Visual-Spatial Memory in an Invertebrate

觅食的蜜蜂会知道巢周围10公里范围内几十个花丛的位置，并通过一系列被称为“舞蹈语言”的身体动作来与筑巢的同伴交流这些花丛的位置。对地标的记忆，以及对景观和太阳轨迹之间关系的记忆，在这些行为壮举中起着重要作用。戴尔博士之前的研究已经阐明了蜜蜂在觅食范围的不同区域所看到的地标之间的关系，以及太阳相对于地形的运动轨迹。本项目将进一步研究有经验的蜜蜂的空间记忆内容，并试图揭示幼年蜜蜂获取环境中重要空间关系信息的过程。蜜蜂是这类研究的极具吸引力的对象，因为它们的行为提出了一些有趣的问题，考虑到蜜蜂运动的巨大规模和灵活性，以及它们的大脑体积小。与此同时，这种行为非常适合于对潜在过程的实验探索。从某种程度上说，许多其他动物也面临着与蜜蜂相似的导航问题，这些研究有助于发展关于神经系统如何装备以利用不可避免的有限处理能力的一般理论。

Foraging honey bees learn the locations of dozens of flower patches within a 10-kilometer radius of their nest, and perform a series of body movements referred to as a "dance language" to communicate to nestmates the locations of these sites. Memory of landmarks, and of the relationship between the landscape and the sun's course, plays a prominent role in these behavioral feats. Dr. Dyer's previous studies have clarified what bees learn about the relationships among landmarks seen in different parts of their foraging range, and about the course of the sun relative to the landscape. The present project will further investigate the contents of spatial memory in experienced honey bees, and will also attempt to uncover the processes whereby naive bees acquire information about important spatial relationships in the environment. Honey bees are extremely attractive subjects for such studies because their behavior poses some intriguing problems, given the enormous scale and flexibility of the bees' movements and the small size of their brain. At the same time, the behavior is highly amenable to experimental exploration of the underlying processes. To the extent that many other animals face navigational problems parallel to those faced by honey bees, these studies can contribute to the development of general theories about how nervous systems may be equipped to make use of inevitably limited processing capacity.