, i.e. the seeds without husks and the seeds in a bowl respectively. In the third experiment the animals could choose between eating seeds hidden under lids or seeds in a bowl, and finally in the fourth experiment they could forage for seeds on a camouflaging surface or on a surface where the seeds were clearly visible. In these last two experiments it was impossible to see the food in the unprofitable food sources without working for it. In these situations the animals choose to forage from the unprofitable food source, i.e. from underneath the lids and on the camouflaging surface. These results are in accordance with exploration being the driving force behind contrafreeloading (learned industrioussness). The results cannot be explained by classical optimal foraging theory.

scholarly journals Floral reward production is timed by an insect pollinator

2007 ◽  
Vol 274 (1620) ◽  
pp. 1831-1837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J Boisvert ◽  
Anthea J Veal ◽  
David F Sherry
Keyword(s):  
Interval Timing ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bombus Impatiens ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Floral Reward ◽  
Insect Pollinator ◽  
Timing Sensitivity ◽  
Artificial Flowers ◽  
Fixed Delay

Interval timing—sensitivity to elapsing durations—has recently been found to occur in an invertebrate pollinator, the bumble-bee ( Bombus impatiens ). Here, bumble-bees were required to time the interval between the start of foraging in a patch of low-quality artificial flowers providing 25% sucrose and the availability of a high-quality flower (HQF) that provided 50% sucrose after a fixed delay. The delay changed after every 20 foraging bouts in the order 30–150–30 s. Bees visited the HQF sooner when the delay was 30 s than when it was 150 s, and visits to the HQF peaked near the end of both delays. When the delay changed to 150 s, bees appeared to time both the previous 30 s delay and the new delay. To examine whether bees also learned what kind of reward was provided at the HQF, its usual reward was replaced with 25% sucrose in a final foraging bout. Bumble-bees rejected the HQF on the reward-replacement test. These results show that bumble-bees remembered both when reward was produced by the HQF and what type of reward was produced. These findings indicate that bumble-bees can learn both the timing and content of reward production.

scholarly journals Among-individual differences in foraging modulate resource exploitation under perceived predation risk

Oecologia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 194 (4) ◽  
pp. 621-634
Author(s):  
Jana A. Eccard ◽  
Thilo Liesenjohann ◽  
Melanie Dammhahn
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Optimal Foraging Theory ◽  
Foraging Theory ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Resource Exploitation

AbstractForaging is risky and involves balancing the benefits of resource acquisition with costs of predation. Optimal foraging theory predicts where, when and how long to forage in a given spatiotemporal distribution of risks and resources. However, significant variation in foraging behaviour and resource exploitation remain unexplained. Using single foragers in artificial landscapes of perceived risks and resources with diminishing returns, we aimed to test whether foraging behaviour and resource exploitation are adjusted to risk level, vary with risk during different components of foraging, and (co)vary among individuals. We quantified foraging behaviour and resource exploitation for 21 common voles (Microtus arvalis). By manipulating ground cover, we created simple landscapes of two food patches varying in perceived risk during feeding in a patch and/or while travelling between patches. Foraging of individuals was variable and adjusted to risk level and type. High risk during feeding reduced feeding duration and food consumption more strongly than risk while travelling. Risk during travelling modified the risk effects of feeding for changes between patches and resulting evenness of resource exploitation. Across risk conditions individuals differed consistently in when and how long they exploited resources and exposed themselves to risk. These among-individual differences in foraging behaviour were associated with consistent patterns of resource exploitation. Thus, different strategies in foraging-under-risk ultimately lead to unequal payoffs and might affect lower trophic levels in food webs. Inter-individual differences in foraging behaviour, i.e. foraging personalities, are an integral part of foraging behaviour and need to be fully integrated into optimal foraging theory.

scholarly journals Conservation Conundrum: At-risk Bumble Bees (Bombus spp.) Show Preference for Invasive Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca) While Foraging in Protected Areas

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelby D Gibson ◽  
Amanda R Liczner ◽  
Sheila R Colla
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
North America ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Similar Data ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Bee Foraging ◽  
Vicia Cracca

AbstractIn recent decades, some bumble bee species have declined, including in North America. Declines have been reported in species of bumble bees historically present in Ontario, including: yellow bumble bee (Bombus fervidus) (Fabricus, 1798), American bumble bee (Bombus pensylvanicus) (DeGeer, 1773), and yellow-banded bumble bee (Bombus terricola) (Kirby, 1837). Threats contributing to bumble bee population declines include: land-use changes, habitat loss, climate change, pathogen spillover, and pesticide use. A response to the need for action on pollinator preservation in North America has been to encourage ‘bee-friendly’ plantings. Previous studies show differences in common and at-risk bumble bee foraging; however, similar data are unavailable for Ontario. Our research question is whether there is a difference in co-occurring at-risk and common bumble bee (Bombus spp.) floral use (including nectar and pollen collection) in protected areas in southern Ontario. We hypothesize that common and at-risk species forage differently, predicting that at-risk species forage on a limited selection of host plants. We conducted a field survey of sites in southern Ontario, using observational methods to determine bumble bee foraging by species. The results of a redundancy analysis show a difference in foraging between common and at-risk bumblebee species. At-risk bumble bee species show a preference for foraging on invasive, naturalized Vicia cracca (tufted vetch). This finding raises the question of how to preserve or provide forage for at-risk bumble bees, when they show an association with an invasive species often subject to control in protected areas.

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