Search

Societal Impact Statement: The family Orchidaceae is renowned for its reliance on specialized pollinators and mycorrhizal symbioses. This study examined how the nonphotosynthetic orchid Gastrodia elata thrives on the dim forest floor, focusing on its pollination biology, particularly the chemical properties of pseudopollen and reproductive assurance mechanisms. It was found that G. elata mainly relies on Lasioglossum bees, attracted by its starch‐rich pseudopollen. Additionally, G. elata in the studied population can produce fruit through agamospermy (seeds from unfertilized ovules). Overall, the findings reveal that G. elata relies on fungi for nutrition and employs reproductive strategies such as mimicking pollen to attract bees and resorting to asexual reproduction when pollinators are scarce. Summary: Mycoheterotrophy is an adaptation that allows survival in environments with low irradiance and minimal competition from autotrophic plants. However, such environments can negatively impact bee pollination, as most bees prefer open habitats. Despite this, the mycoheterotrophic orchid Gastrodia elata is known to rely on Lasioglossum bees for pollination.We investigated the reproductive biology of G. elata to understand how it overcomes pollinator limitation. Our research focused on the chemical composition and anatomical basis of G. elata pseudopollen (a substance that mimics pollen and may facilitate pollination), based on micromorphological and nutritional analyses, as well as observations of pollinator behavior. Additionally, we explored the potential presence of autogamy or agamospermy as mechanisms for reproductive assurance.The pseudopollen in G. elata originates from the disintegration of the adaxial parenchymatous tissue of the callus and is rich in starch. This contrasts with pseudopollen in most orchids, which typically originates from lip hairs and whose potential attractant is protein. Lasioglossum bees pollinating G. elata visit multiple flowers and actively collect pseudopollen. Furthermore, agamospermy serves as a reproductive safeguard in shaded habitats where insect‐mediated pollination is infrequent, at least in the investigated population.Our findings suggest that Gastrodia elata pseudopollen plays an important role in enhancing insect‐mediated pollination, particularly in relatively open habitats, while agamospermy ensures fruit set in shaded environments of the investigated population. Both pseudopollen production and agamospermy likely help overcome the pollination constraints posed by the mycoheterotrophic lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predation exerts a profound influence on the evolution of camouflage and detection abilities in both predators and prey. For instance, flower‐visiting spiders need to ensure their concealment when ambushing on flowers, which compels pollinators to check any spider cues cautiously before landing. Although numerous studies have examined the visual camouflage of spiders deceiving bees, little is known regarding whether spiders also employ olfactory camouflage. Additionally, the detection of spiders by dipteran insects is often overlooked, despite them being major non‐bee pollinators. Here, we explored the detection ability of dipteran pollinators and the crypsis skill of spiders from both olfactory and vision perspectives using the housefly Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) as prey, the crab spider Ebrechtella tricuspidata (Fabricius) (Araneae: Thomisidae) as predators and chamomile Matricaria recutita L. (Asteraceae) as substrates. Our olfactory experiments revealed that experienced houseflies could respond to and avoid spider odour. However, this response did not appear to be innate, as naive individuals showed no aversion. Moreover, experienced houseflies did not have any avoidance behaviours to the mixed odours of spider and flower, indicating that spiders achieved olfactory crypsis utilizing floral scent. Our vision experiments and visual modelling demonstrated that houseflies could detect spiders positioned on flower. Surprisingly, instead of avoiding them, houseflies exhibited a preference for flowers occupied by female spiders, suggesting the attractive nature of female spider colouration. This paper provides evidence for the first time that crab spiders use floral scent to achieve olfactory crypsis and proposes a potential yellow‐signalling mechanism for crab spiders to attract insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mauritius raspberry (Rubus rosifolius) is an exotic plant cultivated in Indonesia. Studies showed that the productivity of exotic plants is reducing due to a lack of pollination agent for their origin region. Several methods could be applied to overcome this problem. The study aimed to find the most effective method for pollinating this plant among four pollination regimes: Self-pollination, wild insects, stingless bees (Tetragonula laeviceps), and hand-pollination. The observation was conducted on the insect pollinators' activities (visitation rate, flower constancy, and flower handling time), pollination efficiency, and quality of the fruits produced (fruit volume). The results showed a higher visitation rate (10 to 70 per hour), higher flower constancy (visited from 07.00 to 16.00), and longer flower handling time (13.6 s) of T. laeviceps on raspberry flowers than other insects. High activities related to better raspberry pollination success (96%) and bigger fruits produced. Based on this study, applying stingless bees as pollination agents for exotic plants was the best and potentially applicable to other exotic crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prairies of Canada support a diversity of insect pollinators that contribute pollination services to flowering crops and wild plants. Habitat loss and use of managed pollinators has increased conservation concerns for wild pollinators, as mounting evidence suggests that honey bees (Apis mellifera) may reduce their diversity and abundance. Plant-pollinator community analyses often omit non-bee pollinators, which can be valuable contributors to pollination services. Here, we experimentally introduced honey bees to examine how their abundance affects the species richness, diversity, abundance, species composition, interaction richness, and interaction diversity of all wild pollinators, and of four higher taxa separately. We identified all insect pollinators and analyzed how honey bee abundance affected the above biodiversity metrics, controlling for flower abundance and flower species richness. Even with high honey bee densities, there was no change to any of these variables, except that beetle species diversity increased. All other taxa had no significant relationship to honey bee abundance. Considering the widespread use of managed honey bees, the effect they have on wild pollinators should be firmly established. Our results suggest that honey bees have little to no short-term impact on the wild pollinator community or its interactions with plants in this native grassland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise Methods Results Conclusions Volatile emissions from flowers and fruits play a key role in signalling to animals responsible for pollination and seed dispersal. Here, we investigated the pollination biology and chemical ecology of reproduction in Apodolirion buchananii, an African amaryllid that flowers in a leafless state soon after grassland vegetation is burnt in the dry late‐winter season.Pollinators were identified through field collection and pollen loads were quantified. Floral traits including spectral reflectance and scent chemistry were documented. Bioassays using cup traps were used to test the function of floral volatiles. Fruiting biology was investigated using controlled hand‐pollination experiments and chemical analysis of fruit scent. Seed germination was scored in greenhouse trials. Seed dispersal was monitored using observations and camera trapping.The sweetly scented white flowers of A. buchananii are pollen‐rewarding and pollinated mainly by a diverse assemblage of bees. Cup‐trap experiments demonstrated that pollinators are attracted to phenylacetaldehyde, the dominant volatile in the floral scent. Plants are shown to be self‐incompatible, and the fleshy fruits were found to emerge from the soil six months after pollination during the peak of the summer rains. Fruits emit a diverse blend of aliphatic and aromatic esters and contain large fleshy recalcitrant seeds which germinate within days of fruits splitting open. Seed dispersal by ants was recorded.This first account of the reproductive biology of a species in the genus Apodolirion highlights an outcrossing mating system involving bees attracted to color and scent as well as the unusual fruiting biology and ant‐mediated system of seed dispersal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercially cultivated Prunus species are commonly grown in adjacent or mixed orchards and can be infected with unique or commonly shared viruses. Apple (Malus domestica), another member of the Rosacea and distantly related to Prunus, can share the same growing regions and common pathogens. Pollen can be a major route for virus transmission, and analysis of the pollen virome in tree fruit orchards can provide insights into these virus pathogen complexes from mixed production sites. Commercial honey bee (Apis mellifera) pollination is essential for improved fruit sets and yields in tree fruit production systems. To better understand the pollen-associated virome in tree fruits, metagenomics-based detection of plant viruses was employed on bee and pollen samples collected at four time points during the peak bloom period of apricot, cherry, peach, and apple trees at one orchard site. Twenty-one unique viruses were detected in samples collected during tree fruit blooms, including prune dwarf virus (PDV) and prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) (Genus Ilarvirus, family Bromoviridae), Secoviridae family members tomato ringspot virus (genus Nepovirus), tobacco ringspot virus (genus Nepovirus), prunus virus F (genus Fabavirus), and Betaflexiviridae family member cherry virus A (CVA; genus Capillovirus). Viruses were also identified in composite leaf and flower samples to compare the pollen virome with the virome associated with vegetative tissues. At all four time