Nutrients or resin? – The relationship between resin and food foraging in stingless bees

Ecology and Evolution, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 14(2)

Опубликована: Фев. 1, 2024

Stingless bees are important pollinators in tropical forests. Yet, we know little about their foraging behavior (e.g., nutritional requirements or floral sources visited for resource collection). Many stingless not only depend vitally on pollen and nectar food but also resin nest building and/or defense. However, it is unclear whether the large effort devoted to collecting as a non-food by certain affects behavior. Therefore, this study, analyzed differences patterns (i.e., activity, proportion of collected resources, specialization plants visited) composition sucrose amount amino acids pollen) seven different bee species (eleven wild colonies) north-western Ecuador with particular focus role collection. We found that high intake tended be more active than low intake. The foragers per minute invested collection were similar across all species. Sucrose differed between some was affected increased Interestingly, collectors partly Pollen acid profiles largely, completely, overlapped two groups. Our findings show plant choices may vary depending intake, highlighting need research focusing use bees.

Язык: Английский

---

Direct and indirect effects of land use on microbiomes of trap-nesting solitary bee larvae and nests

Frontiers in Microbiology, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 15

Опубликована: Янв. 8, 2025

The global decline in biodiversity and insect populations highlights the urgent need to conserve ecosystem functions, such as plant pollination by solitary bees. Human activities, particularly agricultural intensification, pose significant threats these essential services. Changes land use alter resource nest site availability, pesticide exposure other factors impacting richness, diversity, health of bee species. In this study, we investigated yet another facet currently less well context: Microbial communities associated with wild bees play crucial roles larval development, metabolism, immunity overall health. However, drivers dynamics healthy microbiome are still poorly understood, especially regarding direct indirect effects on diversity composition microbial communities. We examined bacterial offspring materials Megachilid trap-nesting bee, Osmia bicornis, along a gradient intensification 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding. Given that landscape composition, climatic conditions, food resources known influence compositions species, hypothesized changes would available for material collection thereby affecting microbiomes their environments. anticipated reduced altered increased which is decrease number resources, including pool floral soil bacteria surrounding environment. As expected, observed shifts nests across varying degrees intensity, differing management types availability flowers. Shannon (larval pollen provision, enclosure) guts decreased increasing intensity. pupae remained unaffected, indicating reorganization during metamorphosis, not significantly influenced resources. Our findings provide new insights into shaping environmental transmission microbiomes. This understanding comprehending impacts intensive developing strategies mitigate effects.

Язык: Английский

---

Origin of floral resources used by two species of native bees in a livestock agroecological system in Colombia

Palynology, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Янв. 29, 2025

Язык: Английский

---

Unveiling Heterospecific Pollen Deposition in Ranunculus Plants Along a Land‐Use Gradient Through DNA Metabarcoding

Ecology and Evolution, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 15(4)

Опубликована: Март 27, 2025

ABSTRACT Animal pollination, the transfer of pollen by animal agents, is essential for plant reproduction. Methods like microscopy and DNA metabarcoding have been used to investigate transport plant–pollinator interactions. metabarcoding, in particular, a reliable method identify origins mixed samples. Although it has mainly study pollinators' dietary patterns, does not provide insights from plant's perspective, such as type viable received. We aimed explore potential analyse heterospecific plants semi‐natural agricultural landscapes along land‐use intensity gradient. collected stigmas three closely related Ranunculus species ( R. acris , bulbosus repens ) 20 grassland plots Germany with varying intensities flowering diversity subjected them internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) metabarcoding. Our results revealed nonlinear relationship between richness on stigmas. The lowest occurred intermediate richness, whereas low or high showed greater diversity. Reduced found mostly LUI plots, forces pollinators visit multiple thus increases transfer. Plots contrary, likely balanced mix resources pollinators, visiting within foraging round decreasing amount pollen. Increased at high‐richness may result competition pollinator‐rich communities. show that powerful tool assessing diversity, revealing heavily influenced community composition. This approach provides novel into pollinator fidelity pollination outcomes across diverse environments.

Язык: Английский

---

Nutritional landscape of managed honey bee colonies in Mexico

Apidologie, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 56(2)

Опубликована: Апрель 1, 2025

Язык: Английский

---

Urban bumblebees diversify their foraging strategy to maintain nutrient intake

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 292(2047)

Опубликована: Май 1, 2025

Anthropogenic ecosystems can alter individual functions and ecological processes such as resource use species interactions. While variability of morphological traits involved in diet has been observed between urban non-urban populations pollinators, the consequences on dietary pollen-transport patterns remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate breadth rural individuals two bumblebee for nutrient intake pollen transport. We show that bumblebees exhibit a larger than their counterparts, driven by enhanced floral diversity cities. However, found remained similar across ecosystems, indicating bumblebees' foraging strategies be adapted terms to maintain ratios critical nutrients. also distinct individuals, with being more dissimilar ones transported both body leg baskets. Our findings highlight importance considering complementary facets species’ interactions when assessing effects anthropogenic ecosystems.

