Pavlovian conditioning of the proboscis extension reflex in harnessed foragers using paired vs. unpaired and discrimination learning paradigms: tests for differences among honeybee subspecies in Turkey

• Published in: Apidologie Vol. 39; no. 4; pp. 428 - 435
• Main Authors: Abramson, Charles I., Mixson, T. Andrew, Çakmak, Ibrahim, Place, Aaron J., Wells, Harrington
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01-07-2008; EDP Sciences; Springer Verlag
• Subjects: Agricultural sciences; Animal biology; Animal ethology; Animal production studies; Animal productions; Apiculture; Apis mellifera; Biodiversity; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Ecology, environment; Entomology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Insecta; Invertebrate Zoology; Invertebrates; Life Sciences; Original Article; Protozoa. Invertebrata; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Terrestrial animal productions; Asia; Turkey; conditionnement; extension du proboscis; Proboscis conditioning; Rüsselreflex-Konditionierung; discrimination learning; Diskriminatives Lernen; discrimination; apprentissage; Insecta; Apidae; Social insect; Foraging behavior; Apis mellifera caucasica; Learning; Proboscis extension reflex; Pollinator; Discrimination; Apis mellifera syriaca; Apoidea; Arthropoda; Olfaction; Flower visiting; Intraspecific comparison; Behavior; Conditioning; Hymenoptera; Invertebrata; Aculeata; Apis mellifera carnica
• ISSN: 0044-8435; 1297-9678
• DOI: 10.1051/apido:2008025

Experiments utilized three honeybee subspecies from very distinct biomes (
Apis mellifera caucasica
,
A.m. carnica, A.m. syriaca
). In experiment one a simple association between odor and a sucrose feeding was readily established in all three subspecies. This association decreased when the conditioned stimulus was no longer followed by a feeding. Neither the learning rate nor extinction rate differed among subspecies. Unpaired controls confirmed that the acquisition of the odor-food association is learned. In experiment two, an attempt to uncover subspecies differences was tested through the ability of bees to discriminate between two odors, one of which is paired with a feeding. Rapid learning occurred in all subspecies and no significant subspecies differences were observed. Finally, discrimination learning was used as an added control to test for honeybee response to an olfactory versus mechanical (air) stimulus.