Switching perspective: Comparing ground-level and bird's-eye views for bumblebees navigating dense environments

Abstract

Animals navigating in three dimensions encounter different perspectives of their world, often transitioning from birds eye views at higher altitudes to ground views closer to the ground. How they integrate this information to pinpoint a goal location is virtually unknown. Here we tested the ability of bumblebees to use both types of views when homing in a dense environment in the vicinity of their inconspicuous nest entrance. Our combined modelling and experimental approach examined various views for localising a goal in dense settings. Whereas, birds-eye views performed best in simulations of current nest-centered snapshot homing models, behavioural experiments revealed that bumblebees predominantly relied on ground views when pinpointing nest entrances in dense environments. These findings reveal the limitations of snapshot-homing models and suggest that bumblebees use a combination of navigational tools to successfully find their way home in dense environments. This is not only relevant for understanding bee navigation, but also for other animals and humans navigating in 3D as well as the development of technologies inspired by natural systems, such as autonomous flying robots.