Data from: Differences in spatial resolution and contrast sensitivity of flight control in the honeybees Apis cerana and Apis mellifera

Visually-guided behaviour is constrained by the capacity of the visual system to resolve detail. This is, in turn, limited by the spatial resolution and contrast sensitivity of the underlying visual system. Because these properties are interdependent and vary non-uniformly, it is only possible to fully understand the limits of a specific visually guided behaviour when they are investigated in combination. To understand the visual limits of flight control in bees, which rely heavily on vision to control flight, and to explore whether they vary between species, we tested how changes in spatial resolution and contrast sensitivity affect the speed and position control of the Asian and European honeybees (Apis cerana and A. mellifera). Despite their apparent similarity, we found some interesting and surprising differences between the visual limits of these species. While the effect of spatial frequency and contrast on position control is similar between the species, ground speed is differently affected by these variables. A comparison with published data from the bumblebee Bombus terrestris reveals further differences. The visual resolution that limits the detection and use of optic flow for flight control in both species of honeybees is lower than previously anatomically determined resolution and differs from object detection limits of A. mellifera, providing evidence that the limits of spatial resolution and contrast sensitivity are highly tuned to the particular behavioural task of a species.

视觉引导行为（visually-guided behaviour）受视觉系统解析细节的能力约束。该能力又受底层视觉系统的空间分辨率（spatial resolution）与对比敏感度（contrast sensitivity）所限制。由于这些属性相互依存且分布不均，唯有通过联合研究，方能全面理解特定视觉引导行为的极限。为探究高度依赖视觉调控飞行的蜜蜂其飞行控制的视觉极限，并探明不同物种间是否存在差异，我们测试了空间分辨率与对比敏感度的变化如何影响东方蜜蜂（Apis cerana）和西方蜜蜂（Apis mellifera）的速度与位置控制能力。尽管二者外观相似，但我们发现这两个物种的视觉极限存在若干有趣且出人意料的差异。尽管两个物种在空间频率（spatial frequency）与对比度对位置控制的影响上表现相似，但它们的地面速度却受这些变量的影响模式存在差异。结合已发表的熊蜂（Bombus terrestris）相关数据进行对比后，我们发现了更多差异。调控两种蜜蜂飞行控制用光流（optic flow）的检测与应用的视觉分辨率，均低于此前通过解剖学测定的分辨率，且与西方蜜蜂的物体检测极限存在差异。这一结果证明，空间分辨率与对比敏感度的极限高度适配于物种的特定行为任务。