Couvillon, M J, DeGrandi-Hoffman, G and Gronenberg, W (2010) Africanized honeybees are slower learners than their European counterparts. Naturwissenschaften, 97 (2). pp. 153-160. ISSN 0028-1042

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Abstract

Does cognitive ability always correlate with a positive fitness consequence? Previous research in both vertebrates and invertebrates provides mixed results. Here, we compare the learning and memory abilities of Africanized honeybees (Apis mellifera scutellata hybrid) and European honeybees (Apis mellifera ligustica). The range of the Africanized honeybee continues to expand, superseding the European honeybee, which led us to hypothesize that they might possess greater cognitive capabilities as revealed by a classical conditioning assay. Surprisingly, we found that fewer Africanized honeybees learn to associate an odor with a reward. Additionally, fewer Africanized honeybees remembered the association a day later. While Africanized honeybees are replacing European honeybees, our results show that they do so despite displaying a relatively poorer performance on an associative learning paradigm.

Item Type:	Article
Schools and Departments:	School of Life Sciences > Evolution, Behaviour and Environment
Depositing User:	Group 1045
Date Deposited:	06 Feb 2012 20:47
Last Modified:	30 Nov 2012 17:08
URI:	http://srodev.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/28146

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