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Lunau K, Dyer AG. The modelling of flower colour: spectral purity or colour contrast as biologically relevant descriptors of flower colour signals for bees depending upon the perceptual task. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2024. [PMID: 38958933 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Flower colour is an important mediator of plant-pollinator interactions. While the reflectance of light from the flower surface and background are governed by physical properties, the perceptual interpretation of such information is generated by complex multilayered visual processing. Should quantitative modelling of flower signals strive for repeatable consistency enabled by parameter simplification, or should modelling reflect the dynamic way in which bees are known to process signals? We discuss why colour is an interpretation of spectral information by the brain of an animal. Different species, or individuals within a species, may respond differently to colour signals depending on sensory apparatus and/or individual experience. Humans and bees have different spectral ranges, but colour theory is strongly rooted in human colour perception and many principles of colour vision appear to be common. We discuss bee colour perception based on physiological, neuroanatomical and behavioural evidence to provide a pathway for modelling flower colours. We examine whether flower petals and floral guides as viewed against spectrally different backgrounds should be considered as a simple colour contrast problem or require a more dynamic consideration of how bees make perceptual decisions. We discuss that plants such as deceptive orchids may present signals to exploit bee perception, whilst many plants do provide honest signalling where perceived saturation indicates the probability of collecting nutritional rewards towards the centre of a flower that then facilitates effective pollination.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Lunau
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Sensory Ecology, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - A G Dyer
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
- Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie, und Neurobiologie, Johannes Gutenberg Universität, Mainz, Germany
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Qu H, Heifetz A, Seifan M. Batesian mimicry or general food deception? An evolutionary game between plants for pollinator services. J Theor Biol 2023; 575:111609. [PMID: 37708988 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2023.111609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Floral food deception is a well-known phenomenon which is not thoroughly understood. Particularly, it is unclear what drives a plant towards Batesian mimicry or towards generalized food deception. We analysed the evolutionary game between a Model species with nectar-secreting flowers and a Deceiver species that provides no nectar who share pollinators for reproduction. We focused our analysis on the effect of similarity of floral signals between participating plants and on costs of nectar production. We defined payoffs in the game between Models and Deceivers as the stationary visitation frequencies to participating species with different signal similarities and nectar costs. Therefore, fitness payoff of each strategy was a product of complex interactions between plant species composing the community and the pollinators visiting them. Our model provides a unified framework in which consequences of Model species interaction with different deception modes can be compared. Our findings suggest that plant-pollinator systems, like other mutualistic systems, are prone to exploitation, and that exploitation may persist at a large range of conditions. We showed that floral similarity, and thus, pollinators' ability to discriminate between Model and deceptive species, governs the stability of Batesian mimicry, while pollinator switching and sampling behaviour enables the persistence of general food deception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongchun Qu
- Institute of Ecological Safety, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China
| | - Aviad Heifetz
- Management and Economics Department, the Open University of Israel, Israel
| | - Merav Seifan
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental & Energy Research, The Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 849900, Israel.
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Tierney SM, Bernauer OM, King L, Spooner-Hart R, Cook JM. Bee pollination services and the burden of biogeography. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230747. [PMID: 37312542 PMCID: PMC10265028 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Native bees augment pollination services in the Northern Hemisphere, especially cultivated apple crops, yet Southern Hemisphere contexts are poorly known. We observed the foraging behaviour of 69 354 invertebrate flower visitors in Australian orchards (two regions, 3 years) to assess the efficacy of pollination service (Peff). Native stingless bees and introduced honey bees were the most abundant visitors and most efficacious pollinators (Tetragonula Peff = 6.16; Apis Peff = 13.02), with Tetragonula becoming important service providers above 22°C. However, visits by tree-nesting stingless bees decreased with distance from native forest (less than 200 m) and their tropical/subtropical distribution precludes pollination service in other major Australian apple-producing regions. More broadly distributed native allodapine and halictine bees transferred the most pollen per-visit, but their low abundances reduce efficacies (Exoneura Peff = 0.03; Lasioglossum Peff = 0.06), resulting in a general dependence on honey bees. This reliance is a burden of biogeography, since key Northern Hemisphere pollinators of apple (Andrena, Apis, Bombus, Osmia) do not naturally occur in Australasia-where there is only 15% generic overlap with Central Asian bees sympatric with wild apple distributions (cf. Palaearctic 66% and Nearctic 46% generic overlaps). The historical biogeography of bees therefore drives an extreme dependence on one introduced species for apple pollination in Australia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon M. Tierney
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales 2753, Australia
| | - Olivia M. Bernauer
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales 2753, Australia
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Lachlan King
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales 2753, Australia
| | - Robert Spooner-Hart
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales 2753, Australia
| | - James M. Cook
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales 2753, Australia
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Enhancing the ecological realism of evolutionary mismatch theory. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 37:233-245. [PMID: 34802715 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Following rapid environmental change, why do some animals thrive, while others struggle? We present an expanded, cue-response framework for predicting variation in behavioral responses to novel situations. We show how signal detection theory can be used when individuals have three behavioral options (approach, avoid, or ignore). Based on this theory, we outline predictions about which animals are more likely to make mistakes around novel conditions (i.e., fall for a trap or fail to use an undervalued resource) and the intensity of that mismatch (i.e., severe versus moderate). Explicitly considering three options provides a more holistic perspective and allows us to distinguish between severe and moderate traps, which could guide management strategies in a changing world.
