根據(jù)一項新的研究,，大黃蜂(Bombus terrestris)可能是一個“小偷”,。
據(jù)美國《科學(xué)》雜志在線新聞報道,，蜜蜂通常都會飛到花中采蜜同時授粉,。但也有一些蜜蜂會在花的底部咬出一個洞,，之后只采集花蜜而不授粉,。大黃蜂發(fā)現(xiàn)這些由其他蜜蜂咬出的洞之后,，便重新叮咬這些洞，并偷走花蜜,。研究人員在4月23日的英國《皇家學(xué)會學(xué)報B》（Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B）上報告了這一有趣的發(fā)現(xiàn),。（來源：科學(xué)時報 群芳）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
（Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B），doi：10.1098/rspb.2008.0270,，Ellouise Leadbeater,，Lars Chittka
Social transmission of nectar-robbing behaviour in bumble-bees
Ellouise Leadbeater, Lars Chittka
1 School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
Social transmission of acquired foraging techniques is rarely considered outside of a vertebrate context. Here, however, we show that nectar robbing by bumble-bees (Bombus terrestris)—an invertebrate behaviour of considerable ecological significance—has the potential to spread through a population at the accelerated rates typical of social transmission. Nectar robbing occurs when individuals either bite through the base of a flower to ‘steal’ nectar (primary robbing) or use robbing holes that others have made (secondary robbing). We found that experience of foraging from robbed flowers significantly promoted the development of primary robbing in previously legitimate foragers, thus implying that the acquisition of nectar robbing by one individual will facilitate its adoption in others. Our findings suggest that the positive feedback effects of social transmission may potentially play an ecologically important role in the relationship between plants and pollinators.
