Working against gravity: horizontal honeybee waggle runs have greater angular scatter than vertical waggle runs
Working against gravity: horizontal honeybee waggle runs have greater angular scatter than vertical waggle runs
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DOI：
10.1098/rsbl.2012.0182
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发表时间：
2012-08-23
期刊：
影响因子：
3.3
通讯作者：
Ratnieks, Francis L. W.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Couvillon, Margaret J.;Phillipps, Hunter L. F.;Ratnieks, Francis L. W.
通信系统中噪声的存在可能是自适应的，也可能反映了不可避免的约束。蜜蜂（Apis mellifera）的摇摆舞是这些替代方案备受争议的一种交流系统。成功的觅食者通过一种由重复单元组成的舞蹈（摇摆跑）向巢穴同伴传达资源位置，这种舞蹈重复地从巢穴传递相同的距离和方向矢量。舞蹈中摇摆跑的变化发生了，并且被假设为一种群体水平的适应，即在一个区域而不是单一地点直接招募新兵。另一种可能是，这种变异可能仅仅是由于蜜蜂定位摆动路线的能力受到限制。在这里，我们询问蜜蜂在垂直梳子上跳舞的角度是否会影响摇摆跑的变化。特别是，我们确定是否水平舞蹈，重力不与摇摆方向对齐，在他们的方向成分更可变。我们分析了访问自然资源的采集者的198个舞蹈，发现了对我们预测的支持。更多的水平舞蹈比接近垂直的舞蹈有更大的角度变化。然而，摇摆跑动角度对摇摆跑动持续时间的变化没有影响，而摇摆跑动的持续时间是传递距离的。我们的研究结果削弱了变异是适应性的假设，并为约束假设提供了新的支持。
The presence of noise in a communication system may be adaptive or may reflect unavoidable constraints. One communication system where these alternatives are debated is the honeybee (Apis mellifera) waggle dance. Successful foragers communicate resource locations to nest-mates by a dance comprising repeated units (waggle runs), which repetitively transmit the same distance and direction vector from the nest. Intra-dance waggle run variation occurs and has been hypothesized as a colony-level adaptation to direct recruits over an area rather than a single location. Alternatively, variation may simply be due to constraints on bees' abilities to orient waggle runs. Here, we ask whether the angle at which the bee dances on vertical comb influences waggle run variation. In particular, we determine whether horizontal dances, where gravity is not aligned with the waggle run orientation, are more variable in their directional component. We analysed 198 dances from foragers visiting natural resources and found support for our prediction. More horizontal dances have greater angular variation than dances performed close to vertical. However, there is no effect of waggle run angle on variation in the duration of waggle runs, which communicates distance. Our results weaken the hypothesis that variation is adaptive and provide novel support for the constraint hypothesis.