A novel behavioral assay to investigate gustatory responses of individual, freely-moving bumble bees (Bombus terrestris)
Generalist pollinators like the buff-tailed bumble bee, Bombus terrestris, encounter both nutrients and toxins in the floral nectar they collect from flowering plants. Only a few studies have described the gustatory responses of bees toward toxins in food, and these experiments have mainly used the...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Journal of Visualized Experiments
2016
|
| _version_ | 1797103691370594304 |
|---|---|
| author | Ma, C Kessler, S Simpson, A Wright, G |
| author_facet | Ma, C Kessler, S Simpson, A Wright, G |
| author_sort | Ma, C |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Generalist pollinators like the buff-tailed bumble bee, Bombus terrestris, encounter both nutrients and toxins in the floral nectar they collect from flowering plants. Only a few studies have described the gustatory responses of bees toward toxins in food, and these experiments have mainly used the proboscis extension response on restrained honey bees. Here, a new behavioral assay is presented for measuring the feeding responses of freely-moving, individual worker bumble bees to nutrients and toxins. This assay measures the amount of solution ingested by each bumble bee and identifies how tastants in food influence the microstructure of the feeding behavior. The solutions are presented in a microcapillary tube to individual bumble bees that have been previously starved for 2-4 hr. The behavior is captured on digital video. The fine structure of the feeding behavior is analyzed by continuously scoring the position of the proboscis (mouthparts) from video recordings using event logging software. The position of the proboscis is defined by three different behavioral categories: (1) proboscis is extended and in contact with the solution, (2) proboscis is extended but not in contact with the solution and (3) proboscis is stowed under the head. Furthermore the speed of the proboscis retracting away from the solution is also estimated. In the present assay the volume of solution consumed, the number of feeding bouts, the duration of the feeding bouts and the speed of the proboscis retraction after the first contact is used to evaluate the phagostimulatory or the deterrent activity of the compounds tested. This new taste assay will allow researchers to measure how compounds found in nectar influence the feeding behavior of bees and will also be useful to pollination biologists, toxicologists and neuroethologists studying the bumble bee's taste system. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T06:23:42Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:f38af76b-9ce1-44f5-8c0a-b7c52e6d81ac |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T06:23:42Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Journal of Visualized Experiments |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:f38af76b-9ce1-44f5-8c0a-b7c52e6d81ac2022-03-27T12:12:55ZA novel behavioral assay to investigate gustatory responses of individual, freely-moving bumble bees (Bombus terrestris)Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:f38af76b-9ce1-44f5-8c0a-b7c52e6d81acEnglishSymplectic Elements at OxfordJournal of Visualized Experiments2016Ma, CKessler, SSimpson, AWright, GGeneralist pollinators like the buff-tailed bumble bee, Bombus terrestris, encounter both nutrients and toxins in the floral nectar they collect from flowering plants. Only a few studies have described the gustatory responses of bees toward toxins in food, and these experiments have mainly used the proboscis extension response on restrained honey bees. Here, a new behavioral assay is presented for measuring the feeding responses of freely-moving, individual worker bumble bees to nutrients and toxins. This assay measures the amount of solution ingested by each bumble bee and identifies how tastants in food influence the microstructure of the feeding behavior. The solutions are presented in a microcapillary tube to individual bumble bees that have been previously starved for 2-4 hr. The behavior is captured on digital video. The fine structure of the feeding behavior is analyzed by continuously scoring the position of the proboscis (mouthparts) from video recordings using event logging software. The position of the proboscis is defined by three different behavioral categories: (1) proboscis is extended and in contact with the solution, (2) proboscis is extended but not in contact with the solution and (3) proboscis is stowed under the head. Furthermore the speed of the proboscis retracting away from the solution is also estimated. In the present assay the volume of solution consumed, the number of feeding bouts, the duration of the feeding bouts and the speed of the proboscis retraction after the first contact is used to evaluate the phagostimulatory or the deterrent activity of the compounds tested. This new taste assay will allow researchers to measure how compounds found in nectar influence the feeding behavior of bees and will also be useful to pollination biologists, toxicologists and neuroethologists studying the bumble bee's taste system. |
| spellingShingle | Ma, C Kessler, S Simpson, A Wright, G A novel behavioral assay to investigate gustatory responses of individual, freely-moving bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) |
| title | A novel behavioral assay to investigate gustatory responses of individual, freely-moving bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) |
| title_full | A novel behavioral assay to investigate gustatory responses of individual, freely-moving bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) |
| title_fullStr | A novel behavioral assay to investigate gustatory responses of individual, freely-moving bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) |
| title_full_unstemmed | A novel behavioral assay to investigate gustatory responses of individual, freely-moving bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) |
| title_short | A novel behavioral assay to investigate gustatory responses of individual, freely-moving bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) |
| title_sort | novel behavioral assay to investigate gustatory responses of individual freely moving bumble bees bombus terrestris |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mac anovelbehavioralassaytoinvestigategustatoryresponsesofindividualfreelymovingbumblebeesbombusterrestris AT kesslers anovelbehavioralassaytoinvestigategustatoryresponsesofindividualfreelymovingbumblebeesbombusterrestris AT simpsona anovelbehavioralassaytoinvestigategustatoryresponsesofindividualfreelymovingbumblebeesbombusterrestris AT wrightg anovelbehavioralassaytoinvestigategustatoryresponsesofindividualfreelymovingbumblebeesbombusterrestris AT mac novelbehavioralassaytoinvestigategustatoryresponsesofindividualfreelymovingbumblebeesbombusterrestris AT kesslers novelbehavioralassaytoinvestigategustatoryresponsesofindividualfreelymovingbumblebeesbombusterrestris AT simpsona novelbehavioralassaytoinvestigategustatoryresponsesofindividualfreelymovingbumblebeesbombusterrestris AT wrightg novelbehavioralassaytoinvestigategustatoryresponsesofindividualfreelymovingbumblebeesbombusterrestris |