The Ability of Bumblebees Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae) to Detect Floral Humidity is Dependent Upon Environmental Humidity.

ABSTRACT: Flowers produce local humidity that is often greater than that of the surrounding environment, and studies have shown that insect pollinators may be able to use this humidity difference to locate and identify suitable flowers. However, environmental humidity is highly heterogeneous, and is likely to affect the detectability of floral humidity, potentially constraining the contexts in which it can be used as a salient communication pathway between plants and their pollinators. In this study, we use differential conditioning techniques on bumblebees Bombus terrestris audax (Harris) to explore the detectability of an elevated floral humidity signal when presented against different levels of environmental noise. Artificial flowers were constructed that could be either dry or humid, and individ

SUBMITTER: Harrison AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9585368 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature