Buzz-Pollination
Funded by the Leverhulme Trust, this project is a collaborative effort between Fernando Montealegre-Z (Lincoln) and Mario Vallejo-Marin (Stirling). We use technological developments, including 3D micro-scanning laser Doppler vibrometry, and conceptual advances in the study of insect behaviour and cognition in an integrative study of buzz pollination that considers jointly both animal and plant perspectives.
This project is designed to meet the following objectives:
1. To determine the characteristics of the vibrations associated with maximum pollen release and test the prediction that flowers from different species are “tuned” to different vibrations.
2. To investigate the extent to which different species of bees are capable of producing different types of vibrations, and test the prediction, that within the constraints imposed by size and morphology, individual bees can fine-tune their vibrations in response to both (i) individual and social learning, and (ii) the type of flower being visited.
3. To establish whether the relationship between bee characteristics and vibration type derived from Objective 2 using European Bombus species, accurately predict the type of vibrations produced by a range of buzz-pollinating bees in a diverse, tropical ecosystem.
Details of this project could be obtained in this link.
This project is designed to meet the following objectives:
1. To determine the characteristics of the vibrations associated with maximum pollen release and test the prediction that flowers from different species are “tuned” to different vibrations.
2. To investigate the extent to which different species of bees are capable of producing different types of vibrations, and test the prediction, that within the constraints imposed by size and morphology, individual bees can fine-tune their vibrations in response to both (i) individual and social learning, and (ii) the type of flower being visited.
3. To establish whether the relationship between bee characteristics and vibration type derived from Objective 2 using European Bombus species, accurately predict the type of vibrations produced by a range of buzz-pollinating bees in a diverse, tropical ecosystem.
Details of this project could be obtained in this link.