Nesting ecology does not explain slow-fast cognitive differences among honeybee species.

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Ecology
• Cognitive Evolution
• Animal Behavior

Background:

• Slow-fast behavioral and life history variation is linked to cognitive differences within species, following a speed-accuracy tradeoff.
• It remains unclear if this slow-fast cognitive variation extends to interspecific levels and relates to ecology and life history.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate cognitive phenotypes across four honeybee species with differing behaviors, life histories, and nesting ecologies.
• To determine if interspecific cognitive differences align with the slow-fast axis and ecological factors.

Main Methods:

• Measured multiple cognitive traits in individuals across four honeybee species.
• Analyzed the covariation of cognitive traits within species to identify slow-fast cognitive phenotypes.
• Compared cognitive phenotypes among species and correlated them with life history, nesting ecology, and brain size.

Main Results:

• Cognitive traits consistently covaried within each species, forming slow and fast cognitive phenotypes consistent with the speed-accuracy tradeoff.
• The four honeybee species clustered into two groups on a slow-fast cognitive axis.
• Interspecific cognitive differences did not correlate with life history or nesting ecology but were correlated with brain size.

Conclusions:

• Honeybee species exhibit distinct cognitive phenotypes, supporting the speed-accuracy tradeoff at the interspecific level.
• Brain size, rather than life history or nesting ecology, appears to be a significant factor driving cognitive differences among these species.
• These findings offer insights into the ecological drivers of cognitive evolution and the role of brain size in shaping cognitive diversity.