Light intensity limits foraging activity in nocturnal and crepuscular bees
Light intensity limits foraging activity in nocturnal and crepuscular bees
复制标题
DOI：
10.1093/beheco/arj001
复制
发表时间：
2006-01-01
影响因子：
2.4
通讯作者：
Raguso, RA
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Kelber, A;Warrant, EJ;Raguso, RA
黄昏或夜间的生活方式已经在蜜蜂身上独立进化了几次，可能是为了在没有竞争的情况下探索有益的花粉来源，并将捕食和筑巢寄生虫降至最低。尽管有这些明显的优势，但只有少数几种蜜蜂是夜间活动的。在这里，我们展示了蜜蜂对位眼的敏感度是限制在昏暗光线下觅食能力的一个主要因素。我们提供了巴拿马的Megalopta genaris(Augo氯ini，Halictidae)和Lasioglossum(Sphecodogastera)sp.的眼睛大小、觅食时间和光照水平的数据。(Halictini，Halictidae)，美国犹他州。雌性金龟子只在黄昏时觅食，但由于雨林中光线较暗，它们适应极低的光照强度。限制它们觅食活动的可能因素是在觅食之旅返回时发现它们的巢穴入口。它们能够做到这一点的最低光强，无论是在早上还是晚上，都是0.0001 cdm(-2)。因此，它们在早上离开鸟巢时的光线比晚上更暗。在犹他州的温带气候中，夜间的光照强度可能会限制Lasioglossum(Sphecodogasta)的觅食，但早晨的温度可能会限制Lasioglossum的觅食。我们认为，雌蜂体型的巨大差异有利于蜜蜂夜行性的进化。
A crepuscular or nocturnal lifestyle has evolved in bees several times independently, probably to explore rewarding pollen sources without competition and to minimize predation and nest parasites. Despite these obvious advantages, only few bee species are nocturnal. Here we show that the sensitivity of the bee apposition eye is a major factor limiting the ability to forage in dim light. We present data on eye size, foraging times, and light levels for Megalopta genalis (Augochlorini, Halictidae) in Panama, and Lasioglossum (Sphecodogastra) sp. (Halictini, Halictidae) in Utah, USA. M. genalis females forage exclusively during twilight, but as a result of dim light levels in the rain forest, they are adapted to extremely low intensities. The likely factor limiting their foraging activity is finding their nest entrance on return from a foraging trip. The lowest light intensity at which they can do this, both in the morning and the evening, is 0.0001 cd m(-2). Therefore, they leave the nest at dimmer light levels in the morning than in the evening. Lasioglossum (Sphecodogastra) foraging is limited by light intensity in the evening, but probably by temperature in the morning in the temperate climate of Utah. We propose that the evolution of nocturnality in bees was favored by the large variance in the size of females.