Data for: Examining the role of floral diversity in shaping learning and reproductive success in wild bumble bees

Abstract

This supplementary dataset is integral to our research and provides key data to support the findings of our study. It includes raw associative olfactory and visual learning data collected from 541 wild Bombus terrestris bees from nine locations across New Zealand, as well as olfactory learning data from 40 hand-reared colonies sourced from two locations. This data was used in Experiment 1 to test the hypothesis that wild Bombus terrestris populations from environments with high bee-detectable floral diversity exhibit enhanced learning. In this context, floral diversity is a measurable proxy for stimulus-food variability and was quantified at nine sites by measuring relative variability of odour and colour (key traits available for bees to learn as predictors of floral reward). In Experiment 2, we conducted a reciprocal transplant to test whether the relationship between learning and reproductive success depended on the environment experienced during reproduction and whether colonies showed local adaptation to floral diversity. Date of collection: 2019-2022 Contributors: Brian Cutting, Mateusz Jochym, Lara Mills, Tamatea Nathan, James Sainsbury: Bioeconomy Science Institute, Ruakura Research Centre 3241, New Zealand Flore Mas, Lee-Anne Manning, Sam Brierley: Bioeconomy Science Institute, Lincoln 7608, New Zealand Jenny Jandt, Simon Lamb, Jake Tully, Paul Szyszka, Kath Dickinson: University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand Felicity Muth: University of California, Davis CA 95616, USA Nigel Raine: University of Guelph, Guelph ON N1G 2W1, Canada Lisa Evans (Corresponding Author): Bioeconomy Science Institute, Ruakura Research Centre 3241, New Zealand