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65
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Introduction
I am a behavioural ecologist and currently interested in cognition and social learning in bees (social and solitary). Bees play very important ecological roles in all ecosystems, and several existing studies indicate that social information use occur in that clade too. My research focuses on the information use within and among species and its ecological and evolutionary implications. I will establish my own experimental approaches into social learning among bees in the wild and laboratory.
Current institution
Additional affiliations
September 2015 - August 2017
September 2017 - August 2021
September 2010 - May 2014
University of Oulu
Position
- PhD researcher
Publications
Publications (65)
Humans impact wildlife positively and negatively, and increasing evidence shows that humans potentially play a major role in shaping cognition in wild animals. Recent evidence suggests, in particular, that the ability to innovate (an important cognitive ability for urban wildlife) can be affected by humans. However, the specific anthropogenic facto...
Cooperation is common in animals, yet the specific mechanisms driving collaborative behaviour in different species remain unclear. We investigated the proximate mechanisms underlying the cooperative behaviour of bumblebees in two different tasks, where bees had to simultaneously push a block in an arena or a door at the end of a tunnel for access t...
The decline of insect pollinators is a global concern, and the use of pesticides has been identified as a potential cause for it. Glyphosate‐based herbicides (GBHs) are the world's most used pesticides, but until recent years they have been claimed to be safe for non‐target organisms, such as pollinators. Using controlled arena experiments, we inve...
For many animals, nests are essential for reproductive success. Nesting individuals need to carry out a range of potentially challenging tasks, from selecting an appropriate site and choosing suitable materials to constructing the nest and defending it against competitors, parasites and predators. Given the high fitness stakes involved, and the div...
Pollinator decline is one of the gravest challenges facing the world today, and the overuse of pesticides may be among its causes. Here we studied whether glyphosate, the world's most widely used pesticide, affects the bumblebee gut microbiota. We exposed the bumblebee diet to glyphosate and a glyphosate-based herbicide and quantified the microbiot...
Background
Intensive agriculture, including pesticides, is one of the many reasons for pollinator decline. The EU legislation on plant protection products (hereon pesticides) demands that the risks of active substances and their use in pesticide products are assessed for bees. However, the risk assessment is not always sufficient as shown, for exam...
Background:
Pesticides are identified as one of the major reasons for the global pollinator decline. However, the sublethal effects of pesticide residue levels found in pollen and nectar on pollinators have been studied little. The aim of our research was to study whether oral exposure to the thiacloprid levels found in pollen and nectar affect th...
Recent work has shown that animals frequently use social information from individuals of their own species as well as from other species; however, the ecological and evolutionary consequences of this social information use remain poorly understood. Additionally, information users may be selective in their social information use, deciding from whom...
Pollinator decline is a grave challenge worldwide. One of the main culprits for this decline is the widespread use of, and pollinators' chronic exposure to, agrochemicals. Here, we examined the effect of a field-realistic dose of the world's most commonly used pesticide, glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH), on bumblebee cognition. We experimentally te...
A small brain and short life allegedly limit cognitive abilities. Our view of invertebrate cognition may also be biased by the choice of experimental stimuli. Here, the stimuli (color) pairs used in Match-To-Sample (MTS) tasks affected the performance of buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris). We trained the bees to roll a tool, ball, to a goal...
Concept learning is considered a high-level adaptive ability. Thus far, it has been studied in laboratory via asocial trial and error learning. Yet, social information use is common among animals but it remains unknown whether concept learning by observing others occurs. We tested whether pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) form conceptual relati...
For two centuries, visual illusions have attracted the attention of neurobiologists and com- parative psychologists, given the possibility of investigating the complexity of perceptual mechanisms by using relatively simple patterns. Animal models, such as primates, birds, and fish, have played a crucial role in understanding the physiological circu...
II.
Abstact
The ecology of social information use has been studied in many intra- and interspecific contexts, while the evolutionary consequences of social information use remain less understood. Furthermore, selective social information use, where individuals are discriminative in their decision-making on how to use social information, has been o...
Researchers globally identify pesticides as one of the main reasons for pollinator decline. In the European Union (EU), extensive legislation is implemented to protect pollinators from harmful pesticide exposure. The aim of our study was to discover whether the pesticide residue levels in honeybee matrices, such as nectar and pollen, exceeded the c...
