Visitation sequence data from: Alternative flowers affect model and mimic flower discrimination performance of bumble bees

Some animal-pollinated flowers produce no rewards but attract pollinators by imitating rewarding flowers. Termed Batesian floral mimicry, this phenomenon has generally been understood in terms of a common system of the organisms performing one of three roles as model flowers, mimic flowers, or signal receivers (a Batesian mimicry trinity). However, organisms other than those of the mimicry trinity may play important roles in the relationships of the trinity members. 

This study examined the effect of alternative flowers that are dissimilar to either model or mimic flowers on bumble bee discrimination between model and mimic flowers. To this end, we observed bumble bees, Bombus ignitus (Smith), foraging in mixed arrays of artificial flowers mirroring either model, mimic, or alternative flowers. 

Bumble bees’ ability to discriminate mimic from model flowers was impacted by the presence of alternative flowers; however, the effect was dependent on the similarity between the model and ...