Effects of load type (pollen or nectar) and load mass on hovering metabolic rate and mechanical power output in the honey beeApis mellifera

Erica Feuerbacher; Jennifer H. Fewell; Sarah Roberts; Elizabeth F. Smith; Jon F. Harrison

doi:10.1242/jeb.00347

journal article Jun 01, 2003

Effects of load type (pollen or nectar) and load mass on hovering metabolic rate and mechanical power output in the honey beeApis mellifera

Erica Feuerbacher Jennifer H. Fewell Sarah Roberts

Elizabeth F. Smith Jon F. Harrison

Journal of Experimental Biology Vol. 206 No. 11 pp. 1855-1865 · The Company of Biologists

View at Publisher Save 10.1242/jeb.00347

Abstract

SUMMARYIn this study we tested the effect of pollen and nectar loading on metabolic rate (in mW) and wingbeat frequency during hovering, and also examined the effect of pollen loading on wing kinematics and mechanical power output. Pollen foragers had hovering metabolic rates approximately 10% higher than nectar foragers, regardless of the amount of load carried. Pollen foragers also had a more horizontal body position and higher inclination of stroke plane than measured previously for honey bees (probably nectar foragers). Thorax temperatures ranked pollen &gt; nectar &gt; water foragers,and higher flight metabolic rate could explain the higher thorax temperature of pollen foragers. Load mass did not affect hovering metabolic rate or wingbeat frequency in a regression-model experiment. However, using an analysis of variance (ANOVA) design, loaded pollen and nectar foragers (mean loads 27% and 40% of body mass, respectively) significantly increased metabolic rate by 6%. Mean pollen loads of 18% of body mass had no effect on wingbeat frequency, stroke amplitude, body angle or inclination of stroke plane, but increased the calculated mechanical power output by 16–18%(depending on the method of estimating drag). A rise in lift coefficient as bees carry loads without increasing wingbeat frequency or stroke amplitude(and only minimal increases in metabolic rate) suggests an increased use of unsteady power-generating mechanisms.

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References

Details

Published: Jun 01, 2003
Vol/Issue: 206(11)
Pages: 1855-1865

Authors

E

Erica Feuerbacher

Department of Biology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1501,USA; Present address: Department of Integrative Biology, University of California,Berkeley, 3060 Valley Life Sciences Building #3140, Berkeley, CA 94720-3140,USA

J

Jennifer H. Fewell

Department of Biology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1501,USA

S

Sarah Roberts

Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4004,USA

E

Elizabeth F. Smith

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas,Lawrence, KS 66045, USA

J

Jon F. Harrison

Department of Biology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1501,USA

Cite This Article

Erica Feuerbacher, Jennifer H. Fewell, Sarah Roberts, et al. (2003). Effects of load type (pollen or nectar) and load mass on hovering metabolic rate and mechanical power output in the honey beeApis mellifera. Journal of Experimental Biology, 206(11), 1855-1865. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.00347

Effects of load type (pollen or nectar) and load mass on hovering metabolic rate and mechanical power output in the honey beeApis mellifera

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