For the second time this year, bumblebees have stepped up to scientists’ tests and shown that they can solve cooperative tasks that transcend their tiny brains.
In a series of lab experiments, bumblebees (Bombus sp.)
The findings come amid a growing awareness of possible insect consciousness and follow demonstrations of human-like collective intelligence in bumblebees, specifically.
With their bee experiments, Loukola and colleagues wanted “to probe whether behaviors in cooperative tasks represent individual efforts, a simple recognition of partner presence, or a deeper understanding of roles and goals.”
These are three of four different types of cooperative behavior that biologists have recently defined, to better delineate between them.
Chimpanzees, dolphins, wolves, and birds have all been seen working together towards a shared goal, with the fourth type of cooperative behavior held up as a hallmark of human cooperation and rarely seen in non-human animals.
frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen> “These results show that bumblebees’ cooperative behavior is not simply a by-product of individual efforts but is socially influenced,” Loukola and colleagues write in their paper.
It’s possible that cooperative behavior is widespread across the animal kingdom simply to aid survival when it counts.
Bumblebees have proven to be capable of cooperative problem-solving that goes beyond their small brains, as demonstrated by their performance in two separate tests this year.
In several laboratory tests, bumblebees (Bombus sp. ) were more likely to wait for their partner before returning to the task than bees that trained alone when they collaborated on tasks to obtain a sweet reward.
According to lead author Olli Loukola, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Oulu in Finland, “the study’s findings challenge conventional notions of insects, and the ability to work together towards a common goal is present even in the miniature brain of bumblebees.”.
The results follow evidence of collective intelligence resembling that of humans in bumblebees, and they coincide with an increasing recognition of the potential consciousness of insects.
One aspect of social behavior that demonstrates awareness of and cooperation with others is cooperation.
In order to “investigate whether behaviors in cooperative tasks represent individual efforts, a simple recognition of partner presence, or a deeper understanding of roles and goals,” Loukola and colleagues conducted their bee experiments. “.
To better distinguish between them, biologists have recently defined four distinct types of cooperative behavior, of which these are three.
The fourth type of cooperative behavior is considered to be a hallmark of human cooperation and is uncommon in non-human animals, such as chimpanzees, dolphins, wolves, and birds. These animals have all been observed cooperating towards a common goal.
Not much has been expected of bumblebees in comparison to more sophisticated creatures. Recent laboratory tests, however, demonstrate that they shouldn’t be taken lightly because bees are capable of learning sequential tasks, instructing others in problem-solving techniques, using tools, counting to zero, and even solving simple mathematical equations.
Loukola and colleagues observed that bees that were prevented from entering a test arena by their partner took longer to push the block or door than control bees that were taught to push independently and immediately set about attempting to reach their reward on their own.
A bumblebee waits for its training partner to show up before moving the Lego block so that the two insects can slurp up their sugar water reward, as seen in the video below.
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In other tunnel studies, bees would either search for their partner once they appeared in the adjacent tunnel or would hesitate at a door hiding their reward until their training partner arrived.
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According to Loukola and colleagues’ findings, “these results show that bumblebees’ cooperative behavior is not simply a by-product of individual efforts but is socially influenced.”.
The researchers go on, “We should have seen attempts to somehow facilitate coordination if bees’ coordination went beyond social influence.”. “.
However Loukola and associates acknowledge that was hard to pick up on. Though it’s possible that bees that turned around in the tunnel were merely self-serving enough to associate the presence of another bee at the door with getting their sweet reward, it’s possible that they were “recruited” by their partner to perform the task of opening the door.
It will take more investigation and more thorough observation of bumblebee behavior during cooperation to determine whether or not they genuinely comprehend the role of their partner, according to Loukola.
One way to achieve this would be to require bees to synchronize when they press a button in order to receive a reward—just like it was done previously with dolphins.
While we wait, it’s interesting to wonder why bumblebees might have evolved this ability to cooperate, given that, as the researchers point out, they typically forage in the wild alone as lone rangers.
It’s possible that the reason cooperative behavior is so common in the animal kingdom is that it helps them survive in critical situations.
