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Navigation without vision: bumblebee orientation in complete darkness

1999; Royal Society; Volume: 266; Issue: 1414 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1098/rspb.1999.0602

1471-2954

Lars Chittka, Neal M. Williams, Hanne N. Rasmussen, James D. Thomson,

Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research

Restricted accessMoreSectionsView PDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Cite this article Chittka L., Williams N. M., Rasmussen H. and Thomson J. D. 1999Navigation without vision: bumblebee orientation in complete darknessProc. R. Soc. Lond. B.26645–50http://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.1999.0602SectionRestricted accessNavigation without vision: bumblebee orientation in complete darkness L. Chittka L. Chittka Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author , N. M. Williams N. M. Williams Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author , H. Rasmussen H. Rasmussen Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author and J. D. Thomson J. D. Thomson Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author L. Chittka L. Chittka Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed , N. M. Williams N. M. Williams Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed , H. Rasmussen H. Rasmussen Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed and J. D. Thomson J. D. Thomson Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Published:07 January 1999https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.1999.0602AbstractIn flight cages, worker bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) spontaneously explored the surroundings of their nest and foraged in complete darkness, by walking instead of flying, from feeders up to 150 cm away from the nest. This behaviour was wholly unexpected in these classically visual foragers. The finding provides a controlled system for dissecting possible non–visual components of navigation used in daylight. It also allows us to isolate navigation mechanisms used in naturally dark situations, such as in the nest. Using infrared video, we mapped walking trails. We found that bumblebees laid odour marks. When such odour cues were eliminated, bees maintained correct directionality, suggesting a magnetic compass. They were also able to assess travel distance correctly, using an internal, non–visual, measure of path length. Path integration was not employed. Presumably, this complex navigational skill requires visual input in bees. Previous ArticleNext Article VIEW FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD PDF FiguresRelatedReferencesDetailsCited by Patel R, Kempenaers J and Heinze S (2022) Vector navigation in walking bumblebees, Current Biology, 10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.010, Online publication date: 1-May-2022. Ng L, Garcia J, Dyer A and Stuart‐Fox D (2020) The ecological significance of time sense in animals, Biological Reviews, 10.1111/brv.12665, 96:2, (526-540), Online publication date: 1-Apr-2021. 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