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© 1996 International Society for Behavioral Ecology

research-article

Trapline foraging by bumblebees: I. Persistence of flight-path geometry

James D. Thomson

Department of Ecology and Evolution, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5245, USA, and Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Crested Butte, CO 81224-0519, USA

ABSTRACT

By setting out arrays of potted plants of Penstemon strictus, I tested whether freely foraging bumblebee (Bombus spp. ) workers would establish regular foraging routes that reflected the geometry of the array. They did, passing through an asymmetrical array in a pattern that minimized interplant flight distances. After the array was changed to a symmetrical pattern, however, the experienced bees continued to show their previous asymmetrical flight patterns. New bees without experience on the asymmetrical array showed no asymmetry on the symmetrical array. I term this persistence of flight-path geometry "trapline holdover, " and discuss its implications for the study of animals' learning and foraging behavior.

Key words: bee, Bombus, foraging, foraging area, movement rules, orientation, Penstemon strictus, spatial learning, trapline, (Behav Ecol 7: 158-164 (1996)].


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