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First published online June 13, 2008
Journal of Experimental Biology 211, 2101-2104 (2008)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2008
doi: 10.1242/jeb.014571
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Detection of patches of coloured discs by bees

Anna M. Wertlen1,*, Claudia Niggebrügge1,*, Misha Vorobyev2 and Natalie Hempel de Ibarra1,3,{dagger}

1 Institut für Biologie – Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
2 Department of Optometry and Vision Science, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand
3 School of Psychology, University of Exeter, Washington Singer Labs, Perry Road, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK


Figure 1
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  		Fig. 1. Detection of yellow discs and triplets by bumblebees. The performance of bees is plotted as a function of the visual angle subtended by a single disc presented either alone (open symbols) or as an element of a triplet (grey symbols). The yellow colour of the targets provided chromatic contrast as well as L-receptor contrast against the background. The detection limit (arrow) for a disc presented alone ({alpha}lim=1.8°) was worse than that of a disc presented in a triplet ({alpha}elim=0.6°). The horizontal broken line indicates the discrimination threshold of 60%.

 

Figure 2
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  		Fig. 2. Detection of violet discs and triplets by bumblebees. The violet stimulus colour provided only chromatic contrast against the background but no L-receptor contrast. The detection limit for a disc did not change significantly if presented alone ({alpha}lim=3.2°) or in a triplet (aelim=2.6°). The lack of coincidence between a modelled response to the triplet's area (grey symbols) and to a single target (open symbols) is obvious, supporting the assumption that detectability of the violet triplet was based on the detectability of its elements.

 

Figure 3
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  		Fig. 3. Detection of yellow discs and triplets by honeybees. Honeybees had to detect a disc being presented alone (open symbols) or in a triplet (grey symbols). The colour of the discs provided chromatic contrast as well as L-receptor contrast. Similarly to bumblebees, the detectability of a disc presented in a triplet was enhanced. Inset: projection of the triplet on the honeybee's ommatidial lattice shows that the elements did not merge at small angular subtenses. In the middle panel the triplet subtended 4.1°, an angular subtense at which it was still detected by honeybees. The triplet at an angular subtense of 3.3° (right panel) was undetectable for bees.

 

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© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2008