Язык: Английский

---

A common protocol for reliable comparison of pollen fatty acid profiles: highlighting pitfalls and proposing a methodology for ecological research

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 11

Опубликована: Май 31, 2023

Introduction Pollen is an important tissue in plants that plays a vital role plant reproduction as it carries male gametes and occasionally also serves pollinator reward. There has been increasing interest pollen chemistry due to the impact of chemical variation on choices well-being, especially bees. The fat content lipid-to-protein ratio have shown play crucial regulating intake, some bee species avoid overconsumption fatty acids while specific acid ratios are essential for cognition. Therefore, knowledge composition understanding plant-pollinator interactions. However, existing methods analyses not always acids, non-pollen-derived can easily contaminate samples, making comparison between different impossible. Hence, objectives our study were highlight common mistakes pitfalls made during extraction analysis propose protocol reliable comparisons samples. Methods proposed method, developed two labs using gas chromatograph/mass spectrometers chromatograph/flame ionization detectors, involved manually homogenizing pollen, extracting with chloroform:methanol (2:1), analyzing chromatography (GC) mass spectrometry (MS) flame detector (FID) identification quantification. Results We found many present plastic materials solvents commonly used labs, cautioning against use recommending blank samples determine level contamination. suggest adding internal standard checking MS FID’s saturation limit before starting homogenization. Discussion Our method generated profiles from analyzed we hope blueprint achieving methodology characterizing comparing ecological research.

Язык: Английский

---

Exposure to sublethal concentration of flupyradifurone alters sexual behavior and cuticular hydrocarbon profile in Heriades truncorum, an oligolectic solitary bee

Insect Science, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 31(3), С. 859 - 869

Опубликована: Авг. 21, 2023

Abstract The aboveground oligolectic bee, Heriades truncorum , is a particularly good model for studying the impact of pesticides on sexual communication, since some aspects its mating behavior have previously been described. We tested (1) interference pesticide flupyradifurone male precopulatory and partner preferences, (2) way that interferes in quality assessment by female, (3) effects chemical compounds female cuticle. exposed bees both sexes to sublethal concentration flupyradifurone. Various behaviors were registered arena with two females (one unexposed one exposed) (either or exposed). Unexposed males quicker attempt mate. Treatment also impacted females. Males approached more quickly than insecticide‐exposed ones. Females insecticide produced lower amounts cuticular hydrocarbons (sex pheromone candidates) appeared less choosy Our findings suggest exposure affects playing role preference female.

Язык: Английский

---

Landscape heterogeneity correlates with bee and pollen diversity while size and specialization degree explain species-specific responses of wild bees to the environment

The Science of The Total Environment, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 954, С. 176595 - 176595

Опубликована: Сен. 30, 2024

Язык: Английский

---

Floral resources,energetic value and pesticide residues in provisions collected by Osmia bicornis along a gradient of oilseed rape coverage

Scientific Reports, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 13(1)

Опубликована: Авг. 17, 2023

Abstract Pollinators in agricultural landscapes are facing global decline and the main pressures include food scarcity pesticide usage. Intensive may provide important resources for wild pollinators via mass flowering crops. However, these monofloral, short-term, contain residues. We explored how landscape composition with a different proportion of oilseed rape (6–65%) around Osmia bicornis nests affects floral diversity, contamination pesticides, energetic value provisions collected by this species bees as their offspring. Altogether, pollen from 28 plant taxa (6–15 per nest) were dominated Brassica napus (6.0–54.2%, median 44.4%, 12 nests), Quercus sp. (1.2–19.4%, 5.2%, Ranunculus (0.4–42.7%, 4.7%, Poaceae (1.2–59.9%, 5.8%, 11 nests) Acer (0.6–42%, 18.0%, 8 nests). Residues pesticides found provisions, acetamiprid, azoxystrobin, boscalid, dimethoate being most frequently detected at concentrations up to 1.2, 198.4, 16.9 17.8 ng/g (median 0.3, 10.6, 11.3, 4.4 ng/g), respectively. Floral diversity but not Pesticide Risk Index depended on structure. Moreover, decreased, increased diversity. Thus, even structurally simple diverse O. if nest is located close single resource-diverse patch. Both B. non-crop correlated concentrations.

Язык: Английский

---