The Behaviour of Bees in Dim Light

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Expansion of artificial lighting changes the illumination conditions in many natural and agriculturalhabitats with many predicted impacts on plants and animals in ecosystems (Davies, Bennie, Inger,Hempel de Ibarra, Gaston 2013 Artificial light pollution: are shifting spectral signatures changing thebalance of species interactions?. Glob Chang Biol 19, 1417-23). However, there is still a significant lackof empirical research and knowledge about physiological, neural and behavioural mechanisms ofanimals to critically evaluate and support these predictions. Here we aim to study the visual andcognitive capabilities of bees when they forage under dim light conditions. Bees have excellent colourvision and quickly learn to discriminate between flowers learning their colours and patterns (Hempelde Ibarra, Vorobyev, Menzel 2014 Mechanisms, functions and ecology of colour vision in thehoneybee. J Comp Physiol A 200, 411-33). Their performance and decision-making under dim light,however, is still poorly understood. Using carefully designed behavioural experiments, quantitativedata modelling and measurements in the field this project aims to study sensory and cognitivemechanisms underlying bee foraging behaviour to develop an understanding of the limitationsimposed by dim illumination, natural and artificial. This research will help to develop more specificpredictions about the potential consequences for pollination services and the nutritional and healthstatus of bee populations