How do bees perceive flowers and why it is important?

Abstract

Animal cognition can be defined as the ability of an organism to acquire, retain and subsequently use the sensory information during decision-making processes in different contexts. The understanding of how the signals emitted in the environment interact with the sensory system of animals capable of perceiving them helps to unravel the ecological and evolutionary significance of the interactions between organisms. In the context of pollination, the attraction of visitors to the flower is attributed to a great diversity of signals, especially visuals and olfactory. In addition to acting as attractants, they can also exhibit functions related to the communication of the presence/absence of resources. Nevertheless, other sensory modalities, also play a relevant role on the interaction between flowers and visitors. The central idea of the present study is to present, through relevant examples from the literature, the main signals emitted by the flowers and perceived by the bees, either by a single sensory modality or through multiple modalities. Regardless of the sensory modality and the complexity of the stimuli, studies of the interactions between plants and their floral visitors can be better understood and detailed if we consider the different aspects related to the signal being emitted and the directionality of the same, or simply the capacity or not to be perceived. Quantifying processes, their causes and consequences reinforce the understanding of evolutionary, ecological and behavioral patterns among interacting organisms, both in mutualistic and antagonistic relationships.