Quantitative abilities are widely recognized to play important roles in several ecological contexts, such as foraging, mate choice, and social interaction. Indeed, such abilities are widespread among vertebrates, in particular mammals, birds, and fish. Recently, there has been an increasing number of studies on the quantitative abilities of inverte...
We examined how bees solve a visual discrimination task with stimuli commonly used in numerical cognition studies. Bees performed well on the task, but additional tests showed that they had learned continuous (non-numerical) cues. A network model using biologically plausible visual feature filtering and a simple associative rule was capable of lear...
Simple Summary
Social information use is a widespread phenomenon in animals affecting various important aspects of behavior. Animals observe and copy the behavioral patterns of conspecifics and other species on the same trophic level in their own decision-making. Copying others is adaptive only when it is selective, otherwise running the risk of co...
We studied the relationship between temperature and the coexistence of great tit Parus major and blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus, breeding in 75 study plots across Europe and North Africa. We expected an advance in laying date and a reduction in clutch size during warmer springs as a general response to climate warming and a delay in laying date and a...
Most research in comparative cognition focuses on measuring if animals manage certain tasks; fewer studies explore how animals might solve them. We investigated bumblebees' scanning strategies in a numerosity task, distinguishing patterns with 2 items from 4 and 1 from 3, and subsequently transferring numerical information to novel numbers, shapes...
Aim
Nest building is widespread among animals. Nests may provide receptacles for eggs, developing offspring and the parents, and protect them from adverse environmental conditions. Nests may also indicate the quality of the territory and its owner and can be considered as an extended phenotype of its builder(s). Nests may, thus, function as a sexua...
Most of the studies on learning in bees have focused on the foraging context; we know little about the preferences and cognitive processes in nest-site selection, especially in solitary bees. The majority of the bee species are solitary and in contrast to eusocial bees, solitary bees' cognition and social information use have remained largely unstu...
A growing number of studies have demonstrated that heterospecific individuals with overlapping resource needs – putative competitors – can provide information to each other that improves the outcomes of decisions. Our studies using cavity nesting resident tits (information provider) and migratory flycatchers (Ficedula spp., information user) have s...
Very clever bees use tools
One hallmark of cognitive complexity is the ability to manipulate objects with a specific goal in mind. Such “tool use” at one time was ascribed to humans alone, but then to primates, next to marine mammals, and later to birds. Now we recognize that many species have the capacity to envision how a particular object might...
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002564.].
Social insects make elaborate use of simple mechanisms to achieve seemingly complex behavior and may thus provide a unique resource to discover the basic cognitive elements required for culture, i.e., group-specific behaviors that spread from " innovators " to others in the group via social learning. We first explored whether bumblebees can learn a...
Excel spreadsheet containing data plotted in Figs 1–3 and the data supporting the results (text) for the body size influence on string pulling, the colorless flower experiment, the “ghost experiment,” the coiled-string experiment, and the observation during demonstration.
(XLSX)
String pulling after observation of a skilled demonstrator by a previously naïve forager.
Footage shows an observer bumblebee pulling a string to drink sucrose solution from the flower placed underneath the transparent table immediately after the observation phase. The observation chamber is positioned between two transparent tables with flowers an...
Coiled-string experiment (demonstrator).
Footage shows an experienced bumblebee solving the coiled-string task. The bee first lands on top of the tables and tries to access the reward, gets off the left table, positions herself at the edge of the table, extends the proboscis, and starts manipulating the string. Using her fore and middle leg, the be...
Diffusion of string pulling behavior through the social network of Colony 6 (bout n = 189).
Nodes represent individual bees. Lines indicate that two bees interacted at least once. Thickness of lines represent total number of interactions between two individuals—one interaction equals one point line thickness, and each interaction increases the line...
No spread of string pulling in the absence of a seeded demonstrator in the network of control Colony 10 (bout n = 150).
For further explanation, see S13 Video legend.
(MP4)
Excel spreadsheet containing the raw data of Colonies 6–11 used in the transmission chain experiment and supporting the network analysis illustrated in Fig 5, the data values plotted in Fig 6, and the data supporting the test of the influence of the observer bee’s choice and cooperation.
