Foraging in an unsteady world: bumblebee flight performance in field-realistic turbulence.

ABSTRACT: Natural environments are characterized by variable wind that can pose significant challenges for flying animals and robots. However, our understanding of the flow conditions that animals experience outdoors and how these impact flight performance remains limited. Here, we combine laboratory and field experiments to characterize wind conditions encountered by foraging bumblebees in outdoor environments and test the effects of these conditions on flight. We used radio-frequency tags to track foraging activity of uniquely identified bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) workers, while simultaneously recording local wind flows. Despite being subjected to a wide range of speeds and turbulence intensities, we find that bees do not avoid foraging in windy conditions. We then examined the impacts of

SUBMITTER: Crall JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5206605 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature