INVESTIGADORES
ARENAS Andres
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Honeybee social learning: Knowledge and applications.
Autor/es:
W.M. FARINA; A. ARENAS; P.C. DIAZ; M.S. BALBUENA
Reunión:
Jornada; Terceras Jornadas de Comportamiento Animal; 2011
Resumen:
Honeybees Apis
mellifera are important pollen vectors for many crop plants. In some crops,
productivity is ensured only through the pollination service of this insect
species. Beekeepers use to
condition honey bee colonies by feeding them with syrups containing crushed
flowers of the species that pretend to be pollinated. However, little is
known about the process that guide bees to the flowers of crop plants or about
the dynamic and extent to which floral scent contributes to pollinator attraction
in agricultural settings. Recent studies show that insect pollinators need only
a few volatile compounds to recognize a specific floral scent. Based on this
idea, we developed synthetic mixes of volatile compounds that honey bees
confound with the natural floral fragrances of some specific crop plants. Our
hypothesis is that memories established by the offering of synthetic-mix odor
within the colonies (i) are used to orientate pioneer foraging bees while
search for food nearby the crop field; and (ii) facilitate the transference of
crop-related information through recruiting mechanisms such as dances. As an
example, we will show evidences at the levels of cognition, orientation and
navigation that suggest a prompt foraging task in the sunflower crops, a fact
that opens the possibility for an
improved efficiency in pollination and crop yield.