scholarly journals Do Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) Form Cognitive Representations of Unconditioned Stimuli?

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiri Li N. Stauch ◽  
Harrington Wells ◽  
Charles I. Abramson
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Experimental Designs ◽  
Not Given ◽  
Cognitive Representation ◽  
Proboscis Extension Response ◽  
Cognitive Representations ◽  
Avoidance Behaviors ◽  
The Us ◽  
Proboscis Extension

Previous research looking at expectancy in animals has used various experimental designs focusing on appetitive and avoidance behaviors. In this study, honey bees (Apis mellifera) were tested ina series of three proboscis extension response (PER) experiments to determine to what degree honey bees’ form a cognitive-representation of an unconditioned stimulus (US). Tthe first experiment, bees were presented with either a 2 sec. sucrose US or 2 sec. honey US appetitive reward and the proboscis-extension duration was measured under each scenario. The PER duration was longer for the honey US even though each US was presented for just 2 sec. Honey bees in the second experiment were tested during extinction trials on a conditioned stimulus (CS) of cinnamon or lavender that was paired with either the sucrose US or honey US in the acquisition trials. The proportion of bees showing the PER response to the CS was recorded for each extinction trial for each US scenario, as was the duration of the proboscis extension for each bee. Neither measure differed between the honey US and sucrose US scenarios, In experiment three, bees were presented with a cinnamon or lavender CS paired with either honey US or sucrose US in a set of acquisition trials, but here the US was not given until after the proboscis was retracted. The PER duration after the CS, and again subsequent after the US, were recorded. While the PER duration after the US was longer for honey, the PER duration after the CS did not differ between honey US and sucrose US.

scholarly journals Mitochondrial DNA Variation of Feral Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.) from Utah (USA)

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-232
Author(s):  
Dylan Cleary ◽  
Allen L. Szalanski ◽  
Clinton Trammel ◽  
Mary-Kate Williams ◽  
Amber Tripodi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Dna Variation ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
The Us ◽  
Coii Gene

Abstract A study was conducted on the mitochondrial DNA genetic diversity of feral colonies and swarms of Apis mellifera from ten counties in Utah by sequencing the intergenic region of the cytochrome oxidase (COI-COII) gene region. A total of 20 haplotypes were found from 174 honey bee colony samples collected from 2008 to 2017. Samples belonged to the A (African) (48%); C (Eastern Europe) (43%); M (Western Europe) (4%); and O (Oriental) lineages (5%). Ten African A lineage haplotypes were observed with two unique to Utah among A lineage haplotypes recorded in the US. Haplotypes belonging to the A lineage were observed from six Utah counties located in the southern portion of the State, from elevations as high as 1357 m. All five C lineage haplotypes that were found have been observed from queen breeders in the US. Three haplotypes of the M lineage (n=7) and two of the O lineage (n=9) were also observed. This study provides evidence that honey bees of African descent are both common and diverse in wild populations of honey bees in southern Utah. The high levels of genetic diversity of A lineage honey bee colonies in Utah provide evidence that the lineage may have been established in Utah before the introduction of A lineage honey bees from Brazil to Texas in 1990.

scholarly journals Honey bees can store and retrieve independent memory traces after complex experiences that combine appetitive and aversive associations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Klappenbach ◽  
Agustin E Lara ◽  
Fernando F Locatelli
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
Differential Conditioning ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Aversive Conditioning ◽  
Appetitive Conditioning ◽  
Olfactory Conditioning ◽  
Proboscis Extension Response ◽  
Conditioning Paradigm ◽  
Aversive Events ◽  
Proboscis Extension

Real-world experiences do often mix appetitive and aversive events. Understanding the ability of animals to extract, store and use this information is an important issue in neurobiology. We used honey bees as model to study learning and memory after a differential conditioning that combines appetitive and aversive training trials. First of all, we describe an aversive conditioning paradigm that constitutes a clear opposite of the well known appetitive olfactory conditioning of the proboscis extension response. A neutral odour is presented paired with the bitter substance quinine. Aversive memory is evidenced later as an odour-specific impairment in appetitive conditioning. Then we tested the effect of mixing appetitive and aversive conditioning trials distributed along the same training session. Differential conditioning protocols like this were used before to study the ability to discriminate odours, however they were not focused on whether appetitive and aversive memories are formed. We found that after a differential conditioning, honey bees establish independent appetitive and aversive memories that do not interfere with each other during acquisition or storage. Finally, we moved the question forward to retrieval and memory expression to evaluate what happens when appetitive and the aversive learned odours are mixed during test. Interestingly, opposite memories compete in a way that they do not cancel each other out. Honey bees showed the ability to switch from expressing appetitive to aversive memory depending on their satiation level.

