Bumblebees learn foraging routes through exploitation-exploration cycles
Kembro, Jackelyn M. (Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes)
Lihoreau, Mathieu (University Paul Sabatier-Toulouse III. Research Center on Animal Cognition)
Garriga, Joan (Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes)
Raposo, Ernesto P. (Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. Departamento de Física)
Bartumeus, Frederic (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)

Date:	2019
Abstract:	How animals explore and acquire knowledge from the environment is a key question in movement ecology. For pollinators that feed on multiple small replenishing nectar resources, the challenge is to learn efficient foraging routes while dynamically acquiring spatial information about new resource locations. Here, we use the behavioural mapping t-Stochastic Neighbouring Embedding algorithm and Shannon entropy to statistically analyse previously published sampling patterns of bumblebees feeding on artificial flowers in the field. We show that bumblebees modulate foraging excursions into distinctive behavioural strategies, characterizing the trade-off dynamics between (i) visiting and exploiting flowers close to the nest, (ii) searching for new routes and resources, and (iii) exploiting learned flower visitation sequences. Experienced bees combine these behavioural strategies even after they find an optimal route minimizing travel distances between flowers. This behavioural variability may help balancing energy costs-benefits and facilitate rapid adaptation to changing environments and the integration of more profitable resources in their routes.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación CGL2016-78156-C2-1-R
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Trapline foraging ; Bumblebees ; T-Stochastic Neighbouring Embedding ; Movement ecology ; Exploration-exploitation trade-off
Published in:	Journal of the Royal Society Interface, Vol. 16, Issue 156 (July 2019) , art. 20190103, ISSN 1742-5662

DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2019.0103
PMID: 31288648

12 p, 1.1 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles