Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 8, 2025

Tactile Conditioning And Movement Analysis Of Antennal Sampling Strategies In Honey Bees Apis mellifera L.

Tactile Conditioning And Movement Analysis Of Antennal Sampling Strategies In Honey Bees Apis mellifera L.

Published on: December 12, 2012

Approach Direction Prior to Landing Explains Patterns of Colour Learning in Bees.

Keri V Langridge¹, Claudia Wilke^1,2, Olena Riabinina³

¹Department of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.

Frontiers in Physiology

|December 27, 2021

Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Maternal responsiveness to infant distress: A cross-cultural investigation in Uganda and the United Kingdom.

Developmental psychology·2025

Same author

Chimpanzee mothers, but not fathers, influence offspring vocal-visual communicative behavior.

PLoS biology·2025

Same author

Emerging frontiers in visual ecology.

The Journal of experimental biology·2025

Same author

Early empathy development: Concern and comforting in 9- and 18-month-old infants from Uganda and the UK.

PloS one·2025

Same author

Meta-analyses of Culex blood-meals indicates strong regional effect on feeding patterns.

PLoS neglected tropical diseases·2025

Same author

Maternal socialization and infant helping in Uganda and the United Kingdom.

Developmental psychology·2025

Bumblebees learn floral patterns based on how they approach and land, not just the overall pattern. Their movement determines which colors they prefer, influencing pollination strategies and flower evolution.

Area of Science:

Animal Behavior
Sensory Ecology
Neuroscience

Background:

Gaze direction and body movement are linked in animals, influencing visual information acquisition.
Animal movements can shape perception when multiple visual cues are present.
Foraging insects may adjust movements to optimize visual cue detection.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how a bumblebee's approach to a floral pattern influences its visual learning.
To determine if movement patterns dictate learned preferences for visual cues.
To explore the role of action patterns in sensory learning and signal evolution.

Main Methods:

Training bumblebees to approach and land on vertical bicoloured floral patterns.
Observing approach trajectories and landing positions relative to pattern features.

Keywords:

behaviour colour vision flower patterns insect flight insects learning pattern vision

More Related Videos

Radio Frequency Identification and Motion-sensitive Video Efficiently Automate Recording of Unrewarded Choice Behavior by Bumblebees

Radio Frequency Identification and Motion-sensitive Video Efficiently Automate Recording of Unrewarded Choice Behavior by Bumblebees

Published on: November 15, 2014

Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants

Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants

Published on: October 5, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 8, 2025

Tactile Conditioning And Movement Analysis Of Antennal Sampling Strategies In Honey Bees Apis mellifera L.

Tactile Conditioning And Movement Analysis Of Antennal Sampling Strategies In Honey Bees Apis mellifera L.

Published on: December 12, 2012

Radio Frequency Identification and Motion-sensitive Video Efficiently Automate Recording of Unrewarded Choice Behavior by Bumblebees

Radio Frequency Identification and Motion-sensitive Video Efficiently Automate Recording of Unrewarded Choice Behavior by Bumblebees

Published on: November 15, 2014

Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants

Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants

Published on: October 5, 2018

Testing learned colour preferences based on differential frontal exposure during approach.

Main Results:

Bumblebees consistently approached patterns from below center to land centrally.
Learned colour preferences reflected the color predominantly faced during approach and landing.
Preferences were independent of the overall color ratio, depending instead on frontal exposure.

Conclusions:

An animal's movement strategy critically shapes its visual learning and perception.
Morphology and action patterns determine how animals solve sensory learning tasks.
Movement-driven visual learning may have influenced the evolution of floral signals for pollinators.