points, a greater diversity of viruses was detected in the bee and pollen samples. Finally, the nucleotide sequence diversity of the coat protein regions of CVA, PDV, and PNRSV was profiled from this site, demonstrating a wide range of sequence diversity in pollen samples from this site. These results demonstrate the benefits of area-wide monitoring through bee pollination activities and provide new insights into the diversity of viruses in tree fruit pollination ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The patterns and drivers of pollen transport on insect bodies can have important consequences for plant reproductive success and floral evolution; however, they remain little studied. Recently, pollinator bodies have been further described as pollen competitive arenas, where pollen grains can compete for space, with implications for the evolution of pollen dispersal strategies and plant community assembly. However, the identity, strength, and diversity of pollen competitive interactions and how they vary across pollinator functional groups is not known. Evaluating patterns and drivers of the pollen co‐transport landscape and how these vary across different pollinator groups is central to further our understanding of floral evolution and co‐flowering community assembly.Here, we integrate information on the number and identity of pollen grains on individual insect pollen loads with network analyses to uncover novel pollen co‐transport networks and how these vary across pollinator functional groups (bees and bee flies). We further evaluate differences in pollen load size, species composition, diversity and phylogenetic diversity among insect groups and how these relate to body size and gender.Pollen co‐transport networks were diverse and highly modular in bees, with groups of pollen species interacting more often with each other on insect bodies. However, the number, identity and frequency of competitors that pollen grains encounter on insect bodies vary between some pollinator functional groups. Other aspects of pollen loads such as their size, richness and phylogenetical diversity were shaped by bee size or gender, with females carrying larger but less phylogenetically diverse pollen loads than males.Synthesis. Our results show that the number, identity and phylogenetic relatedness of pollen competitors changes as pollen grains travel on the body of different pollinators. As a result, pollinator groups impose vastly different interaction landscapes during pollen transport, with so far unknown consequences for plant reproductive success, floral evolution and community assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how landscape structure and riparian vegetation impact bee diversity is important for maintaining pollination service in urban areas. We explored spatial and temporal variation of bee communities across land use types in a riparian zone of a mountainous megacity in 2018 and 2022, examined whether riparian vegetation functions as corridors that maintain gene flow of bee populations, and mapped pollination supply at the landscape scale.Pielou index was higher in 2018 than in 2022, while no significant differences in abundance, Shannon and richness index were observed. The abundance of bees and the Shannon index were significantly and positively correlated with the abundance of flowers on grassland and forested land, respectively, while both were negatively correlated with the area of the building.The genetic differentiation of the bee communities in the riparian zone was lower than those outside, indicating the function of the riparian vegetation corridor. The pollination supply varied significantly between regions, with medium to high degree of pollination supply distributed primarily in residual habitats and the surrounding urban green spaces, while low degree in the remaining areas.Our results stress the importance of maintaining the continuity of vegetation in riparian zones and increasing flower abundance, especially native plant species, for the conservation of bees in urban areas. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the number of humans living in cities has grown, interest in the value of community gardens to provide agricultural products has increased. However, neighborhoods with different land cover patterns and socioeconomic characteristics often differ in their ecological attributes, leading to potential differences in biodiversity-mediated ecosystem services (e.g., pollination and pest control). Here we ask, how do impervious surface and socioeconomic features of the urban matrix around community gardens impact arthropod biodiversity and pollination and pest control services? We collected arthropods (insects, arachnids, myriapods, and isopods) across community gardens in Boulder Co., CO, and used experimental jalapeño pepper plants as a sentinel crop to measure herbivory damage and pollination services. We categorized arthropods into functional guilds to see how impervious surface and neighborhood wealth in the urban matrix surrounding a site impacts the abundance of three focal groups – pollinators, herbivorous pests, and predators. We also looked at how bee Hill-Simpson diversity responded to these variables. Through structural equation modeling, we found that fruit size increased as bee biodiversity increased, and bee biodiversity and overall pollinator abundance were negatively related to neighborhood wealth. Additionally, pollinator abundance was lower in gardens surrounded by higher amounts of impervious surfaces. Neighborhood wealth and impervious surfaces were positively correlated with herbivore and predator abundances, but these abundances had no relationship with herbivory damage in our plants. This research shows that reducing the amounts of impervious surface in the urban matrix can help increase bee biodiversity and abundance and improve pollination services in urban community gardens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic disturbances have drastic negative effects on the biodiversity, thereby also compromising the ecosystem service it provides. Bees are one of the key players since they provide essential pollination services for both natural and agriculture ecosystems. Nevertheless, these insects are facing an increasing threat due to expansion of urban areas and inappropriate land use practices. Therefore, understanding the impact of different anthropogenic disturbances on bee communities is essential to assure the ecosystem functioning and human well-being. In this study, we made use of a well-known bee group, i.e., euglossine bees (Euglossine: Apidae), and of a fast-growing city to investigate the impact of anthropogenic disturbance on bee community. Using scent traps, we monthly collected male euglossine bees in seven sampling areas, differing in terms of the anthropogenic use/disturbance. Land use in each area was characterized through pre-georeferenced images and mapping software and from these data we calculated an Anthropogenic Transformation Index. Our results reveal that anthropogenic disturbance negatively impacts the euglossine bee community, in contrast to the positive effect of the proximity to the river. However, and perhaps the most alarming aspect of our findings, is the interaction effect between these two conditions, demonstrating that as we approach the river, parameters such as abundance, species richness, and diversity of these bee communities become more compromised by disturbance. Our study shows the urgent need to implement effective conservation strategies and sustainable management practices to protect and restore riparian forests in Caatinga urban areas, aiming to safeguard its associated biota and the valuable ecosystem services they provide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In agricultural landscapes, solitary bees occur in a large diversity of species and are important for crop and wildflower pollination. They are distinguished from honey bees and bumble bees by their solitary lifestyle as well as different nesting strategies, phenologies, and floral preferences. Their ecological traits and presence in agricultural landscapes imply potential exposure to pesticides and suggest a need to conduct ecological risk assessments for solitary bees. However, assessing risks to the large diversity of managed and wild bees across landscapes and regions poses a formidable challenge. Population models provide tools to estimate potential population‐level effects of pesticide exposures, can support field study design and interpretation, and can be applied to expand study data to untested conditions. We present a population model for solitary bees, SolBeePopecotox, developed for use in the context of ecological risk assessments. The trait‐based model extends a previous version with the explicit representation of exposures to pesticides from relevant routes. Effects are implemented in the model using a simplified toxicokinetic–toxicodynamic model, BeeGUTS (GUTS = generalized unified threshold model for survival), adapted specifically for bees. We evaluated the model with data from semifield studies conducted with the red mason bee, Osmia bicornis, in which bees were foraging in tunnels over control and insecticide‐treated oilseed rape fields. We extended the simulations to capture hypothetical semifield studies with two soil‐nesting species, Nomia melanderi and Eucera pruinosa, which are difficult to test in empirical studies. The model provides a versatile tool for higher‐tier risk assessments, for instance, to estimate effects of potential exposures, expanding available study data to untested species, environmental conditions, or exposure scenarios. