TY - JOUR
A1 - Clegg, Mark R.
A1 - Wacker, Alexander
A1 - Spijkerman, Elly
T1 - Phenotypic Diversity and Plasticity of Photoresponse Across an Environmentally Contrasting Family of Phytoflagellates
JF - Frontiers in plant science : FPLS
N2 - Organisms often employ ecophysiological strategies to exploit environmental conditions and ensure bio-energetic success. However, the many complexities involved in the differential expression and flexibility of these strategies are rarely fully understood. Therefore, for the first time, using a three-part cross-disciplinary laboratory experimental analysis, we investigated the diversity and plasticity of photoresponsive traits employed by one family of environmentally contrasting, ecologically important phytoflagellates. The results demonstrated an extensive inter-species phenotypic diversity of behavioural, physiological, and compositional photoresponse across the Chlamydomonadaceae, and a multifaceted intra-species phenotypic plasticity, involving a broad range of beneficial photoacclimation strategies, often attributable to environmental predisposition and phylogenetic differentiation. Deceptively diverse and sophisticated strong (population and individual cell) behavioural photoresponses were observed, with divergence from a general preference for low light (and flexibility) dictated by intra-familial differences in typical habitat (salinity and trophy) and phylogeny. Notably, contrasting lower, narrow, and flexible compared with higher, broad, and stable preferences were observed in freshwater vs. brackish and marine species. Complex diversity and plasticity in physiological and compositional photoresponses were also discovered. Metabolic characteristics (such as growth rates, respiratory costs and photosynthetic capacity, efficiency, compensation and saturation points) varied elaborately with species, typical habitat (often varying more in eutrophic species, such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii), and culture irradiance (adjusting to optimise energy acquisition and suggesting some propensity for low light). Considerable variations in intracellular pigment and biochemical composition were also recorded. Photosynthetic and accessory pigments (such as chlorophyll a, xanthophyll-cycle components, chlorophyll a:b and chlorophyll a:carotenoid ratios, fatty acid content and saturation ratios) varied with phylogeny and typical habitat (to attune photosystem ratios in different trophic conditions and to optimise shade adaptation, photoprotection, and thylakoid architecture, particularly in freshwater environments), and changed with irradiance (as reaction and harvesting centres adjusted to modulate absorption and quantum yield). The complex, concomitant nature of the results also advocated an integrative approach in future investigations. Overall, these nuanced, diverse, and flexible photoresponsive traits will greatly contribute to the functional ecology of these organisms, addressing environmental heterogeneity and potentially shaping individual fitness, spatial and temporal distribution, prevalence, and ecosystem dynamics.
KW - photoresponse
KW - behaviour
KW - physiology
KW - composition
KW - photosynthesis
KW - acclimation
KW - Chlamydomonas
KW - ecophysiology
Y1 - 2021
U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.707541
SN - 1664-462X
IS - 12
PB - Frontiers Media
CY - Lausanne
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Scheiner, Ricarda
A1 - Abramson, Charles I.
A1 - Brodschneider, Robert
A1 - Crailsheim, Karl
A1 - Farina, Walter M.
A1 - Fuchs, Stefan
A1 - Grünewald, Bernd
A1 - Hahshold, Sybille
A1 - Karrer, Marlene
A1 - Koeniger, Gudrun
A1 - Königer, Niko
A1 - Menzel, Randolf
A1 - Mujagic, Samir
A1 - Radspieler, Gerald
A1 - Schmickl, Thomas
A1 - Schneider, Christof
A1 - Siegel, Adam J.
A1 - Szopek, Martina
A1 - Thenius, Ronald
T1 - Standard methods for behavioural studies of Apis mellifera
JF - Journal of apicultural research
N2 - In this BEEBOOK paper we present a set of established methods for quantifying honey bee behaviour. We start with general methods for preparing bees for behavioural assays. Then we introduce assays for quantifying sensory responsiveness to gustatory, visual and olfactory stimuli. Presentation of more complex behaviours like appetitive and aversive learning under controlled laboratory conditions and learning paradigms under free-flying conditions will allow the reader to investigate a large range of cognitive skills in honey bees. Honey bees are very sensitive to changing temperatures. We therefore present experiments which aim at analysing honey bee locomotion in temperature gradients. The complex flight behaviour of honey bees can be investigated under controlled conditions in the laboratory or with sophisticated technologies like harmonic radar or RFID in the field. These methods will be explained in detail in different sections. Honey bees are model organisms in behavioural biology for their complex yet plastic division of labour. To observe the daily behaviour of individual bees in a colony, classical observation hives are very useful. The setting up and use of typical observation hives will be the focus of another section. The honey bee dance language has important characteristics of a real language and has been the focus of numerous studies. We here discuss the background of the honey bee dance language and describe how it can be studied. Finally, the mating of a honey bee queen with drones is essential to survival of the entire colony. We here give detailed and structured information how the mating behaviour of drones and queens can be observed and experimentally manipulated.
The ultimate goal of this chapter is to provide the reader with a comprehensive set of experimental protocols for detailed studies on all aspects of honey bee behaviour including investigation of pesticide and insecticide effects.
KW - COLOSS
KW - BEEBOOK
KW - honey bee
KW - behaviour
KW - gustatory responsiveness
KW - olfactory responsiveness
KW - phototaxis
KW - non-associative learning
KW - associative learning
KW - appetitive learning
KW - aversive learning
KW - locomotion
KW - temperature sensing
KW - honey bee flight
KW - observation hive
KW - honey bee dance
KW - honey bee navigation
KW - harmonic radar
KW - BeeScan
KW - RFID
KW - honey bee mating
KW - free-flying honey bees
Y1 - 2013
U6 - https://doi.org/10.3896/IBRA.1.52.4.04
SN - 0021-8839
SN - 2078-6913
VL - 52
IS - 4
PB - International Bee Research Association
CY - Cardiff
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Schneeberger, Karin
A1 - Taborsky, Michael
T1 - The role of sensory ecology and cognition in social decisions
BT - costs of acquiring information matter
JF - Functional ecology : an official journal of the British Ecological Society
N2 - 1. We generally assume that animals should maximize information acquisition about their environment to make prudent decisions. But this is a naive assumption, as gaining information typically involves costs.
2. This is especially so in the social context, where interests between interacting partners usually diverge. The arms race involved in mutual assessment is characterized by the attempt to obtain revealing information from a partner while providing only as much information by oneself as is conducive to one's own intentions.
3. If obtaining information occasions costs in terms of time, energy and risk, animals should be selected to base their decisions on a cost-benefit ratio that takes account of the trade-off between the risk of making wrong choices and the costs involved in information acquisition, processing and use.
4. In addition, there may be physiological and/or environmental constraints limiting the ability to obtaining, processing and utilizing reliable information.
5. Here, we discuss recent empirical evidence for the proposition that social decisions are to an important extent based on the costs that result from acquiring, processing, evaluating and storing information. Using examples from different taxa and ecological contexts, we aim at drawing attention to the often neglected costs of information recipience, with emphasis on the potential role of sensory ecology and cognition in social decisions.
KW - behaviour
KW - constrains
KW - costs
KW - decisions
KW - signals
KW - sociality
KW - trade-offs
Y1 - 2020
U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13488
SN - 0269-8463
SN - 1365-2435
VL - 34
IS - 2
SP - 302
EP - 309
PB - Wiley
CY - Hoboken
ER -