(XLSX)
String pulling by an experienced bumblebee.
Footage shows an experienced bumblebee worker pulling a string to extract the artificial blue flower disk from underneath the transparent table and subsequently drinking sucrose solution found in the center of the flower (Step 4). The bee lands in front of a string, grasps it with her forelegs, and pulls...
String pulling without colored stimulus.
Footage shows an experienced bumblebee demonstrator worker solving the string task when the blue flower disk has been removed. Released into the arena, the bee flies close to the string several times, but she does not land in front of or on top of the table for 4 min. The bee even tries to go back to the col...
“Ghost” experiment.
Footage shows a nonsocial observer bumblebee worker tested with the string task after the observation phase. The bee lands several times on top of the left and right tables and tries to obtain the sucrose. In getting off the table, the bee accidently moved the string sideways but did not appear pay attention to this movement. Af...
Coiled-string experiment (observer).
Footage shows a bumblebee attempting to solve the coiled-string task after having observed a skilled demonstrator. The bee lands on top of the right and left tables several times and tries to access the reward. After 1 min and 40 s, the bee gets off the left table and starts exploring one of the edges for 5 s. T...
No spread of string pulling in the absence of a seeded demonstrator in the network of control Colony 11 (bout n = 150).
For further explanation, see S13 Video legend.
(MP4)
String pulling training Step 1.
Footage shows a bumblebee in training Step 1, obtaining sucrose solution from an artificial blue flower disk partially (50%) covered by the transparent table. The bee locates the blue flowers, lands in the center of the middle flower at the edge of the table, and drinks from the inverted Eppendorf cap.
(MP4)
Open diffusion experiment.
Footage shows a pair of bees (the seeded demonstrator and an observer) tested with the string pulling task in Colony 8. The red dot indicates the seeded demonstrator. The observer has not learned string pulling yet but has already been tested three times in paired foraging bouts. The demonstrator lands at the edge of the...
Diffusion of string pulling behavior through the social network of Colony 7 (bout n = 114).
For further explanation, see S13 Video legend.
(MP4)
Diffusion of string pulling behavior through the social network of Colony 8 (bout n = 249).
For further explanation, see S13 Video legend.
(MP4)
No spread of string pulling in the absence of a seeded demonstrator in the network of control Colony 9 (bout n = 149).
For further explanation, see S13 Video legend.
(MP4)
String pulling training Step 2.
Footage shows a bumblebee in training Step 2 obtaining sucrose solution from a flower that is three-quarters covered by the transparent table. The bee lands at the edge of the table and immediately repositions herself in front of the table. She then steps onto the blue flower and moves her forelegs and middle legs ba...
String pulling training Step 3.
Footage shows a bumblebee in training Step 3 obtaining sucrose solution from a fully covered flower positioned at the edge of the table. The bee lands on top of the table and immediately repositions herself in front of the table. Then, she starts extending her proboscis in between the flower and the table whilst mani...
Successful string pulling by an untrained bumblebee, or “innovator.”
Footage shows one of the two untrained bumblebee workers that ever managed to solve the string task without stepwise training or observation of skilled demonstrators. This bee was exceptionally explorative and tried a wide variety of methods. She initially lands on top of the tabl...
Test of stimulus enhancement.
Footage shows an observer bumblebee tested with the string task after the observation phase. Whilst the strings protruded in the normal region during in the observation, they protruded in two alternative regions during the test. For a few times, the bee lands on top of the left and right tables and tries to obtain the...
The increase in size of human populations in urban and agricultural areas has resulted in considerable habitat conversion globally. Such anthropogenic areas have specific environmental characteristics, which influence the physiology, life history, and population dynamics of plants and animals. For example, the date of bud burst is advanced in urban...
Figure S1. Intensity of urbanisation according to (A) classification by scientists. Box plots show medians, quartiles, 5‐ and 95‐percentiles, and extreme values, and (B) CORINE land cover code (red = discontinuous urban, purple = industrial or commercial units, pink = green urban sites, brown = arable land and rice field, orange = agriculture lands...
Figure S2. Distribution of study plots across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Table S1. Summary data for study plots. See Material and methods for definitions.
