title: Flower patterns are adapted for detection by bees.
abstract: We have demonstrated previously that honeybees use brightness vision mediated by green (or L-) receptor to detect targets from a long distance. They detect circular targets having a dim, for the L-receptor, centre and bright surround from a longer distance than targets having bright centre and dim surround. Here we show that a majority of bee-pollinated flowers have a centre that, for the L-receptor, is dim with bright surround, i.e. have patterns that are easy for a bee to detect. Flowers with dim for the L-receptor surrounds tend to be larger than those with bright surrounds, indicating that flowers compensate for the impaired visibility of their patterns by increasing the size of their displays.
authors.affiliation: Neurobiologie, Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hempel de Ibarra
authors.forename: Misha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vorobyev
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000502:physiology*; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology; D035264:Flowers; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D010802:Phylogeny