scholarly journals Prior Experience with Food Reward Influences the Behavioral Responses of the Honeybee Apis mellifera and the Bumblebee Bombus lantschouensis to Tomato Floral Scent

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 884
Author(s):  
Hong Zhang ◽  
Shuang Shan ◽  
Shaohua Gu ◽  
Xinzheng Huang ◽  
Zibo Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Choice Behavior ◽  
Food Reward ◽  
Floral Scent ◽  
Prior Experience ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Strong Preference ◽  
Proboscis Extension Response ◽  
Foraging Experience ◽  
Proboscis Extension

Bee responses to floral scent are usually influenced by both innate biases and prior experience. Honeybees are less attracted than bumblebees to tomato flowers. However, little is known about how tomato floral scent regulates the foraging behaviors of honeybees and bumblebees. In this study, the foraging behaviors of the honeybee Apis mellifera and the bumblebee Bombus lantschouensis on tomato flowers in greenhouses were investigated. Whether the two bee species exhibit different responses to tomato floral scent and how innate biases and prior experience influence bee choice behavior were examined. In the greenhouses, honeybees failed to collect pollen from tomato flowers, and their foraging activities decreased significantly over days. Additionally, neither naïve honeybees nor naïve bumblebees showed a preference for tomato floral scent in a Y-tube olfactometer. However, foraging experience in the tomato greenhouses helped bumblebees develop a strong preference for the scent, whereas honeybees with foraging experience continued to show aversion to tomato floral scent. After learning to associate tomato floral scent with a sugar reward in proboscis extension response (PER) assays, both bee species exhibited a preference for tomato floral scent in Y-tube olfactometers. The findings indicated that prior experience with a food reward strongly influenced bee preference for tomato floral scent.

scholarly journals Pollen reinforces learning in honey bee pollen foragers but not in nectar foragers

2020 ◽  
Vol 223 (22) ◽  
pp. jeb230250
Author(s):  
Denise Nery ◽  
Emilia Moreno ◽  
Andrés Arenas
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
Physiological Mechanism ◽  
Simultaneous Presentation ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Proboscis Extension Response ◽  
Reinforced Learning ◽  
Proboscis Extension ◽  
Foraging Specialization ◽  
Better Than

ABSTRACTSearching for reward motivates and drives behaviour. In honey bees Apis mellifera, specialized pollen foragers are attracted to and learn odours with pollen. However, the role of pollen as a reward remains poorly understood. Unlike nectar, pollen is not ingested during collection. We hypothesized that pollen (but not nectar) foragers could learn pollen by sole antennal or tarsal stimulation. Then, we tested how pairing of pollen (either hand- or bee-collected) and a neutral odour during a pre-conditioning affects performance of both pollen and nectar foragers during the classical conditioning of the proboscis extension response. Secondly, we tested whether nectar and pollen foragers perceive the simultaneous presentation of pollen (on the tarsi) and sugar (on the antennae) as a better reinforcement than sucrose alone. Finally, we searched for differences in learning of the pollen and nectar foragers when they were prevented from ingesting the reward during the conditioning. Differences in pollen-reinforced learning correlate with division of labour between pollen and nectar foragers. Results show that pollen foragers performed better than nectar foragers during the conditioning phase after being pre-conditioned with pollen. Pollen foragers also performed better than nectar foragers in both the acquisition and extinction phases of the conditioning, when reinforced with the dual reward. Consistently, pollen foragers showed improved abilities to learn cues reinforced without sugar ingestion. We discussed that differences in how pollen and nectar foragers respond to a cue associated with pollen greatly contribute to the physiological mechanism that underlies foraging specialization in the honeybee.

scholarly journals Effects of Sublethal Concentrations of Chlorpyrifos on Olfactory Learning and Memory Performances in Two Bee Species, Apis mellifera and Apis cerana

Sociobiology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiguo Li ◽  
Meng Li ◽  
Jingnan Huang ◽  
Changsheng Ma ◽  
Linchen Xiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Sucrose Solution ◽  
Apis Cerana ◽  
Lethal Dose ◽  
Olfactory Learning ◽  
Memory Retention ◽  
Proboscis Extension Response ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Proboscis Extension ◽  
Ld50 Value

Chlorpyrifos is a widely used organophosphorus insecticide. The acute oral 24 h median lethal dose (LD50) value of chlorpyrifos in Apis mellifera and in Apis cerana was estimated to assess differential acute chlorpyrifos toxicity in the two bee species. The LD50 values of chlorpyrifos in A. mellifera and in A. cerana are 103.4 ng/bee and 81.8 ng/bee, respectively, which suggests A. cerana bees are slightly more sensitive than A. mellifera bees to the toxicity of chlorpyrifos. Doses half the acute LD50 of chlorpyrifos were selected to study behavioral changes in the two bee species using proboscis extension response assay. A. mellifera foragers treated with chlorpyrifos showed significantly lower response to the 10% sucrose solution compared to control bees after 2, 24 and 48 h. Chlorpyrifos significantly impaired the olfactory learning abilities and 2 h memory retention of forager bees regardless of honey bee species, which may affect the foraging success of bees exposed to chlorpyrifos.

Serial Dilutions: A New Area of Research for Animal Behavior

2012 ◽  
Vol 111 (2) ◽  
pp. 473-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sondra L. Nolf ◽  
David Philip Arthur Craig ◽  
Charles I. Abramson
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Animal Behavior ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
History Of ◽  
Proboscis Extension ◽  
Serial Dilutions

This paper attempts to stimulate the psychological investigation of homeopathy and serially agitated dilutions. The history of homeopathy and serial dilutions is provided in a literature review of selected research areas. Two original illustrative experiments are also presented and discussed. The first examined the effect of serially agitated dilutions of Sevin® on the mortality rate of honey bees ( Apis mellifera). In a second experiment, the effect of serially agitated dilutions of sucrose on proboscis extension in honey bees was assessed. No differences were found between serially agitated dilutions of pesticides and sucrose compared with dilutions alone. Implications, limitations, and proposed further work are discussed.

A Rapid Bioassay for Detection of Adulterated Beeswax

1999 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Italo S. Aquino ◽  
Charles I. Abramson ◽  
Mark E. Payton
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Initial Component ◽  
Proboscis Extension Reflex ◽  
Physical Methods ◽  
Carnauba Wax ◽  
Comprehensive Program ◽  
Rapid Bioassay ◽  
Proboscis Extension

Proboscis extension was used to test the ability of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) to detect beeswax adulterated with carnauba wax (Copernicia cerifera Arruda Camara). Subjects were exposed to either 100% beeswax (honeycomb) (e.g., no carnauba wax), 100% beeswax (melted) (e.g., as commercial beeswax cake), 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10% beeswax/carnauba mixtures, 0% beeswax (i.e., 100% carnauba wax), or unscented air. Maximum responding was observed in bees exposed to the scent of honey comb or melted beeswax cake. The addition of as little as 10% carnauba wax was readily detected and resulted in reduced proboscis extensions. Few proboscis extensions occurred to bees exposed to unscented air or 100% carnauba wax. The results indicate that the proboscis extension reflex can be used as a rapid, inexpensive, and reliable bioassay for the detection of adulterated beeswax. The bioassay will be useful in developing countries where chemical and physical methods are unavailable for detecting adulterated beeswax and can serve as an initial component in a comprehensive program of adulteration detection. An equation that predicts the probability of a proboscis response given the percent of adulterated wax is presented.

An Automated Apparatus for Conditioning Proboscis Extension in Honey Bees, Apis mellifera L.

2001 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles I. Abramson ◽  
B. J. Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Classical Conditioning ◽  
Unconditioned Stimulus ◽  
Pavlovian Conditioning ◽  
Discrimination Learning ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Automatic Programming ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Proboscis Extension ◽  
Series Of Experiments

An apparatus is described for the study of classical conditioning of proboscis extension in harnessed honey bees, Apis mellifera L., that permits automatic programming of events and recording of data. The apparatus is easy to use, accommodates a wide range of stimuli and can be used to study both associative and nonassociative learning. The technique was evaluated in a series of experiments in which the performance of bees was compared under automated and traditional methods of conditioning. The results indicated that the automated apparatus can successfully be used to study Pavlovian conditioning, discrimination learning, and habituation. A unique finding was that the odor of honeycomb can serve as an unconditioned stimulus to support Pavlovian conditioning.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document