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;00:1–17. © 2024 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollination services are crucial for maintaining ecological stability and ensuring food security for humans. Managed honey bees, which are economically valuable and are experiencing population growth due to the increasing demand for their products, play a significant role in pollination. To produce high-quality honey, beekeepers often choose natural high meadows, characterized by high plant species richness, for their apiaries. This practice, in turn, may contribute to the pollination of native plants, as managed honey bees are likely to forage on diverse floral resources within these meadows In this study, we investigated the nutritional position of managed bees in the pollination of native plants in Iran using the melissopalynology method to determine the extent of their contribution to the pollination of native plants. Ninety-four honey samples were collected from beekeepers located in the natural pastures of two biodiversity hotspots in Iran (Zagros and Alborz). Then, plant pollens were extracted from the honey and photographed by scanning electron microscopy. In the next step, plant species were identified, and their abundance was calculated. The results showed that managed bees visited 54 plant genera, seven of which were non-native plants. Additionally, more plant species and the highest abundance of pollen were observed at altitudes ranging from 1000 to 3000 m. Therefore, beekeepers set up their hives in this altitude range to obtain high-quality honey. In general, in this study, the results of melissopalynological analysis, involving the identification of plant genera and pollen counts, revealed that managed honey bees likely contributed less than 3% to the pollination of native plant species in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public lands, managed for multiple uses such as logging, mining, grazing, and recreation, also support vital environmental services like wild bee pollination. A trending decline in wild bees has heightened interest in documenting these key pollinators in their native habitats. Accurate assessment of pollinator community diversity is crucial for population monitoring and informing land management practices. In this study, we evaluate the efficiency of Malaise traps and pan traps in sampling wild bees over three growing seasons in subalpine meadow communities in central Utah. Sixteen trapping sites were established, each with a Malaise trap and an array of blue, white, and yellow pan traps, nine at each site. Weekly collections were made through summer months and a comparison of their effectiveness in capturing bee abundance and species richness was made. Malaise traps captured significantly greater abundance of bees on average, though this was species-dependent. Malaise traps were especially effective at capturing Bombus spp. and larger species. Pan traps were generally more effective with smaller species such as Hylaeus spp. White pan traps outperformed yellow and blue pan traps in terms of abundance and only yellow pan traps in terms of richness. Both methods contributed unique species to the overall collection effort, suggesting that a combination of trapping methods provides a more comprehensive understanding of bee communities. Species accumulation curves indicate that species existing within the community went unencountered in our samples and that more time or perhaps additional methods could aid in best describing the entire community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nectar-foraging bees change their use of floral resources as plant species appear in the environment and disappear over their lifetimes. The new flowers used may involve different cues and different nectar extraction tactics. Although bumble bees can adapt to changes in floral cues and required tactics, little is known about whether bees prioritize switching tactics or floral cues when deciding which plant species to switch to. In a laboratory assay, we forced common eastern bumble bee, Bombus impatiens , workers either to switch the handling tactic they were using or to continue using the tactic but to switch the colour of artificial flowers foraged on. We examined whether bees' tendency to change their tactics was influenced by how similar in colour novel flowers were to familiar ones. We conducted a 2 × 2 factorial experiment using artificial flowers, manipulating the handling tactic that bees were initially trained to use (legitimate visit or nectar robbing) and the similarity between novel and trained colours (similar or distinct). We found that under most conditions bees preferred to switch flower colours and retain handling tactics. However, when given experience with legitimate visits and when novel flowers were markedly different in colour from those they had experienced previously, bees tended to switch tactics while continuing to forage on flowers of the same colour. These findings suggest that the similarity in colour of a new floral resource to the currently exploited resource and the flower-handling tactic used by bees both play an important role in decision making by foraging bumble bees. • We examined bumble bees' switching decisions to novel types of flowers. • Bees were trained to legitimately visit or rob blue flowers to obtain reward. • Novel (dark blue or yellow) flower rewards required the trained tactic. • Bees switched to dark blue flowers using the trained tactic. • Bees switched to robbing blue flowers when the novel flower was yellow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mason bees (Osmia. spp) can provide an alternative for crop pollination management in addition to the Western honeybees (Apis mellifera). Targeted evidence‐based guidelines can improve cost‐effective management of mason bees. Here, I test the effect of an attractant spray developed in the United States for improving the nesting preference for artificial trap nests of mason bees in Belgium. More specifically, this study investigates the effect of the attractant spray on the nesting preference and nesting performance of the European orchard bee (Osmia cornuta), as well as its effect on the infestation of nest‐associated macroparasites. The number of sealed nesting cavities was twice as high in the trap nests that were treated with the attractant spray. Nesting performance expressed as number of brood cells per cavity, successful cocoon formation, adult emergence, proportion of female bees in the offspring and the number of dead larvae was not different between the treated and the untreated nests. Overall infestation of macroparasites, and infestation of drosophilid flies in particular, were both twice as high in untreated nests. This study provides evidence that the attractant spray improves nesting preference and reduces macroparasite infestation in O. cornuta. The use of this attractant can provide growers and stakeholders with an effective management strategy to prevent infestation by macroparasites and promote efficient bee breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban areas can be both detrimental for pollinators or function as suitable habitats, depending on the land-use type, the urban context and the pollinator group in focus. Urban green spaces, including gardens, parks or cemeteries can provide essential resources for a wide range of pollinator groups, like wild bees, hoverflies and beetles. Urban community gardens can be particularly structurally complex and harbour a diverse range of nesting and food resources for pollinators. However, we know little about how garden features may vary with the urban context of gardens and which specific garden features can increase the abundance of pollinators in general and of different pollinator groups. Over two summer seasons, we recorded garden features and pollinators using flower observations in 33 urban community gardens in Munich and Berlin, Germany. We examined how garden features differ amongst urban community gardens from three urbanisation categories, and analysed the effects of garden features such as floral and nesting resources and landscape imperviousness (as indicator of urbanisation) on pollinator abundance, richness and diversity. In more urbanised gardens, flower richness and bare substrate were less prevalent. Flower richness was positively correlated with overall pollinator abundance, richness and diversity as well as with the abundances of all pollinator taxa excluding beetles. Landscape imperviousness was negatively correlated with hoverfly and beetle abundances. Hoverflies also decreased with increasing bare substrate and wasp abundance decreased with increasing deadwood availability. Our findings highlight the important role of flower richness for insect conservation in urban management and show that pollinator taxa react differently to garden features and urbanisation. To support pollinating insects, gardeners can increase flower richness, especially in highly urbanised areas. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The field cultivation of oil tree peony experienced a "medium" pollination deficit. • Excluding pollinator pollination reduced the yield of oil tree peony by 44.24%, and oil tree peony showed a high dependence on bumblebee pollination. • Supplemental bumblebee pollination increased the seed yield of oil tree peony by 82.87% and the oil yield by 10.21%, which reduced the degree of pollination defects to a lower level. • Pollination by bumblebees ensures the stability of yield and quality of oil tree peony over time. Oil tree peony is a unique woody oil crop found exclusively in China. Its seed oil is a highly nutritious edible vegetable oil. However, its seed production varies greatly and is often low. Oil tree peony is a plant that relies on insects for pollination, but inadequate pollination is a common occurrence. In this study, we focused on the Paeonia ostii 'Fengdan' species and conducted a five-year study (from 2017 to 2022) in Luoyang, China. Our objective was to assess the extent of pollination deficiency and dependence, as well as quantify the contribution of supplemented bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) to the yield of oil tree peony. We also examined the effect of supplemented bumblebees on the temporal variation in yield through various pollinator survey designs, including supplemented bumblebees (BP), open pollination (OP), pollinator exclusion (EP), self-pollination treatments (SP), and artificial cross-pollination (CP). The results revealed a medium pollination deficit (D = 0.50) at the study sites for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022, indicating limited pollination for oil tree peony under natural conditions. Importantly, BP significantly compensated for this deficiency (D = 0.22). Over the course of five years, BP increased the yield of oil tree peony by 82.87% on average compared to EP. Furthermore, the yield variation coefficient of EP (CVt=0.20) increased by 100% compared to BP (CVt=0.10). And we also observed significant