A cognitive analysis of deceptive pollination: associative mechanisms underlying pollinators' choices in non-rewarding colour polymorphic scenarios.

ABSTRACT: Intraspecific floral colour polymorphism is a common trait of food deceptive orchids, which lure pollinators with variable, attractive signals, without providing food resources. The variable signals are thought to hinder avoidance learning of deceptive flowers by pollinators. Here, we analysed the cognitive mechanisms underlying the choice of free-flying stingless bees Scaptotrigona aff. depilis trained to visit a patch of artificial flowers that displayed the colours of Ionopsis utricularioides, a food deceptive orchid. Bees were trained in the presence of a non-rewarding colour and later tested with that colour vs. alternative colours. We simulated a discrete-polymorphism scenario with two distinct non-rewarding test colours, and a continuous-polymorphism scenario with three non-rewardin

SUBMITTER: Aguiar JMRBV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7290031 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature