Insect vision models under scrutiny: what bumblebees (Bombus terrestris terrestris L.) can still tell us.
Naturwissenschaften
; 102(1-2): 1256, 2015 Feb.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25613579
ABSTRACT
Three contending models address the ability of bees to detect and discriminate colours the colour opponent coding (COC) model, the colour hexagon (CH) model and the receptor noise-limited (RN) model, but few studies attempt to determine which model fits experimental data best. To assess whether the models provide an accurate description of bumblebee colour space, we trained bees to discriminate four colour pairs. The perceptual distance between the colours of each pair was similar according to the CH model but varied widely according to the COC and RN models. The time that bees required to select a flower and the proportion of correct choices differed between groups decision times decreased as achromatic contrast increased, and the proportion of correct choices increased with achromatic contrast and perceptual distance, as predicted by the COC and RN models. These results suggest that both chromatic and achromatic contrasts affected the discriminability of colour pairs. Since flower colour affects the foraging choices of bees and foraging choices affect the reproductive success of plants, a better understanding of which model is more accurate under each circumstance is required to predict bee behaviour and the ecological implications of flower choice and colour.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Abejas
/
Percepción de Color
/
Modelos Biológicos
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Naturwissenschaften
Año:
2015
Tipo del documento:
Article