Behavioral Ecology Advance Access originally published online on November 16, 2005
Behavioral Ecology 2006 17(1):63-72; doi:10.1093/beheco/arj001
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Light intensity limits foraging activity in nocturnal and crepuscular bees
a Department for Cell and Organism Biology—Zoology, Lund University, Helgonavägen 3, S-22362 Lund, Sweden, b Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 2072, Balboa, República de Panamá, and c Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia SC29208, USA
Address correspondence to A. Kelber. E-mail: almut.kelber{at}cob.lu.se.
A crepuscular or nocturnal lifestyle has evolved in bees several times independently, probably to explore rewarding pollen sources without competition and to minimize predation and nest parasites. Despite these obvious advantages, only few bee species are nocturnal. Here we show that the sensitivity of the bee apposition eye is a major factor limiting the ability to forage in dim light. We present data on eye size, foraging times, and light levels for Megalopta genalis (Augochlorini, Halictidae) in Panama, and Lasioglossum (Sphecodogastra) sp. (Halictini, Halictidae) in Utah, USA. M. genalis females forage exclusively during twilight, but as a result of dim light levels in the rain forest, they are adapted to extremely low intensities. The likely factor limiting their foraging activity is finding their nest entrance on return from a foraging trip. The lowest light intensity at which they can do this, both in the morning and the evening, is 0.0001 cd m–2. Therefore, they leave the nest at dimmer light levels in the morning than in the evening. Lasioglossum (Sphecodogastra) foraging is limited by light intensity in the evening, but probably by temperature in the morning in the temperate climate of Utah. We propose that the evolution of nocturnality in bees was favored by the large variance in the size of females.
Key words: bees, eyes, foraging, insects, ocelli, sensitivity, visual ecology.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  J. C. Theobald, E. J. Warrant, and D. C. O'Carroll Wide-field motion tuning in nocturnal hawkmoths Proc R Soc B, March 22, 2010; 277(1683): 853 - 860. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. Narendra, S. F. Reid, and J. M. Hemmi The twilight zone: ambient light levels trigger activity in primitive ants Proc R Soc B, February 3, 2010; (2010): rspb.2009.2324v1 - rspb20092324. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 H. Somanathan, E. J. Warrant, R. M. Borges, R. Wallen, and A. Kelber Resolution and sensitivity of the eyes of the Asian honeybees Apis florea, Apis cerana and Apis dorsata J. Exp. Biol., August 1, 2009; 212(15): 2448 - 2453. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. J. Warrant Seeing in the dark: vision and visual behaviour in nocturnal bees and wasps J. Exp. Biol., June 1, 2008; 211(11): 1737 - 1746. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Frederiksen and E. J. Warrant Visual sensitivity in the crepuscular owl butterfly Caligo memnon and the diurnal blue morpho Morpho peleides: a clue to explain the evolution of nocturnal apposition eyes? J. Exp. Biol., March 15, 2008; 211(6): 844 - 851. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. C. Theobald, M. M. Coates, W. T. Wcislo, and E. J. Warrant Flight performance in night-flying sweat bees suffers at low light levels J. Exp. Biol., November 15, 2007; 210(22): 4034 - 4042. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|