Kinematic flexibility allows bumblebees to increase energetic efficiency when carrying heavy loads
Kinematic flexibility allows bumblebees to increase energetic efficiency when carrying heavy loads
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DOI：
10.1126/sciadv.aay3115
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发表时间：
2020-02-01
期刊：
影响因子：
13.6
通讯作者：
Dillon, Michael E.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Combes, Stacey A.;Gagliardi, Susan F.;Dillon, Michael E.
觅食蜜蜂携带大量花蜜和花粉飞行，产生的能量成本通常取决于负载大小。昆虫可以通过增加冲程幅度和/或扑翼频率产生更大的力，但给定物种的运动学响应被认为是一致的。我们研究了熊蜂（熊蜂凤仙花）进行轻，重负荷，发现中风幅度增加成比例的负载大小，但没有预测代谢率。相反，代谢率与频率密切相关，这不是由负载大小决定的，而是由蜜蜂的平均负载状态和负载历史决定的，负载量大的蜜蜂显示出较小的频率变化和较小的代谢率增加，以支持额外的负载。这意味着蜜蜂可以通过替代机制来增加力的产生;然而，它们通常选择提高频率的能量成本高的选项，这表明相关的性能优势值得进一步研究。
Foraging bees fly with heavy loads of nectar and pollen, incurring energetic costs that are typically assumed to depend on load size. Insects can produce more force by increasing stroke amplitude and/or flapping frequency, but the kinematic response of a given species is thought to be consistent. We examined bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) carrying both light and heavy loads and found that stroke amplitude increased in proportion to load size, but did not predict metabolic rate. Rather, metabolic rate was strongly tied to frequency, which was determined not by load size but by the bee's average loading state and loading history, with heavily loaded bees displaying smaller changes in frequency and smaller increases in metabolic rate to support additional loading. This implies that bees can increase force production through alternative mechanisms; yet, they often choose the energetically costly option of elevating frequency, suggesting associated performance benefits that merit further investigation.