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Ontogeny of orientation flight in the honeybee revealed by harmonic radar

Author

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  • Elizabeth A. Capaldi

    (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 320 Morrill Hall)

  • Alan D. Smith

    (Radar Entomology Unit, Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Worcestershire)

  • Juliet L. Osborne

    (Department of Entomology & Nematology IACR Rothamsted, Hertfordshire)

  • Susan E. Fahrbach

    (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 320 Morrill Hall)

  • Sarah M. Farris

    (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 320 Morrill Hall)

  • Donald R. Reynolds

    (Radar Entomology Unit, Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Worcestershire)

  • Ann S. Edwards

    (Radar Entomology Unit, Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Worcestershire)

  • Andrew Martin

    (Department of Entomology & Nematology IACR Rothamsted, Hertfordshire)

  • Gene E. Robinson

    (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 320 Morrill Hall)

  • Guy M. Poppy

    (Department of Entomology & Nematology IACR Rothamsted, Hertfordshire)

  • Joseph R. Riley

    (Radar Entomology Unit, Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Worcestershire)

Abstract

Cognitive ethology focuses on the study of animals under natural conditions to reveal ecologically adapted modes of learning. But biologists can more easily study what an animal learns than how it learns. For example, honeybees take repeated ‘orientation’ flights before becoming foragers at about three weeks of age1. These flights are a prerequisite for successful homing.2 Little is known2,3 about these flights because orienting bees rapidly fly out of the range of human observation. Using harmonic radar, we show for the first time a striking ontogeny to honeybee orientation flights. With increased experience, bees hold trip duration constant but fly faster, so later trips cover a larger area than earlier trips. In addition, each flight is typically restricted to a narrow sector around the hive. Orientation flights provide honeybees with repeated opportunities to view the hive and landscape features from different viewpoints, suggesting that bees learn the local landscape in a progressive fashion. We also show that these changes in orientation flight are related to the number of previous flights taken instead of chronological age, suggesting a learning process adapted to changes in weather conditions, flower availability and the needs of bee colonies.

Suggested Citation

  • Elizabeth A. Capaldi & Alan D. Smith & Juliet L. Osborne & Susan E. Fahrbach & Sarah M. Farris & Donald R. Reynolds & Ann S. Edwards & Andrew Martin & Gene E. Robinson & Guy M. Poppy & Joseph R. Riley, 2000. "Ontogeny of orientation flight in the honeybee revealed by harmonic radar," Nature, Nature, vol. 403(6769), pages 537-540, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:403:y:2000:i:6769:d:10.1038_35000564
    DOI: 10.1038/35000564
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    Cited by:

    1. Farid Dahdouh-Guebas, 2002. "The Use of Remote Sensing and GIS in the Sustainable Management of Tropical Coastal Ecosystems," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 93-112, June.
    2. Becher, M.A. & Grimm, V. & Knapp, J. & Horn, J. & Twiston-Davies, G. & Osborne, J.L., 2016. "BEESCOUT: A model of bee scouting behaviour and a software tool for characterizing nectar/pollen landscapes for BEEHAVE," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 340(C), pages 126-133.
    3. Mario Pahl & Hong Zhu & Jürgen Tautz & Shaowu Zhang, 2011. "Large Scale Homing in Honeybees," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(5), pages 1-7, May.
    4. Henry, Mickaël & Fröchen, Marie & Maillet-Mezeray, Julie & Breyne, Elisabeth & Allier, Fabrice & Odoux, Jean-François & Decourtye, Axel, 2012. "Spatial autocorrelation in honeybee foraging activity reveals optimal focus scale for predicting agro-environmental scheme efficiency," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 103-114.
    5. Jacqueline Degen & Thomas Hovestadt & Mona Storms & Randolf Menzel, 2018. "Exploratory behavior of re-orienting foragers differs from other flight patterns of honeybees," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(8), pages 1-14, August.

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