Experimental Zoology Group, Wageningen University & Research, De Elst 1, 6708WD Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Biol Open. 2020 Jun 11;9(6):bio046730. doi: 10.1242/bio.046730.
Red-blue emitting LEDs have recently been introduced in greenhouses to optimise plant growth. However, this spectrum may negatively affect the performance of bumblebees used for pollination, because the visual system of bumblebees is more sensitive to green light than to red-blue light. We used high-speed stereoscopic videography to three-dimensionally track and compare landing manoeuvres of bumblebees in red-blue light and in regular, broad-spectrum white light. In both conditions, the landing approaches were interspersed by one or several hover phases, followed by leg extension and touchdown. The time between leg extension and touchdown was 25% (0.05 s) longer in red-blue light than in white light, caused by a more tortuous flight path in red-blue light. However, the total landing duration, specified as the time between the first hover phase and touchdown, did not differ between the light conditions. This suggests that the negative effects of red-blue light on the landing manoeuvre are confined to the final phase of the landing.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
红蓝发光二极管最近被引入温室中以优化植物生长。然而，这种光谱可能会对用于授粉的熊蜂的性能产生负面影响，因为熊蜂的视觉系统对绿光比对红蓝光更敏感。我们使用高速立体摄像技术对熊蜂在红蓝光和常规宽光谱白光中的着陆动作进行了三维跟踪和比较。在这两种情况下，着陆接近都穿插有一个或多个悬停阶段，然后是腿部伸展和触地。在红蓝光中，腿部伸展和触地之间的时间比在白光中长 25%（0.05s），这是由于在红蓝光中飞行路径更曲折造成的。然而，总着陆持续时间，即从第一次悬停阶段到触地的时间，在两种光照条件下没有差异。这表明红蓝光对着陆动作的负面影响仅限于着陆的最后阶段。本文附有该论文第一作者的第一人称采访。
