Bumblebee's (Bombus terrestris) preference to moving artificial flowers over stationary flowers, and an investigation into flower movement in the wild

Abstract

Bees are paramount as pollinators, crucial for ecosystem health, biodiversity preservation, and successful
crop production. Recognising and conserving their populations is imperative in order to sustain these
invaluable ecological services. Using this information, this thesis has the objective to investigate if there is a
preference of the pollinator buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris), for moving or stationary artificial
flowers; the preference behaviour exhibited between the two flower types, and the difference in movement
between several species of flowers, preference was looked at due to the gap in research on this area and
the wider implications this may have for agriculturists. The experiment was designed to alter rewarding and
non-rewarding liquids between the moving and stationary flowers, changing after each experiment, this
allowed the foragers to learn and to indicate if there was a preference between the types of flowers.
Experimental observations revealed a significant difference in preference towards moving flowers rather
than stationary ones. The distance of movement of seven different species of flowers (Lavandula
angustifolia, Agapanthus inapertus, Fuchsia magellanica, Rudbeckia fulgida, Impatiens balfourii, Tulbaghia
violacea, Anemone hupehensis) was also explored when exposed to wind, the species of Fuchsia moved the
furthest out of the seven species of flowers recorded.
The preference shown by Bumblebees with moving flowers rather than stationary flowers may be explained
by novelty behaviour as these bumblebees had never experienced moving flowers due to their life in a
laboratory. This research holds significant implications for agriculturists and conservationists by informing
the selection of plants that attract bumblebees. Understanding the impact of flower movement on
bumblebee behaviour allows for the strategic choice of plants with specific morphological features,
improving pollinator visits, crop yields, and overall ecosystem health

Date of Award	18 Jun 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Sean A Rands (Supervisor) & David Lawson (Supervisor)