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Spatial resolution and sensitivity of the eyes of the stingless bee, Tetragonula iridipennis

Jezeera, M. Asmi ; Tichit, Pierre LU orcid ; Balamurali, G. S. ; Baird, Emily LU ; Kelber, Almut LU and Somanathan, Hema LU (2022) In Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology 208(2). p.225-238
Abstract

Stingless bees are important pollinators in the tropics. The tremendous variation in body size makes them an excellent group to study how miniaturization affects vision and visual behaviours. Using direct measurements and micro-CT, we reconstructed the eye structure, estimated anatomical spatial resolution and optical sensitivity of the stingless bee Tetragonula iridipennis. T. iridipennis is similar in size to the Australian stingless bee Tetragonula carbonaria and is smaller than honeybees. It has correspondingly small eyes (area = 0.56 mm2), few ommatidia (2451 ± 127), large inter-facet (3.0 ± 0.6°) and acceptance angles (2.8°). Theoretical estimates suggest that T. iridipennis has poorer spatial resolution (0.17 cycles... (More)

Stingless bees are important pollinators in the tropics. The tremendous variation in body size makes them an excellent group to study how miniaturization affects vision and visual behaviours. Using direct measurements and micro-CT, we reconstructed the eye structure, estimated anatomical spatial resolution and optical sensitivity of the stingless bee Tetragonula iridipennis. T. iridipennis is similar in size to the Australian stingless bee Tetragonula carbonaria and is smaller than honeybees. It has correspondingly small eyes (area = 0.56 mm2), few ommatidia (2451 ± 127), large inter-facet (3.0 ± 0.6°) and acceptance angles (2.8°). Theoretical estimates suggest that T. iridipennis has poorer spatial resolution (0.17 cycles degree−1) than honeybees, bumblebees, and T. carbonaria. Its optical sensitivity (0.08 µm2 sr), though higher than expected, is within the range of diurnal bees. This may provide them with greater contrast sensitivity, which is likely more relevant than the absolute sensitivity in this diurnal bee. Behaviourally determined detection thresholds for single targets using y-maze experiments were 11.5° for targets that provide chromatic contrast alone and 9.1° for targets providing chromatic and achromatic contrast. Further studies into microhabitat preferences and behaviour are required to understand how miniaturization influences its visual ecology.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Apidae, Micro-CT, Social bees, Tropical bees, Visual ecology
in
Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
volume
208
issue
2
pages
225 - 238
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:85118530470
  • pmid:34738166
ISSN
0340-7594
DOI
10.1007/s00359-021-01521-2
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
id
a6e61c15-d44f-41b9-82f8-918cdb7a0431
date added to LUP
2021-11-22 13:24:31
date last changed
2024-04-20 16:02:39
@article{a6e61c15-d44f-41b9-82f8-918cdb7a0431,
  abstract     = {{<p>Stingless bees are important pollinators in the tropics. The tremendous variation in body size makes them an excellent group to study how miniaturization affects vision and visual behaviours. Using direct measurements and micro-CT, we reconstructed the eye structure, estimated anatomical spatial resolution and optical sensitivity of the stingless bee Tetragonula iridipennis. T. iridipennis is similar in size to the Australian stingless bee Tetragonula carbonaria and is smaller than honeybees. It has correspondingly small eyes (area = 0.56 mm<sup>2</sup>), few ommatidia (2451 ± 127), large inter-facet (3.0 ± 0.6°) and acceptance angles (2.8°). Theoretical estimates suggest that T. iridipennis has poorer spatial resolution (0.17 cycles degree<sup>−1</sup>) than honeybees, bumblebees, and T. carbonaria. Its optical sensitivity (0.08 µm<sup>2</sup> sr), though higher than expected, is within the range of diurnal bees. This may provide them with greater contrast sensitivity, which is likely more relevant than the absolute sensitivity in this diurnal bee. Behaviourally determined detection thresholds for single targets using y-maze experiments were 11.5° for targets that provide chromatic contrast alone and 9.1° for targets providing chromatic and achromatic contrast. Further studies into microhabitat preferences and behaviour are required to understand how miniaturization influences its visual ecology.</p>}},
  author       = {{Jezeera, M. Asmi and Tichit, Pierre and Balamurali, G. S. and Baird, Emily and Kelber, Almut and Somanathan, Hema}},
  issn         = {{0340-7594}},
  keywords     = {{Apidae; Micro-CT; Social bees; Tropical bees; Visual ecology}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{225--238}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology}},
  title        = {{Spatial resolution and sensitivity of the eyes of the stingless bee, Tetragonula iridipennis}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00359-021-01521-2}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00359-021-01521-2}},
  volume       = {{208}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}