Article Synopsis
- Researchers designed an optical setup to study how honeybees control their altitude based on visual cues from the ground.
- This setup uses horizontal mirrors to remove visual information from the floor and ceiling, helping to replicate natural conditions over water.
- Findings show that when honeybees experience reduced or no visual input from below, they lose altitude and may crash into the ground.
Video Abstracts
Category Ranking
98%
Total Visits
921
Avg Visit Duration
2 minutes
Citations
20
Article Abstract
To investigate altitude control in honeybees, an optical configuration was designed to manipulate or cancel the optic flow. It has been widely accepted that honeybees rely on the optic flow generated by the ground to control their altitude. Here, we create an optical configuration enabling a better understanding of the mechanism of altitude control in honeybees. This optical configuration aims to mimic some of the conditions that honeybees experience over a natural water body. An optical manipulation, based on a pair of opposed horizontal mirrors, was designed to remove any visual information coming from the floor and ceiling. Such an optical manipulation allowed us to get closer to the seminal experiment of Heran & Lindauer 1963. , 39-55. (doi:10.1007/BF00342890). Our results confirmed that a reduction or an absence of ventral optic flow in honeybees leads to a loss in altitude, and eventually a collision with the floor.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8941389 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0534 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Fifteen years of grazing exclusion reshapes vegetation structure and landscape connectivity across alpine ecosystems in the Qilian Mountain, Northwestern China.
J Environ Manage
September 2025
Qilian Alpine Ecology and Hydrology Research Station, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Northwest Institute of Eco- Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. Electron
High-altitude and high-latitude ecosystems are among the most vulnerable to climate change and human disturbance, with widespread degradation threatening their role in water regulation, biodiversity conservation, and carbon sequestration. Livestock-exclusion enclosure is widely applied for alpine restoration, yet its ecological outcomes remain poorly understood across elevation gradients and ecosystem types. To address this, a 15-year grazing-exclusion experiment was conducted in a vertical transect spanning 2980-4164 m a.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHypoxia Disrupted Serotonin Levels in the Prefrontal Cortex and Striatum, Leading to Depression-like Behavior.
Biology (Basel)
July 2025
Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara 06230, Türkiye.
Hypoxia can adversely affect multiple organ systems. This study investigated the impact of intermittent hypoxia on serotonin levels and depression-like behaviors across distinct neuroanatomical regions. Sixteen adult female Wistar albino rats were divided into two groups: control ( = 8) and hypoxia ( = 8).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVariation in Community Leaf Stoichiometry and Nutrient Resorption Along an Elevational Gradient on the Northern Slope of the Kunlun Mountains.
Ecol Evol
September 2025
State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences Urumqi Xinjiang People's Republic of China.
Leaf stoichiometry and nutrient resorption are key indicators for assessing nutrient-use status and predicting nutrient limitation in plant growth. However, the patterns of variation in plant community nutrient-use traits along elevational gradients remain unclear. To address this, we measured leaf nutrient contents of plant communities across six elevational gradients (1960 to 3548 m) on the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComprehensive molecular epidemiology of BVDV in yaks () in Qinghai, China: high prevalence and dominance of BVDV-1u.
Front Cell Infect Microbiol
September 2025
Xining Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Xining, China.
Introduction: Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a major pathogen affecting livestock health in China. However, the current epidemiological status in yaks (), particularly in Qinghai Province, remains insufficiently understood.
Methods: In the present study, a comprehensive serological and molecular investigation of BVDV in yaks was conducted across broad geographic areas of eight administrative regions including Yushu, Guoluo, Huangnan, Hainan, Haidong, Haixi, Haibei, and Xining in Qinghai Province.
Moderating role of gender in brain structural changes of long-term high-altitude hypoxia-exposed individuals.
Brain Res Bull
August 2025
Xizang Autonomous Region Key Laboratory for High Altitude Brain Science and Environmental Acclimatization, Xizang University, Lhasa 850000, China. Electronic address:
Gender differences play a significant role in human adaptation to both natural and social environments. In high-altitude regions, the reduced oxygen pressure leads to hypoxia, which is reflected in structural changes in the brain. However, the mechanisms by which gender regulates the effects of hypoxia on brain structure remain unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF