Illusional Perspective across Humans and Bees

Abstract

For two centuries, visual illusions have attracted the attention of neurobiologists and comparative 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 circuits involved in the susceptibility of visual illusions. However, the comprehension of such mechanisms is still a matter of debate. Despite their different neural architectures, recent studies have shown that some arthropods, primarily Hymenoptera and Diptera, experience illusions similar to those humans do, suggesting that perceptual mechanisms are evolutionarily conserved among species. Here, we review the current state of illusory perception in bees. First, we introduce bees' visual system and speculate which areas might make them susceptible to illusory scenes. Second, we review the current state of knowledge on misperception in bees (Apidae), focusing on the visual stimuli used in the literature. Finally, we discuss important aspects to be considered before claiming that a species shows higher cognitive ability while equally supporting alternative hypotheses. This growing evidence provides insights into the evolutionary origin of visual mechanisms across species.

Keywords: bees; invertebrates; visual illusion; visual perception.

Figure 1

A simplified diagram of the neuroarchitecture of a bee’s brain. The sensory information captured from the compound eye is processed in the optic lobe (OL), which is comprised of the lamina (La), medulla (Me), and lobula (Lo). Two pathways (dark line) can be outlined from the posterior part of the Lo, which project axons to the mushroom body (MB) and to the central complex (CC). The lateral protocerebrum (LP) is involved in the integration of information from several areas in the bee’s brain, including visual information from the CC (purple line) and olfactory information previously processed from the antenna lobes (LB) and MB (blue line). The scheme was created with BioRender.com (accessed on 20 April 2022).