Bumble bee pollen foraging on lupine (Lupinus: Fabaceae): within-whorl decisions

Graduation Date

2000

Document Type

Thesis

Program

Other

Program

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, Biology, 2000

Committee Chair Name

Michael Mesler

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Lupine, Bumblebees, Humboldt State University -- Theses -- Biology, Lupinus: Fabaceae, Foraging efficiency

Abstract

Bumble bees (Bombus: Apidae) can maximize foraging efficiency in a resource-patchy environment by visiting mainly rewarding flowers and avoiding those that are either empty or less rewarding. This study investigated how bumble bees avoid unrewarding flowers of lupine (Lupinus: Fabaceae), a plant in which the pollen is hidden from view. I recorded whether bees left a whorl upon encountering various situations. Bumble bees clearly discriminated against flowers that showed unambiguous visual signs of being unrewarding. In the absence of any visual cues, bees made use of a presumably predictable spatial distribution of pollen within whorls. They were able to assess the amount of pollen collected per flower, and they departed upon encountering one or more unrewarding flowers. Bees did not use pollen scent to avoid unrewarding flowers, which cannot be identified by scent alone. By basing their foraging decisions only on the most reliable signals bumble bees may have maximized their pollen return.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/00000266h

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