DOI: 10.5061/dryad.5tb2rbph3
title: Dynamic visual effects enhance flower conspicuousness but compromise colour perception

description: Dynamic visual effects such as glossiness are taxonomically widespread and
 have evolved repeatedly across the tree of life. Their changeable nature
 poses a challenge for reliable signalling, because for signals to be
 reliable, they should be consistent. Glossy visual effects defy that
 principle, because the bright, directional pulse of light that dominates
 their appearance is highly variable across space and time. Here, we
 investigate how dynamic light reflections influence signal efficacy using
 bumblebees as a model of insect vision and plant-pollinator interactions.
 We show that glossy floral signals occur across Angiosperm lineages.
 Through behavioural experiments with artificial stimuli that mimic the
 spectral and spatial reflectance properties of glossy and matte floral
 surfaces, we demonstrate that glossiness enhances long-range detectability
 but compromises fine-scale colour discrimination at close range.
 Glossiness thus poses an optical property by which organisms can attune
 their visual appearance independent from pigmentary properties,
 representing a functional trade-off between conspicuousness and signal
 reliability.
description: # Dynamic visual effects enhance flower conspicuousness but compromise
 colour perception Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.5tb2rbph3](10.5061/dryad.5tb2rbph3) ## Description of the
 data and file structure Behavioural experiments to test the functional
 significance of surface gloss in visual signalling ### Files and variables
 #### File: raw_data_plot_panel_A.csv **Description:** Innate preference
 tests ##### Variables * Colony_id * Bee_id * Date (Day/Month/Year) *
 Stimulus_colour (b=blue, y=yellow) * Count_matte * Count_glossy *
 Preference (m = matte, g = glossy, none=no preference) #### File:
 raw_data_plot_panel_B.csv **Description:** Learning test blue stimuli
 ##### Variables * Colony_id * Bee_id * Date (Day/Month/Year) *
 Stimulus_colour (b=blue, y=yellow) * Count_matte * Count_glossy *
 Preference (i.e. average based on "count_matte" and
 "count_glossy", m=matte, g=glossy, none=no preference) *
 Individual_training_visit (number depends on trainings required, max = 80
 visits; 0=visit to unrewarding feeder, 1=visit to rewarding feeder). Empty
 cells mean that bees were not tested in that round (i.e. they had reached
 the learning criteria already; see main text). * Test_count_matte (test
 after training bees to non-preferred stimulus) * Test_count_glossy (test
 after training bees to non-preferred stimulus) * non_rew_stim (training
 stimulus used in post-training test) #### File: raw_data_plot_panel_C.csv
 **Description:** Learning test yellow stimuli ##### Variables * Colony_id
 * Bee_id * Date (Day/Month/Year) * Stimulus_colour (b=blue, y=yellow) *
 Count_matte * Count_glossy * Preference (i.e. average based on
 "count_matte" and "count_glossy", m=matte, g=glossy,
 none=no preference) * Individual_training_visit (number depends on
 trainings required, max = 80 visits; 0=visit to unrewarding feeder,
 1=visit to rewarding feeder). Empty cells mean that bees were not tested
 in that round (i.e. they had reached the learning criteria already; see
 main text). * Test_count_matte (test after training bees to non-preferred
 stimulus) * Test_count_glossy (test after training bees to non-preferred
 stimulus) * non_rew_stim (training stimulus used in post-training test) ##
 Code/software Spreadsheet