Database on how "bees see World" (BBC)

11 December 2010 update at 00: 02 GMT by Neil Bowdler Science reporter, BBC News Creeping Zinnia as shown (left) and with the nuances of the UV made visible (right). Petal appear two tones to bees, concentric color drawing to the nectar of researchers are offered an overview of how the bees can see flowers in all their ultraviolet (UV) glory.
The reflectance database floral (FReD) was created by researchers at Imperial College in London and Queen Mary, University of London.
It allows researchers to "see" the colours of the plant through the eyes of bees and other pollinating insects.
Bees have different color human detection systems and can see the UV spectrum.
Free database details are published in the journal PLoS ONE free access.
"This research said that the world see us is not physics or the"real"world - different animals have very different meanings, depending on the environment the animals operate," said Professor Lars Chittka Queen Mary School of biological and chemical sciences.
"A large part of the colourful world that is accessible to bees and other animals with UV receptors is totally invisible to us." To see the invisible part of the world, we need this special machinery. »
How a cactus appears in UV light
The researchers collected what is called "spectroreflective" measures of petals and leaves a large number of different plants. These measures show the colour of plants in the visible and invisible spectrum.
Users of the database can then calculate how these plants appear different insect pollinators, based on studies that can see the different parts of the spectrum of different species.
Scientists have deduced what color insects see Inserting MICROELECTRODES in their photoreceptors and using less invasive behavioural studies.
See the world as the insects can see that it can reveal "bands landing", which are invisible to the human eye. These are acting to guide the nectar that feed on insects.
These airstrips could take the form of concentric circles color or points.
"Often, you'll find radially symmetrical patterns that there is a central area which is colored differently." Other flowers there are also points in the Center which indicate where it is basically an aperture of the bee to retrieve the goods in his own language. »
Use of the greenhouse effect
But what is the interest of such a tool beyond giving researchers point of view of an insect?
Professor Chittka says seeing these invisible colours may have commercial applications in the greenhouse and beyond.
"Every third bite to eat at the dinner table is the result of the work of pollinating insects. Using insects for pollination, commercial purposes we need to understand how insects see flowers.
"We need to understand this kind of a climate of light that we need to generate glass trade houses to facilitate the detection of flowers by bees.
Co-author Professor Vincent Savolainen, of Imperial College London, says the database also gives us new perspectives on the evolution of the color of the plant.
"We hope that this work can help to understand how plants have evolved in different habitats in the cold habitats in Northern Europe's biodiversity hotspots in South Africa biologists," he explains.
"FReD world records may show how the color of flowers could change over time and how it relates to different insects that pollinate them and other factors in their local environment."