Colour vision in pollinators: Conclusions from two species beyond the Apis mellifera model
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Universidad de Granada
Departamento
Universidad de Granada. Departamento de Ecología; Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). Estación Experimental de Zonas ÁridasMateria
Polinización Aves Abejas melíferas Visión Colores Visión cromática Flores Sistema visual
Materia UDC
595.7 58 25 2413
Date
2017Fecha lectura
2015-11-06Referencia bibliográfica
Telles da Silva, F.J. Colour vision in pollinators: Conclusions from two species beyond the Apis mellifera model. Granada: Universidad de Granada, 2017. [http://hdl.handle.net/10481/46518]
Sponsorship
Tesis Univ. Granada. Programa Oficial de Doctorado en: Biología Fundamental y de Sistemas; Programa “Junta para la Ampliación de Estudios” JAE-Predoc (JAEPre033) del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas de España (CSIC), cofinanciada por el Fondo Social Europeo (FSE), y a los fondos del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación/FEDER (Proyecto CGL2010-16795).Abstract
In the present thesis, composed of four chapters, we studied different aspects of the visual
system of two pollinator species: Bombus terrestris (bumblebee) and Macroglossum stellatarum
(hummingbird hawkmoth). Some studies have already investigated the visual system, behaviour
and cognition of both species at different levels. Yet, much information is missing. In the four
chapters of this thesis we studied the behaviour of both species, with differences concerning the
sensorial system and the applied methodology. In the first two chapters we investigated the
behaviour of Bombus terrestris while performing tasks related with discrimination and detection of
artificial flowers. In in the last two chapters we studied basic and fundamental aspects of the visual
system of Macroglossum stellatarum: the spectral sensitivity and the colour discrimination
capacity. Despite the fact that bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) and honeybees (Apis mellifera) are
related species, comparative studies have shown differences in many aspects of their behaviour related with the use of visual information. Flowers are diverse and so is the foraging behaviour of
pollinators. These can employ different strategies and modulate their behaviour to select, detect
and discriminate the most rewarding flowers. Macroglossum stellatarum has been considered as
an important pollinator of many plants in Europe; yet, basic information about its visual system
remained unknown until the development of this thesis. The results of the present thesis raise the understanding of the visual systems of two important
pollinator species in Europe, the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) and the diurnal hummingbird
hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum). For years, experiments using the honeybee helped to
build an understanding of insect vision, but similar information for the vast majority of floral
visitors remains unknown. The present thesis shows that the visual capacity of each species is
unique. The evolutionary processes that have shaped the sensory ability of floral visitors are
unclear, but the importance of behavioural studies in the plant-pollinator context is essential, not
only because of the economic value of the pollination service, but also to properly understand the
mechanisms linking the plant-pollinator relationship.