variability in other yield parameters. Additionally, oil tree peony production was reduced by 44.24% in the absence of flower visitors, and the dependence on BP reached a "high" level. The fatty acid content in the seed oil did not show significant differences across treatments, indicating its stability. Overall, our pollination practices demonstrate that supplementing bee pollination can provide sufficient and stable pollination services, resulting in a higher and more stable yield of oil tree peony seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since beekeeping is directly dependent on land-use patterns, beekeeping is much more affected by land-use changes than other sectors. As land-use changes have accelerated over the past decade, beekeeping is becoming more vulnerable and the need to monitor the response of the honey bee colonies to land-use changes is more important than ever. In this study, land-use changes were identified and future projections were made to determine whether the study area will provide new opportunities for beekeeping or whether valuable land will be irretrievably destroyed. One of the main objectives of this study is to show the future trends of the Turkish apicultural sector and its response to land-use changes along with changes in agriculture, forests, urban and natural plant areas in 2025, 2040 and 2050. The results show that by 2050, a total of 2840 km2 of fruit tree, 883.2 km2 of agricultural area will increase, and 1481.4 km2 of forest area will be lost. Since the largest expansion is expected in fruit trees (citrus in the study area), land-use changes were assessed by analyzing honey statistics for citrus and the contribution of honey bees to citrus pollination to verify the reliability of the predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect pollinators and flowering plants have a long‐standing, coevolutionary, mutualistic relationship. One such example is the litchi tree (Litchi chinensis Sonn.), a fruit crop that relies on insect pollination. Litchi flowers are hermaphroditic, but they cannot self‐pollinate due to self‐sterility, unlike self‐pollinating plants. Therefore, insect pollinators are crucial to successful fruit development. To understand the pollinator's foraging behaviour and diversity associated with litchi under hot and subhumid conditions, the present study was conducted on the Shahi variety of litchi at the ICAR‐Research Complex for Eastern Region, Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau, Ranchi (Jharkhand), India. During the flowering period, a total of 19 species of insect pollinators from the orders Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, and Coleoptera were observed visiting litchi inflorescences. Apis mellifera and Apis dorsata were the most dominant pollinator species. Each species displayed distinct characteristics in terms of abundance and diversity. Varied foraging speeds (stay times) were also noted, with A. dorsata (6.94 s) being the fastest and Musca domestica (2.88 s) being the slowest. Pollinator activity was highest in the eastern direction, between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Apis florea had the highest foraging rate (visitation rate) (14.02 flowers visited per minute), followed by Apis mellifera, while Episyrphus taeniops​ had the lowest. Apis species were identified as the most abundant and frequent visitors in litchi orchards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Specialised plant pollination systems can suffer reduced fertility if they receive insufficient pollinator service. • The Cape endemic Cyanella alba possess specialised floral adaptations – mirror-image flowers and dimorphic anthers – usually associated with buzz pollination by bees. • Experimental pollinations demonstrated that plants possess ovarian self-incompatibility and depend on pollinators for cross-pollination. • Chronic pollen limitation of seed set owing to the near absence of visitation by buzz pollinating bees was evident in several natural populations. • Land use and climate change may explain the paucity of buzz pollination with implications for ecology and evolution of plant populations. Plants with specialised pollination systems may be susceptible to reduced fertility if they are incapable of autonomous self-pollination and are visited infrequently by pollinators capable of promoting effective cross-pollination. Here, we investigate this question by examining the reproductive ecology of the Cape endemic Cyanella alba subsp. flavescens (Tecophilaeaceae), which has mirror-image flowers (enantiostyly) and dimorphic anthers (heteranthery). These traits are usually associated with buzz pollination mediated by bees that extract pollen from the poricidal anthers of flowers through vibration. We quantified insect visitation to flowers in three populations over two years in the vicinity of the Biedouw Valley, Western Cape, South Africa to determine whether plants were visited by buzz-pollinating bees. We also recorded visits by pollinators to other co-flowering species at each site and constructed a network on insect visitation. We conducted controlled hand pollinations and bagging experiments to determine whether plants were self-compatible and capable of autonomous self-pollination, and compared natural levels of fruit and seed set with those obtained from hand cross-pollination to evaluate evidence for pollen limitation of seed fertility. Despite 74 h of field observations, only two actively buzz-pollinating bees were recorded visiting flowers, although they were observed visiting other species in the community. The most frequent visitors to C. alba were opportunistic pollen-consuming beetles although we obtained no direct evidence that they were effective in promoting cross-pollination. Plants in each population exhibited chronic pollen limitation of seed set. Controlled pollinations demonstrated that plants were moderately self-sterile and incapable of autonomous self-pollination. Although fruit set was high following self-pollination, few seeds were evident within developing fruit. Observations of pollen-tube growth following controlled hand self- and cross-pollination revealed abundant pollen tubes at the base of styles in both treatments. Thus, self-sterility in C. alba probably results from late-acting ovarian self-incompatibility, and possibly also the abortion of developing seed due to inbreeding depression. We discuss the possible causes of scarce buzz pollination in C. alba and consider its ecological and evolutionary consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Working in lowbush blueberry fields, we studied how to provide a holistic measure of pesticide exposure to bees. Several different taxa of bees can be involved in blueberry pollination, including honey bees, bumble bees (which are native), and other native bees, such as mason, mining, and leafcutter bees. Using chemical analysis, we compared and contrasted samples from different sources to (1) measure pesticide exposure and (2) predict exposure risk in light of established levels of concern established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We trapped honey bee pollen as foragers entered the hive and, within the three years of the study, found considerable similarity of these samples to treated flowers; the measures were the number and concentration of pesticide residues, as well as the predicted level of risk. We found differences among two or three of these measures when comparing trapped honey bee pollen and trapped mason bee pollen, as well as between trapped honey bee pollen and whole bodies of captured honey bees. In these comparisons, the number of residues detected in honey bee pollen was typically greater, as was the estimated risk. The residues found when comparing whole body analysis of honey bee workers, bumble bee queens, and other native bees showed similarity in total residue concentrations and risk, but there was a higher number of different residues detected on honey bees. This research complements another study (Part I) focused on honey bee pollen trapping in lowbush blueberry and cranberry. Both studies provide a toxicological baseline for pesticide residue exposure to pollinators in the lowbush blueberry agroecosystem. In lowbush blueberry fields, we conducted residue analysis comparing flowers, trapped pollen (honey bee and Osmia spp.), and collected bees (honey bee workers, bumble bee queens, and non-Bombus spp. wild native bees). The study was conducted from 2012 to 2014. The number of pesticide residues, total concentrations, and risk to honey bees (Risk Quotient) on flowers were not significantly different from those determined for trapped honey bee pollen (except in one study year when residues detected in flower samples were significantly lower than residue numbers detected in trapped pollen). The compositions of residues were similar on flowers and trapped pollen. The number of residues detected in honey bee pollen was significantly greater than the number detected in Osmia spp. pollen, while the total concentration of residue was not different between the two types of pollen. The risk to honey bees was higher in trapped honey bee pollen than in trapped Osmia spp. pollen. The analysis of honey bee workers, native bumble bee queens, and native solitary bees showed that although more pesticide residues were detected on honey bee workers, there were no differences among the bee taxa in total residue concentrations or risk (as estimated in terms of risk to honey bees). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Monitoring pollinator populations is crucial for understanding biodiversity trends and ensuring the health of ecosystems, especially in agricultural landscapes. This study introduces the "Knautia Pollinator Walk" as a new method for tracking pollinator diversity and abundance. By observing pollinators visiting the inflorescence of Knautia arvensis, we found significant correlations between pollinators and land use, and there were significant differences in pollinator communities between regions. Our findings highlight the importance of habitat type in influencing pollinator populations, offering a valuable tool for conservation efforts. Declining populations of native pollinators, especially wild bees, underline the urgent need for effective monitoring within agricultural ecosystems. This study aims to (i) establish the 'Knautia Pollinator Walk' as an innovative pollinator monitoring method, (ii) examine the link between pollinator richness/density and land cover, and (iii) assess if specialist solitary bees indicate pollinator abundance and morphogroup richness. The approach involves surveying 500 Knautia arvensis inflorescences per site thrice per season. Observations of 11,567 pollinators across 203 taxa showed significant correlations between pollinator diversity and land use. Pollinator populations fluctuated with land cover type, increasing in open areas but decreasing or stabilising in forested and shrubby regions. Noteworthy differences in pollinator types were seen between Russia (solitary bees, small Diptera, Lepidoptera) and Sweden (bumblebees, beetles, furry Diptera). The "Knautia Pollinator Walk" shows promising signs of being an effective tool for monitoring spatiotemporal biodiversity trends. The method offers a scalable approach to pollinator monitoring, which is essential for developing conservation strategies and supporting pollinator populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Efforts to understand how pollinating insect diversity is distributed across large geographic areas are rare despite the importance of such work for conserving regional diversity. We sought to relate the diversity of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea), hover flies (Diptera: Syrphidae), and butterflies (Lepidoptera) to ecoregion, landscape context, canopy openness, and forest composition across southeastern U.S. forests. Location: Nineteen experimental forests across nine states in the southeastern U.S. Methods: We established 5–7 plots on each experimental forest. In each, we sampled pollinators monthly (March–September) using coloured pan traps, and collected data on local forest characteristics. We used the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) to quantify surrounding landcover at different spatial scales. Results: Bee richness was negatively correlated with both the amount of conifer (pine) forest and the extent of wetlands in the surrounding landscape but was positively correlated with canopy openness. Hover flies and butterflies were less sensitive to landscape context and stand conditions. Pollinator communities differed considerably among ecoregions, with those of the Central Appalachian and Coastal Plain ecoregions being particularly distinct. Bee richness and abundance peaked 2 months earlier in Central Appalachia than in the Coastal Plain and Southeastern Mixed Forest ecoregions. Main Conclusions: Our findings reveal ecoregional differences in pollinator communities across the southeastern U.S. and highlight the importance of landscape context and local forest conditions to this diverse fauna. The closed broadleaf forests of Appalachia and the open conifer‐dominated forests of the Coastal Plain support particularly distinct pollinator communities with contrasting seasonality. Our results suggest pine forests may reduce pollinator diversity in regions historically dominated by broadleaf forests. However, efforts to create more open canopies can help improve conditions for pollinators in planted pine forests. Research exploring associations between forest pollinators and different broadleaf tree taxa is needed to better anticipate the impacts of various management activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen collected by pollinators can be used as a marker of the foraging behavior as well as indicate the botanical species present in each environment. Pollen intake is essential for pollinators' health and survival. During the foraging activity, some pollinators, such as honeybees, manipulate the collected pollen mixing it with salivary secretions and nectar (corbicular pollen) changing the pollen chemical profile. Different tools have been developed for the identification of the botanical origin of pollen, based on microscopy, spectrometry, or molecular markers. However, up to date, corbicular pollen has never been investigated. In our work, corbicular pollen from 5 regions with different climate conditions was collected during spring. Pollens were identified with microscopy-based techniques, and then analyzed in MALDI-MS. Four different chemical extraction solutions and two physical disruption methods were tested to achieve a MALDI-MS effective protocol. The best performance was obtained using a sonication disruption method after extraction with acetic acid or trifluoroacetic acid. Therefore, we propose a new rapid and reliable methodology for the identification of the botanical origin of the corbicular pollens using MALDI-MS. This new approach opens to a wide range of environmental studies spanning from plant biodiversity to ecosystem trophic interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource competition between wild pollinators and managed honeybees (Apis mellifera) has the potential to detrimentally impact insect biodiversity as well as wild plant and crop pollination. As honeybees are central place foragers, their competitive impact on wild bees is expected to be structured by hive proximity, in conjunction with foraging decisions related to landscape‐level resource availability. Yet, how these factors structure dietary niche overlap between wild bees and managed honeybees remains unclear. We conducted a field experiment in seminatural grasslands, where honeybee foraging densities and niche overlap with buff‐tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) were measured at four distances (<100, 500, 1000 and 2000 m) from experimentally placed apiaries, during and after the blooming period of mass‐flowering oilseed rape (Brassica napus). We measured honeybee foraging densities using standardized transect surveys, and quantified species diet composition and dietary niche overlap from pollen samples collected from both bee species. Honeybee foraging densities were highest near apiaries and declined sharply beyond 500 m from the apiaries. However, niche overlap was unrelated to hive proximity but positively related to the availability of oilseed rape. Furthermore, there were significant inter‐ and intraspecific differences in pollen diet composition and breadth throughout the season. Synthesis and applications: Niche overlap between honeybees and bumblebees in agricultural environments was due to resource sharing of mass‐flowering oilseed rape. When both honeybees and bumblebees predominantly forage on wild plants, they maintain distinct pollen diets, suggesting there is a low risk of resource competition between these generalist taxa. Conservation actions that promote floral resource availability and diversity in agricultural landscapes are crucial to maintain niche differentiation between managed honeybees and wild bees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highbush blueberry pollination depends on managed honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) for adequate fruit sets; however, beekeepers have raised concerns about the poor health of colonies after pollinating this crop. Postulated causes include agrochemical exposure, nutritional deficits, and interactions with parasites and pathogens, particularly Melisococcus plutonius [(ex. White) Bailey and Collins, Lactobacillales: Enterococcaceae], the causal agent of European foulbrood disease, but other pathogens could be involved. To broadly investigate common honey bee pathogens in relation to blueberry pollination, we sampled adult honey bees from colonies at time points corresponding to before (t1), during (t2), at the end (t3), and after (t4) highbush blueberry pollination in British Columbia, Canada, across 2 years (2020 and 2021). Nine viruses, as well as M. plutonius , Vairimorpha ceranae, and V. apis [Tokarev et al. Microsporidia: Nosematidae; formerly Nosema ceranae (Fries et al.) and N. apis (Zander)], were detected by PCR and compared among colonies located near and far from blueberry fields. We found a significant interactive effect of time and blueberry proximity on the multivariate pathogen community, mainly due to differences at t4 (corresponding to ~6 wk after the beginning of the pollination period). Post hoc comparisons of pathogens in near and far groups at t4 showed that detections of sacbrood virus (SBV), which was significantly higher in the near group, not M. plutonius , was the primary driver. Further research is needed to determine if the association of SBV with highbush blueberry pollination is contributing to the health decline that beekeepers observe after pollinating this crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar eclipse has remarkable effect on behavior of animals. South India experienced a 97% magnitude annular eclipse on December 26, 2019 during 08:04–11:04 h with the totality phase appeared during 09:25–09:30 h. We investigated whether the foraging activity of the bees was limited by the eclipse, what bees are affected most, and which part of the eclipse was critical for bee activities to understand how a group of insects that rely the Sun, the sunlight, and the sun rays for their navigation and vision behaves to the eclipse. We opted to watch the bees in their foraging ground, and selected the natural flower populations of Cleome rutidosperma, Hygrophila schulli, Mimosa pudica, and Urena sinuata—some of the bee-friendly plants—to record the visitor richness and visitation rate on the flowers on eclipse and non-eclipse days and during the hour of totality phase and partial phase of the eclipse. Fewer flower-visiting species were recorded on the eclipse day than on the non-eclipse days, but in the period of totality, very few bee species were active, and limited their activity to only one population of C. rutidosperma. Visits of honey bees and stingless bees were affected most, but not that badly of solitary bees and carpenter bees. Bees, particularly the social bees use Sun for navigation and deciphering information on forage sources to fellow workers. The eclipse, like for many other animals, might hamper bees' orientation, vision, and flight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanilla planifolia is native to the Mexican tropics. Despite its worldwide economic importance as a source of vanilla for flavoring and other uses, almost all vanilla is produced by expensive hand-pollination, and minimal documentation exists for its natural pollination and floral visitors. There is a claim that vanilla is pollinated by Melipona stingless bees, but vanilla is more likely pollinated by orchid bees. Natural pollination has not been tested in the Yucatán region of Mexico, where both vanilla and potential native bee pollinators are endemic. We document for the first time the flowering process, nectar production and natural pollination of V. planiflora, using bagged flower experiments in a commercial planting. We also assessed the frequency and visitation rates of stingless bees and orchid bees on flowers. Our results showed low natural pollination rates of V. planifolia (~ 5%). Only small stingless bees (Trigona fulviventris and Nannotrigona perilampoides) were seen on flowers, but no legitimate visits were witnessed. We verified that there were abundant Euglossa and fewer Eulaema male orchid bees around the vanilla plants, but neither visited the flowers. The introduction of a colony of the stingless bee Melipona beecheii and the application of chemical lures to attract orchid bees failed to induce floral visitations. Melipona beecheii, and male orchid bees of Euglossa viridissima and E. dilemma may not be natural pollinators of vanilla, due to lack of attraction to flowers. It seems that the lack of nectar in V. planifolia flowers reduces the spectrum of potential pollinators. In addition, there may be a mismatch between the attractiveness of vanilla floral fragrances to the species of orchid bees registered in the studied area. Chemical studies with controlled experiments in different regions would be important to further elucidate the potential pollinators of vanilla in southern Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flower colour is an important mediator of plant–pollinator interactions. While the reflectance of light from the flower surface and background are governed by physical properties, the perceptual interpretation of such information is generated by complex multilayered visual processing. Should quantitative modelling of flower signals strive for repeatable consistency enabled by parameter simplification, or should modelling reflect the dynamic way in which bees are known to process signals? We discuss why colour is an interpretation of spectral information by the brain of an animal. Different species, or individuals within a species, may respond differently to colour signals depending on sensory apparatus and/or individual experience. Humans and bees have different spectral ranges, but colour theory is strongly rooted in human colour perception and many principles of colour vision appear to be common. We discuss bee colour perception based on physiological, neuroanatomical and behavioural evidence to provide a pathway for modelling flower colours. We examine whether flower petals and floral guides as viewed against spectrally different backgrounds should be considered as a simple colour contrast problem or require a more dynamic consideration of how bees make perceptual decisions. We discuss that plants such as deceptive orchids may present signals to exploit bee perception, whilst many plants do provide honest signalling where perceived saturation indicates the probability of collecting nutritional rewards towards the centre of a flower that then facilitates effective pollination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Castanea dentata (American Chestnut) was likely an important floral resource for a variety of insects in pre-blight eastern forests, including the rare oligolectic bee Andrena rehni, and insects may have played a significant role in the tree's pollination. We surveyed 2 chestnut orchards in New York in 2023 for insect visitors to male catkins. We recorded 66 species and retrieved pollen samples from 49 specimens across 6 families. Andrena rehni was documented after a 119-year absence in the state, and for all specimens, only Castanea pollen was detected in their pollen loads. Honeybees, bumblebees, and sweat bees also intentionally collected chestnut pollen, while longhorn beetles and soldier flies had the highest rates of carrying chestnut pollen incidentally. Our findings support the existing idea that some insects, like beetles, have the potential to contribute to chestnut pollination, and that American Chestnut provides pollen and nectar to a diversity of insects in northeastern landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "An Austral Ecology 5 year retrospective on Natural History Notes: A compelling case for curiosity" discusses the importance of natural history observations in improving our understanding of ecology and evolution, as well as the conservation of nature. The article highlights that scientific journals have traditionally prioritized publishing positive findings and hypothesis testing, rather than observations of natural history. In recognition of the significance of natural history, Austral Ecology launched the Natural History Notes section in 2019, which has published a variety of interesting and previously unknown aspects of organisms' life cycles or ecology. The article provides a table categorizing the Natural History Notes published in Austral Ecology, covering topics such as genetics, herpetology, forests, statistics, landscapes, and more. [Extracted from the article]

Habitat loss is causing declines in native bees and reducing pollination services. Revegetation can be used to reverse these declines, and this restoration technique attracts growing efforts and resources. However, how the quality of revegetation affects native bee abundance, diversity and their pollination services is not well understood, and this limits opportunities to improve revegetation outcomes. To assess this gap, we surveyed floral and bee diversity in revegetated landscapes ranging in habitat quality, and compared these among each other and to remnant habitat and cleared areas. We also measured pollination services using two native phytometer species, which can be pollinated by native bees only, or by both native and introduced honey bees (Apis mellifera). We found that bee diversity and richness were higher within treatments that were higher in floral diversity. In addition, while pollination services provided by honey bees were uniform across treatments, remnant vegetation supported greater pollination services to the plant species pollinated by native bees only. These results indicate that higher quality revegetation characterized by the establishment of a more diverse set of plant species, has the potential to restore native bee diversity and associated pollination services. However, for the plant species investigated, restoration of pollination services had not occurred and might require more time. These results suggest preserving remnant vegetation should be the highest priority conservation action, and that restoration practitioners and landowners wishing to support landscape‐level bee diversity and pollination services, should aim for revegetation using high flowering plant diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise: Cross‐fertilization in most flowering plants is facilitated by mobile animals that transport pollen while foraging for floral rewards. The contributions of different visitors can vary widely, depending on the amount of pollen transferred during a single visit and on the frequency and timing of the visits of each pollinator taxon. Methods: We used three approaches to measure the pollination value of bees that visit Mimulus ringens: pollinator interviews, field population observations, and caging studies. Results: The single‐visit effectiveness of small bees (primarily Halictidae) was only half that of larger bees (primarily Bombus) for pollen delivery and removal. In five field populations, we found substantial temporal and spatial variation in visitation and pollination. In most sites big bees were active before 08:00 hours, and by 10:00–11:00 hours, stigmas were usually fully pollinated and closed, and little pollen remained in anthers. Small bees seldom visited before 10:00 hours. Excluding big bees from plants confirmed that pollination is reduced and delayed in this ecological context. Conclusions: Big bees are the primary pollinators of M. ringens, accounting for at least 75% of seed production. Not only are they more effective per visit, in most situations they also visit before small bees become active. Although small bees are not usually important pollinators of M. ringens, they have the potential to partially replace them as a "fail‐safe" pollinator in contexts where big bees are not abundant. In a world where pollinator abundance is declining, such backup pollinators may be important for maintaining plant reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our research science is focused on studying the physical and chemical properties of ozmia cornuta and osmia Rufa) and where these two people were living with a wide, beautiful crop of crop crops in 6 cities from the Crimea in Russia, the nearby black and sea in the mountainous heights. The places are Simferopol (capital of the Red Costuulous Republic of the Crima), the Red Forest, the Nearc. Stapo, the Saina and SiveaTop Farms are located in the farms of the Black Sea, the streets and the beach Al-Washta in the Crusader of the Clari Island. The tension of the severity and all the tools and requirements of the research were prepared by two years of study in the year (11/2021). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biotropica is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The order Orthoptera includes insects such as grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets, among which there are important species for ecosystem stability and pollination, as well as research organisms in different fields such as neurobiology, ecology, and evolution. Crickets, with more than 2,400 described species, are emerging as novel model research organisms, for their diversity, worldwide distribution, regeneration capacity, and their characteristic acoustic communication. Here we report the assembly and annotation of the first New World cricket, that of Gryllus longicercus Weissman & Gray 2019. The genome assembly, generated by combining 44.54 Gb of long reads from PacBio and 120.44 Gb of short Illumina reads, has a length of 1.85 Gb. The genome annotation yielded 19,715 transcripts from 14,789 gene models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many insects depend on high-altitude, migratory movements during part of their life cycle. The daily timing of these migratory movements is not random, e.g. many insect species show peak migratory flight activity at dawn, noon or dusk. These insects provide essential ecosystem services such as pollination but also contribute to crop damage. Quantifying the diel timing of their migratory flight and its geographical and seasonal variation, are hence key towards effective conservation and pest management. Vertical-looking radars provide continuous and automated measurements of insect migration, but large-scale application has not been possible because of limited availability of suitable devices. Here, we quantify patterns in diel flight periodicity of migratory insects between 50 and 500 m above ground level during March-October 2021 using a network of 17 vertical-looking radars across Europe. Independent of the overall daily migratory movements and location, peak migratory movements occur around noon, during crepuscular evening and occasionally the morning. Relative daily proportions of insect migration intensity and traffic during the diel phases of crepuscular-morning, day, crepuscular-evening and night remain largely equal throughout May-September and across Europe. These findings highlight, extend, and generalize previous regional-scale findings on diel migratory insect movement patterns to the whole of temperate Europe. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme heat poses a major threat to plants and pollinators, yet the indirect consequences of heat stress are not well understood, particularly for native solitary bees. To determine how brief exposure of extreme heat to flowering plants affects bee behaviour, fecundity, development and survival we conducted a no-choice field cage experiment in which Osmia lignaria were provided blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) and white clover (Trifolium repens) that had been previously exposed to either extreme heat (37.5°C) or normal temperatures (25°C) for 4 h during early bloom. Despite a similar number of open flowers and floral visitation frequency between the two treatments, female bees provided with heat-stressed plants laid approximately 70% fewer eggs than females provided with non-stressed plants. Their progeny received similar quantities of pollen provisions between the two treatments, yet larvae consuming pollen from heat-stressed plants had significantly lower survival as larvae and adults. We also observed trends for delayed emergence and reduced adult longevity when larvae consumed heat-stressed pollen. This study is the first to document how short, field-realistic bursts of extreme heat exposure to flowering host plants can indirectly affect bee pollinators and their offspring, with important implications for crop pollination and native bee populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decline of honey bee populations significantly impacts the human food supply due to poor pollination and yield decreases of essential crop species. Given the reduction of pollinators, research into critical landscape components, such as floral resource availability and land use change, might provide valuable information about the nutritional status and health of honey bee colonies. To address this issue, we examine the effects of landscape factors like agricultural area, urban area, and climatic factors, including maximum temperature, minimum temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation, on honey bee hive populations and nutritional health of 326 honey bee colonies across varying landscapes in Mexico. DNA metabarcoding facilitated the precise identification of pollen from 267 plant species, encompassing 243 genera and 80 families, revealing a primary herb‐based diet. Areas characterized by high landscape diversity exhibited greater pollen diversity within the colony. Conversely, colonies situated in regions with higher proportions of agricultural and urban landscapes demonstrated lower bee density. The maximum ambient temperature outside hives positively correlated with pollen diversity, aligning with a simultaneous decrease in bee density. Conversely, higher relative humidity positively influenced both the bee density of the colony and the diversity of foraged pollen. Our national‐level study investigated pollen dietary availability and colony size in different habitat types, latitudes, climatic conditions, and varied levels and types of disturbances. This effort was taken to gain a better insight into the mechanisms driving declines in honey bee populations. This study illustrates the need for more biodiverse agricultural landscapes, the preservation of diverse habitats, and the conservation of natural and semi‐natural spaces. These measures can help to improve the habitat quality of other bee species, as well as restore essential ecosystem processes, such as pollination and pest control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Varroa mites, scientifically identified as Varroa destructor, pose a significant threat to beekeeping and cause one of the most destructive diseases affecting honey bee populations. These parasites attach to bees, feeding on their fat tissue, weakening their immune systems, reducing their lifespans, and even causing colony collapse. They also feed during the pre-imaginal stages of the honey bee in brood cells. Given the critical role of honey bees in pollination and the global food supply, controlling Varroa mites is imperative. One of the most common methods used to evaluate the level of Varroa mite infestation in a bee colony is to count all the mites that fall onto sticky boards placed at the bottom of a colony. However, this is usually a manual process that takes a considerable amount of time. This work proposes a deep learning approach for locating and counting Varroa mites using images of the sticky boards taken by smartphone cameras. To this end, a new realistic dataset has been built: it includes images containing numerous artifacts and blurred parts, which makes the task challenging. After testing various architectures (mainly based on two-stage detectors with feature pyramid networks), combination of hyperparameters and some image enhancement techniques, we have obtained a system that achieves a mean average precision (mAP) metric of 0.9073 on the validation set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bee pollen is an apicultural product collected by honeybees from flower stamens and used as a functional food worldwide. In the present study, we aim to elucidate the functions of Australian bee pollen. Australian bee pollen extracts and their main components were tested for catechol- O -methyltransferase (COMT) and monoamine oxidase B (MAOB) inhibitory activities. These enzymes are key neurotransmitters involved in Parkinson's disease and depression. Myricetin (5), tricetin (6), and luteolin (7) exhibited high COMT inhibitory activities (half maximal inhibitory concentration [IC50] = 23.3, 13.8, and 47.4 µM, respectively). In contrast, 5, 7 , and annulatin (8) exhibited MAOB inhibitory activities (IC50 = 89.7, 32.8, and 153 µM, respectively). Quantitative analysis via high-performance liquid chromatography revealed that 5 was abundant in Australian bee pollen extracts. Our findings suggest that 5 contributes to the COMT and MAOB inhibitory activities of Australian bee pollen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imidacloprid is a widely used pesticide in agriculture. It is being found in aquatic ecosystems in agricultural regions. This study aimed to evaluate its effects on the survival rates, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and catalase (CAT) responses of larval Eristalis tenax hoverflies. The larvae were exposed for 3, 7 and 14 days to increasing concentrations of imidacloprid (0, 0.1, 0.5 and 2 mg L−1) both indoors at a constant temperature of 20 °C and outdoors under varying environmental conditions. The results revealed that indoors and outdoors, the mortality of E. tenax significantly increased with increasing imidacloprid concentration and duration of exposure. Median lethal concentrations (LC50) varied from 0.03 to 0.17 mg L−1 depending on the duration and conditions of exposure. Indoors, AChE activity decreased in all the treatments for all three exposure durations, whereas outdoors the decrease was observed after the short (3-day) and long (14-day) exposure durations. AChE inhibition ranged from 6% to 62% (indoors) and 12% to 62% (outdoors). Variations in CAT activity were observed for both experimental setups, with a decrease outdoors in larvae exposed to 0.5 mg L−1 for 7 days and a gradual dose-dependent increase indoors for exposure lasting 3 and 7 days. This study sheds light on the potential ecological implications of imidacloprid contamination which may cause the decline of aquatic insect populations and pollination rates, leading to disruptions of the food chain and the overall decline of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the pollination of two species of Angelica plants by hornets. While the family Apiaceae typically attracts a variety of insects for pollination, the author observed that hornets were the primary visitors to the Angelica plants, carrying a large amount of pollen. Other insects, such as bees, flies, butterflies, and ants, were also observed but carried less pollen. The study conducted a bagging experiment on the Angelica plants, which revealed that hornets played a significant role in seed production, although other insects also contributed. The findings suggest that hornets may serve as functional pollen vectors for these Angelica species, particularly those with dark-red and green floral displays. [Extracted from the article]