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Richman SK, Barker JL, Baek M, Papaj DR, Irwin RE, Bronstein JL. The Sensory and Cognitive Ecology of Nectar Robbing. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.698137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals foraging from flowers must assess their environment and make critical decisions about which patches, plants, and flowers to exploit to obtain limiting resources. The cognitive ecology of plant-pollinator interactions explores not only the complex nature of pollinator foraging behavior and decision making, but also how cognition shapes pollination and plant fitness. Floral visitors sometimes depart from what we think of as typical pollinator behavior and instead exploit floral resources by robbing nectar (bypassing the floral opening and instead consuming nectar through holes or perforations made in floral tissue). The impacts of nectar robbing on plant fitness are well-studied; however, there is considerably less understanding, from the animal’s perspective, about the cognitive processes underlying nectar robbing. Examining nectar robbing from the standpoint of animal cognition is important for understanding the evolution of this behavior and its ecological and evolutionary consequences. In this review, we draw on central concepts of foraging ecology and animal cognition to consider nectar robbing behavior either when individuals use robbing as their only foraging strategy or when they switch between robbing and legitimate foraging. We discuss sensory and cognitive biases, learning, and the role of a variable environment in making decisions about robbing vs. foraging legitimately. We also discuss ways in which an understanding of the cognitive processes involved in nectar robbing can address questions about how plant-robber interactions affect patterns of natural selection and floral evolution. We conclude by highlighting future research directions on the sensory and cognitive ecology of nectar robbing.
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Tsujimoto SG, Ishii HS. Alternative flowers affect model and mimic flower discrimination performance of bumblebees. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shohei G. Tsujimoto
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering University of Toyama Toyama Japan
- Faculty of Science Toho University Funabashi Japan
| | - Hiroshi S. Ishii
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering University of Toyama Toyama Japan
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Francis JS, Tatarko AR, Richman SK, Vaudo AD, Leonard AS. Microbes and pollinator behavior in the floral marketplace. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 44:16-22. [PMID: 33075580 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Pollinator foraging decisions shape microbial dispersal, and microbes change floral phenotypes in ways perceivable by pollinators. Yet, the role microbes play in the cognitive ecology of pollination is relatively unexplored. Reviewing recent literature on floral microbial ecology and pollinator behavior, we advocate for further integration between these two fields. Insights into pollinator learning, memory, and decision-making can help explain their responses to microbially-altered floral phenotypes. Specifically, considering how pollinators forage for multiple nutrients, cope with uncertainty, structure foraging bouts, and move through their environment could inform predictions about microbial dispersal within plant communities. We highlight how behavior connects microbial changes in floral phenotype to downstream effects on both microbial dispersal and plant fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob S Francis
- Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, United States
| | - Anna R Tatarko
- Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, United States
| | - Sarah K Richman
- Department of Biology, MS-314, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, United States
| | - Anthony D Vaudo
- Department of Biology, MS-314, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, United States
| | - Anne S Leonard
- Department of Biology, MS-314, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, United States.
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Adaptive tuning of the exploitation-exploration trade-off in four honey bee species. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02938-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Garcia JE, Phillips RD, Peter CI, Dyer AG. Changing How Biologists View Flowers-Color as a Perception Not a Trait. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:601700. [PMID: 33329670 PMCID: PMC7710862 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.601700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Studying flower color evolution can be challenging as it may require several different areas of expertise, ranging from botany and ecology through to understanding color sensing of insects and thus how they perceive flower signals. Whilst studies often view plant-pollinator interactions from the plant's perspective, there is growing evidence from psychophysics studies that pollinators have their own complex decision making processes depending on their perception of color, viewing conditions and individual experience. Mimicry of rewarding flowers by orchids is a fascinating system for studying the pollinator decision making process, as rewarding model flowering plants and mimics can be clearly characterized. Here, we focus on a system where the rewardless orchid Eulophia zeyheriana mimics the floral color of Wahlenbergia cuspidata (Campanulaceae) to attract its pollinator species, a halictid bee. Using recently developed psychophysics principles, we explore whether the color perception of an insect observer encountering variable model and mimic flower color signals can help explain why species with non-rewarding flowers can exist in nature. Our approach involves the use of color discrimination functions rather than relying on discrimination thresholds, and the use of statistical distributions to model intraspecific color variations. Results show that whilst an experienced insect observer can frequently make accurate discriminations between mimic and rewarding flowers, intraspecific signal variability leads to overlap in the perceived color, which will frequently confuse an inexperienced pollinator. This new perspective provides an improved way to incorporate pollinator decision making into the complex field of plant-pollinator interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jair E. Garcia
- Bio-Inspired Digital Sensing Laboratory (BIDS Lab), School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ryan D. Phillips
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions, Kings Park Science, Perth, WA, Australia
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Craig I. Peter
- Department of Botany, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Adrian G. Dyer
- Bio-Inspired Digital Sensing Laboratory (BIDS Lab), School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Suarez AV, Scharf HM, Reeve HK, Hauber ME. Signal detection, acceptance thresholds and the evolution of animal recognition systems. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190464. [PMID: 32420845 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- A V Suarez
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 515 Morrill Hall, 505 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - H M Scharf
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 515 Morrill Hall, 505 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - H K Reeve
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - M E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 515 Morrill Hall, 505 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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