Bees actively adjust flower choice based on color and distance: Updating 'flower constancy' beyond Darwin's theory

Bees actively adjust flower choice based on color and distance: Updating 'flower constancy' beyond Darwin's theory

Pollinating insects such as bumblebees often repeatedly visit the same type of flower, even when a variety of flowers bloom nearby. This behavior is known as "flower constancy." Darwin speculated that flower constancy was a passive response to avoid the effort involved in remembering the different flower characteristics. However, researchers at University of Tsukuba have revealed that this theory is incomplete, since it focuses too heavily on "m…