Simple Summary: Bees play an essential role in maintaining biodiversity, as they are crucial for the pollination provisions of agricultural crops and for plants in general. In recent years, a decline in bee populations has been noted, especially due to climatic and anthropometric factors and challenges. It is important to develop (or redevelop) approaches that can help preserve these important insects. Improving our knowledge on bees' microbiology can be one of the ways to better understand ecological relations and the life cycle of these beneficial tiny workers. One of the possible alternatives to overcome the decline in bee populations, while improving their health and productivity, is to study their microbiota, and that of their related products, and identify beneficial microorganisms that may be useful for use as probiotics. The microorganisms present in bees' microbiota make an essential contribution to their health by being involved in metabolism and providing food supplies, helping to digest and preserve food, and protecting them from the diseases. In this review, we highlight some of the main bacterial representatives of the microbiota of different species of bees and their by-products, with the focus on microorganisms with characteristics improving health, and other possible applications in the food industry. At the end, "One Health" is not just a book concept, but a real scientific strategy. Bees are one of the best-known and, at the same time, perhaps the most enigmatic insects on our planet, known for their organization and social structure, being essential for the pollination of agricultural crops and several other plants, playing an essential role in food production and the balance of ecosystems, being associated with the production of high-value-added inputs, and a unique universe in relation to bees' microbiota. In this review, we summarize information regarding on different varieties of bees, with emphasis on their specificity related to microbial variations. Noteworthy are fructophilic bacteria, a lesser-known bacterial group, which use fructose fermentation as their main source of energy, with some strains being closely related to bees' health status. The beneficial properties of fructophilic bacteria may be extendable to humans and other animals as probiotics. In addition, their biotechnological potential may ease the development of new-generation antimicrobials with applications in biopreservation. The concept of "One Health" brings together fundamental and applied research with the aim of clarifying that the connections between the different components of ecosystems must be considered part of a mega-structure, with bees being an iconic example in that the healthy functionality of their microbiota is directly and indirectly related to agricultural production, bee health, quality of bee products, and the functional prosperity for humans and other animals. In fact, good health of bees is clearly related to the stable functionality of ecosystems and indirectly relates to humans' wellbeing, a concept of the "One Health". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Many plants depend on pollination by bees, whereas bees depend on flowers as food sources. Bees use a variety of floral cues such as the color, scent, or shape of the flower to find host plants. The preferred cues of honeybees and bumblebees are well studied, but the preferences of other bee species are almost unknown. Thus, we have performed behavioral experiments with artificial flowers to test whether three common bee species of the genera Lasioglossum, Bombus, and Osmia are attracted by the same or different floral cues. Our experiments showed consistent behaviors across species in experiments testing flower sizes and scent mixtures that differed in compound richness and identities. The color hue experiments, however, revealed different preferences that were probably influenced by previous foraging experience. Within colors, bee species preferred mostly intense colors that formed a high contrast to background colors. A high attractiveness of floral cues enables bees to effectively find foraging plants. With this study, we learned more about flower choice in bee species that are not used as model organisms but are important for pollination. The interaction between bees and flowering plants is mediated by floral cues that enable bees to find foraging plants. We tested floral cue preferences among three common wild bee species: Lasioglossum villosulum, Osmia bicornis, and Bombus terrestris. Preferences are well studied in eusocial bees but almost unknown in solitary or non-eusocial generalist bee species. Using standardized artificial flowers altered in single cues, we tested preferences for color hue, achromatic contrast, scent complexity, corolla size, and flower depth. We found common attractive cues among all tested bees. Intensively colored flowers and large floral displays were highly attractive. No preferences were observed in scent complexity experiments, and the number of volatiles did not influence the behavior of bees. Differing preferences were found for color hue. The specific behaviors were probably influenced by foraging experience and depended on the flower choice preferences of the tested bee species. In experiments testing different flower depths of reward presentation, the bees chose flat flowers that afforded low energy costs. The results reveal that generalist wild bee species other than well-studied honeybees and bumblebees show strong preferences for distinct floral cues to find potential host plants. The diverse preferences of wild bees ensure the pollination of various flowering plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crithidia mellificae and Lotmaria passim are trypanosomatids that infect honeybees, and many studies suggest that both parasites contribute to the decline in the honeybee population. The Japanese honeybee (Apis cerana japonica) is a native honeybee that inhabits various areas of Japan and is one of the most important pollinators. Both parasites have been well studied in the western honeybee (Apis mellifera) but have been poorly investigated in A. c. japonica. The present study investigated the presence of C. mellificae and L. passim in one feral and six managed A. c. japonica colonies at three different institutes. Five out of seven colonies were polymerase chain reaction‐positive for L. passim (71.4%); however, C. mellificae was not detected. Four of the five colonies were positive in both the midgut and hindgut, but one was positive only in the hindgut. A homology search and phylogenetic tree of the glycosomal glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase (gGAPDH) and cytochrome b (Cytb) genes obtained in this study indicated that the sequences belonged to L. passim. The results of this study emphasize concerns regarding the health of this ecologically important pollinator and the importance of further investigation of the prevalence of L. passim in A. c. japonica in a wider area of Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A majority of the world's flowering plants benefit from insect pollination. Bees in particular are known to carry large amounts of pollen, and the pollen load transported is often highly conspecific. However, there is limited knowledge about the transfer of pollen by other non‐bee flower‐visiting insect taxa.We observed and collected insects visiting flowers in an Australian alpine plant community. We identified insect body pollen loads to evaluate the relative differences among taxa using visitation and pollen transport networks. We sampled a diverse pollinator community from 39 insect families that visited 31 plant species (n = 488 individual insects).Pollen abundance and richness on insect bodies varied significantly among Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera both among individuals and across insect families.Bees carried more pollen overall than the other three insect orders surveyed, yet dipterans were the most frequent flower visitors overall, with six dipteran families observed visiting flowers more frequently than the most frequent hymenopteran visitor (Apis mellifera L.). Apidae was also the only family in this study to carry consistently large quantities of pollen.At the order level, Diptera carried the second highest quantity of pollen but greater diversity of pollen than other insect orders. Importantly, visitation networks revealed visits to plant taxa that were not identified in pollen transport networks and vice versa.Given the missing links in both visitor observation and pollen transfer networks, we advocate combining both types of networks to provide a more accurate estimate of the full range of plant–pollinator interactions occurring within and across taxa at the community level. Understanding the variation in plant–pollinator interactions as a result of differences among taxa and between networks of flower visitors, pollen transfer is important to evaluate the level of generalisation/specialisation among plants and their pollinator partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The augmentation of pollination success in lemon (Citrus limon Eureka) flowers remains contingent on the involvement of bee pollinators. With wild bee pollinator populations declining in agroecosystems, meliponiculture has emerged as a potential option in Indonesia. This study aimed to investigate the effects of meliponicultural use of Tetragonula laeviceps on diversity, foraging behavior, and monthly population of bee pollinators, as well as lemon pollination efficacy with and without meliponiculture treatment during two periods. Using scan and focal sampling methods in first and second periods, the study found that the diversity of wild bee pollinators was six species (Apis cerana, Lasioglossum albescens, Megachile laticeps, Xylocopa confusa, Xylocopa latipes, and Xylocopa caerulea), and T. laeviceps when using meliponiculture. The relative abundance and daily foraging activity of wild bee pollinators were initially reduced in the first period (March–June) and then maintained in the second period (July–October). T. laeviceps foraged on the flowers, involving specific sequences for 72 s with highest visitation rate of 0.25 flowers/h from 10:00–13:00. Light intensity was observed to be the most influential factor for bee pollinator density. Pollination efficacy results showed that meliponiculture usage has greater benefit compared to meliponiculture absence across various parameters, including fruit sets, fruit weight, yield, and estimated productivity. The effects of meliponicultural use of T. laeviceps can enhance lemon pollination efficacy while preserving the diversity of wild insect pollinators. This suggests that meliponiculture stingless bees could be a beneficial practice in agroecosystems, especially in tropical regions where wild bee populations and diversity are declining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]