Table S2. Correlation matrix of explanatory variables.
Table S3. Mixed linear model investigating laying date in four passerines species (CF: Collared Flycatcher, GT: Great tit and PF: Pied Flycatcher) as a function of habitat characteristics (intensity of urbanisat...
Figure S3. Box plots of latitude of study plots in four passerine birds in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
The increase in size of human populations in urban and agricultural areas has resulted in considerable habitat conversion globally. Such anthropogenic areas have specific environmental characteristics, which influence the physiology, life history, and population dynamics of plants and animals. For example, the date of bud burst is advanced in urban...
Anthropogenic disturbances cause biotic homogenization through the replacement of specialist species with generalists. Restoration has the potential to counteract these negative effects. Recently, restoration in the peatlands of Northern Europe has started to show positive effects on biodiversity. However, seldom have studies evaluated the response...
Habitat loss and degradation are the main threats to biodiversity worldwide. For example, nearly 80% of peatlands in southern Finland have been drained. There is thus a need to safeguard the remaining pristine mires and to restore degraded ones. Ants play a pivotal role in many ecosystems and like many keystone plant species, shape ecosystem condit...
Seloste artikkelista (summary in Finnish of the article): Punttila, P., Autio, O., Kotiaho, J.S., Kotze, D.J., Loukola, O.J., Noreika, N., Vuori, A., Vepsäläinen, K. (2016).The effects of drainage and restoration of pine mires on habitat structure, vegetation and ants. Silva Fennica 50(2), article id 1462.
Birds host several ectoparasitic fly species with negative effects on nestling health and reproductive output, and with the capability of transmitting avian blood parasites. Information on the abundance and distribution of the ectoparasitic fly genera Ornithomya (Hippoboscidae) and Protocalliphora (Calliphoridae) in northern Europe is still general...
Mire degradation due to drainage for forestry results in the loss of mire specialist species. To halt the loss in biodiversity, ecological restoration is needed and already implemented. However, a major challenge in ecological restoration is whether actions taken have the desired outcome. Key abiotic and biotic conditions for the successful restora...
Pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) are sometimes known to construct their nest on top of a previously constructed tit (Parus spp.) or flycatcher nest, a behaviour dubbed "nest take-over". Here, we tested whether flycatchers truly prefer to "take over" nests instead of choosing unoccupied cavities, and if so, whether the behaviour is due to attra...
Summary information on studies of the relationship between clutch size and nest size in different species of birds.
Nests are structures built to support and protect eggs and/or offspring from predators, parasites, and adverse weather conditions. Nests are mainly constructed prior to egg laying, meaning that parent birds must make decisions about nest site choice and nest building behavior before the start of egg-laying. Parent birds should be selected to choose...
Social information use is a widespread phenomenon across the animal kingdom and it affects
various important aspects of animal behaviour. Animals observe and copy the behaviour of
conspecifics and other species on the same trophic level in their own decision-making, e.g., in
habitat or mate choice. Copying is adaptive only when it is selective. Thu...
Secondary hole nesting birds that do not construct nest holes themselves and hence regularly breed in nest boxes constitute important model systems for field studies in many biological disciplines with hundreds of scientists and amateurs involved. Those research groups are spread over wide geographic areas that experience considerable variation in...
Coevolution between pairs of different kind of entities, such as providers and users of information, involves reciprocal selection pressures between them as a consequence of their ecological interaction. Pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) have been shown to derive fitness benefits (larger clutches) when nesting in proximity to great tits (Parus...
Abstract Social information transmission is important because it enables horizontal spread of behaviors, not only between conspecifics but also between individuals of different species. Because interspecific social information use is expected to take place among species with similar resource needs, it may have major consequences for the emergence o...
According to recent studies on animal personalities, the level of behavioral plasticity, which can be viewed as the slope of the behavioral reaction norm, varies among individuals, populations, and species. Still, it is conceptually unclear how the interaction between environmental variation and variation in animal cognition affect the evolution of...
Animals commonly acquire information about the environment by monitoring how others interact with it. The importance of social information use probably varies among species. In particular, many migratory birds breeding in northern latitudes rely on social information provided by resident tits when making important decisions and are able to copy or...
