Visual constraints in foraging bumblebees: flower size and color affect search time and flight behavior.

ABSTRACT: In optimal foraging theory, search time is a key variable defining the value of a prey type. But the sensory-perceptual processes that constrain the search for food have rarely been considered. Here we evaluate the flight behavior of bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) searching for artificial flowers of various sizes and colors. When flowers were large, search times correlated well with the color contrast of the targets with their green foliage-type background, as predicted by a model of color opponent coding using inputs from the bees' UV, blue, and green receptors. Targets that made poor color contrast with their backdrop, such as white, UV-reflecting ones, or red flowers, took longest to detect, even though brightness contrast with the background was pronounced. When searching for small tar

SUBMITTER: Spaethe J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC31150 | biostudies-literature | 2001 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature