Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 2.1.
Cartoon of the relationship among stimulus, response threshold, and
the ef ect on the stimulus of responding. In this cartoon, a division of labor has
emerged. Drawing by Sabine Deviche.
apparently use information obtained from this direct contact to assess
colony need.
Let us imagine that pollen foragers have response thresholds to empty
cells encountered along the brood/pollen boundary. If a forager encoun-
ters more empty cells than some value representative of her response
threshold, she will leave the hive and collect another load of pollen. If,
however, she encounters fewer empty cells, she does not continue to
forage for pollen. Perhaps she switches to nectar or water foraging. h is
is a very simple view, but it is not unsupported. Tom Seeley in his topic
h e Wisdom of the Hive: h e Social Physiology of Honey Bee Colonies
reported unpublished results of Scott Camazine showing that the num-
ber of cells inspected before unloading increased with more stored pollen.
In addition, the probability that a pollen forager performed a recruitment
