True Colours
Colour vision, including constancy and discrimination, has evolved to allow bees to evaluate the true colour of flowers, independently of the “spectrum of illumination” (regardless of whether the flower is viewed in full sunlight or shade) (Wakakuwa et al. 2007; Srinivasan 2010).
Whilst bees share trichromatic vision with humans, the spectrum along which they see is shifted towards the shorter wavelengths (Wakakuwa et al. 2007; Srinivasan 2010) (Fig. 8). This is believed to be optimal for determining natural flower colour (Wakakuwa et al. 2007; Srinivasan 2010). The evolution of UV sensitivity in bee vision can be seen as an essential step for viewing “nectar guides”, which are UV patterns that direct bees to the nectar within the flower.
Whilst bees share trichromatic vision with humans, the spectrum along which they see is shifted towards the shorter wavelengths (Wakakuwa et al. 2007; Srinivasan 2010) (Fig. 8). This is believed to be optimal for determining natural flower colour (Wakakuwa et al. 2007; Srinivasan 2010). The evolution of UV sensitivity in bee vision can be seen as an essential step for viewing “nectar guides”, which are UV patterns that direct bees to the nectar within the flower.