Fast learning in free-foraging bumble bees is negatively correlated with lifetime resource collection

Abstract Despite widespread interest in the potential adaptive value of individual differences in cognition, few studies have attempted to address the question of how variation in learning and memory impacts their performance in natural environments. Using a novel split-colony experimental design we...

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Autores principales:	Lisa J. Evans, Karen E. Smith, Nigel E. Raine
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2017
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/dde4ec276dc94c9595b40c8b2a90f3fd
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:dde4ec276dc94c9595b40c8b2a90f3fd2021-12-02T11:41:19ZFast learning in free-foraging bumble bees is negatively correlated with lifetime resource collection10.1038/s41598-017-00389-02045-2322https://doaj.org/article/dde4ec276dc94c9595b40c8b2a90f3fd2017-03-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-00389-0https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Despite widespread interest in the potential adaptive value of individual differences in cognition, few studies have attempted to address the question of how variation in learning and memory impacts their performance in natural environments. Using a novel split-colony experimental design we evaluated visual learning performance of foraging naïve bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) in an ecologically relevant associative learning task under controlled laboratory conditions, before monitoring the lifetime foraging performance of the same individual bees in the field. We found appreciable variation among the 85 workers tested in both their learning and foraging performance, which was not predicted by colony membership. However, rather than finding that foragers benefited from enhanced learning performance, we found that fast and slow learners collected food at comparable rates and completed a similar number of foraging bouts per day in the field. Furthermore, bees with better learning abilities foraged for fewer days; suggesting a cost of enhanced learning performance in the wild. As a result, slower learning individuals collected more resources for their colony over the course of their foraging career. These results demonstrate that enhanced cognitive traits are not necessarily beneficial to the foraging performance of individuals or colonies in all environments.Lisa J. EvansKaren E. SmithNigel E. RaineNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2017)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Lisa J. Evans Karen E. Smith Nigel E. Raine Fast learning in free-foraging bumble bees is negatively correlated with lifetime resource collection
description	Abstract Despite widespread interest in the potential adaptive value of individual differences in cognition, few studies have attempted to address the question of how variation in learning and memory impacts their performance in natural environments. Using a novel split-colony experimental design we evaluated visual learning performance of foraging naïve bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) in an ecologically relevant associative learning task under controlled laboratory conditions, before monitoring the lifetime foraging performance of the same individual bees in the field. We found appreciable variation among the 85 workers tested in both their learning and foraging performance, which was not predicted by colony membership. However, rather than finding that foragers benefited from enhanced learning performance, we found that fast and slow learners collected food at comparable rates and completed a similar number of foraging bouts per day in the field. Furthermore, bees with better learning abilities foraged for fewer days; suggesting a cost of enhanced learning performance in the wild. As a result, slower learning individuals collected more resources for their colony over the course of their foraging career. These results demonstrate that enhanced cognitive traits are not necessarily beneficial to the foraging performance of individuals or colonies in all environments.
format	article
author	Lisa J. Evans Karen E. Smith Nigel E. Raine
author_facet	Lisa J. Evans Karen E. Smith Nigel E. Raine
author_sort	Lisa J. Evans
title	Fast learning in free-foraging bumble bees is negatively correlated with lifetime resource collection
title_short	Fast learning in free-foraging bumble bees is negatively correlated with lifetime resource collection
title_full	Fast learning in free-foraging bumble bees is negatively correlated with lifetime resource collection
title_fullStr	Fast learning in free-foraging bumble bees is negatively correlated with lifetime resource collection
title_full_unstemmed	Fast learning in free-foraging bumble bees is negatively correlated with lifetime resource collection
title_sort	fast learning in free-foraging bumble bees is negatively correlated with lifetime resource collection
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2017
url	https://doaj.org/article/dde4ec276dc94c9595b40c8b2a90f3fd
work_keys_str_mv	AT lisajevans fastlearninginfreeforagingbumblebeesisnegativelycorrelatedwithlifetimeresourcecollection AT karenesmith fastlearninginfreeforagingbumblebeesisnegativelycorrelatedwithlifetimeresourcecollection AT nigeleraine fastlearninginfreeforagingbumblebeesisnegativelycorrelatedwithlifetimeresourcecollection
_version_	1718395431887568896

Fast learning in free-foraging bumble bees is negatively correlated with lifetime resource collection

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