Honeybees prefer novel insect-pollinated flower shapes over bird-pollinated flower shapes.

ABSTRACT: Plant-pollinator interactions have a fundamental influence on flower evolution. Flower color signals are frequently tuned to the visual capabilities of important pollinators such as either bees or birds, but far less is known about whether flower shape influences the choices of pollinators. We tested European honeybee Apis mellifera preferences using novel achromatic (gray-scale) images of 12 insect-pollinated and 12 bird-pollinated native Australian flowers in Germany; thus, avoiding influences of color, odor, or prior experience. Independent bees were tested with a number of parameterized images specifically designed to assess preferences for size, shape, brightness, or the number of flower-like shapes present in an image. We show that honeybees have a preference for visiting imag

SUBMITTER: Howard SR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6688580 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature