Search results for "bombus terrestris"

Training experiments with Bombus terrestris and Apis mellifera on artificial ‘ Salvia ’ flowers

2016

Abstract Many bee flowers demand physical force from their pollinators. An example is Salvia with lever-like anthers restricting access to nectar. Though the needed force is generally low, it is largely unknown how far even low forces affect flower preference and foraging behaviour of bees. In the present paper, we introduce a method to measure the response of bees to a force mechanism. We explain the construction of artificial flowers mimicking the lever mechanism of a Salvia flower and the procedure to train honeybees and bumblebees to the models. We document the behaviour of the bees on models without barriers and on those with low forces aiming at the same time to determine the bees’ se…

Invasive bees and their impact on agriculture

2020

Fil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnica. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Arbetman, Marina P. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Arbetman, Marina P. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnica. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Chacoff, Natacha P. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina. Fil: Chalcoff, Vanin…

Nectar robbing does not affect female reproductive success of an endangered Antirrhinum species, Plantaginaceae

2019

ABSTRACTBackground: Nectar robbers in many plant species affect female reproductive success, usually decreasing the amount of seed produced by plants, which can affect populations persistence.Aims:...

Foraging Bumblebees Selectively Attend to Other Types of Bees Based on Their Reward-Predictive Value.

2020

Using social information can be an efficient strategy for learning in a new environment while reducing the risks associated with trial-and-error learning. Whereas social information from conspecifics has long been assumed to be preferentially attended by animals, heterospecifics can also provide relevant information. Because different species may vary in their informative value, using heterospecific social information indiscriminately can be ineffective and even detrimental. Here, we evaluated how selective use of social information might arise at a proximate level in bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) as a result of experience with demonstrators differing in their visual appearance and in thei…

Rapid induction of immune density-dependent prophylaxis in adult social insects.

2009

The innate immune system provides defence against parasites and pathogens. This defence comes at a cost, suggesting that immune function should exhibit plasticity in response to variation in environmental threats. Density-dependent prophylaxis (DDP) has been demonstrated mostly in phase-polyphenic insects, where larval group size determines levels of immune function in either adults or later larval instars. Social insects exhibit extreme sociality, but DDP has been suggested to be absent from these ecologically dominant taxa. Here we show that adult bumble-bee workers ( Bombus terrestris ) exhibit rapid plasticity in their immune function in response to social context. These results sugges…

Pronubi selvatici ed api nell'impollinazione in colture protette di melone (Cucumis melo var. inodorus Naud, C. m. reticulatus Ser.)in Sicilia occide…

2002

Efficacia dei pronubi sulla produttività del melone d'inverno( Cucumis melo var. inodorus) in coltura protetta.

1998

Stain-free virtual histology of Bombus terrestris compound eyes by laboratory phase-contrast nano-CT

2021

The visual systems of pollinating insects are studied to understand the effects of a changing environment, and are to date imaged using microscopy or micro-CT. Microscopy only allows two-dimensional imaging and conventional micro-CT requires heavy-metal staining of the samples. Here we present virtual histology of compound eyes of bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) using a laboratory nano-CT system. Propagation-based phase-contrast CT allows three-dimensional imaging of samples without using any staining. Micrometre-resolution images of the microanatomy of the eyes were reconstructed, and the features identified in CT (cornea, crystalline cones, pigment, photoreceptor cells, basement membrane) w…

Genomic signatures of recent adaptation in a wild bumblebee

2021

AbstractBehavioral experiments and analyses of observation records have shown that environmental changes threaten insect pollinators, creating risks for agriculture and ecosystem stability. Despite their importance, we know little about how wild insects or other animals can adapt in response to environmental pressures. To understand the genomic bases of adaptation in an ecologically important pollinator, we analyzed genomes ofBombus terrestrisbumblebees collected across Great Britain. We reveal extensive genetic diversity within this population, and strong signatures of recent adaptation throughout the genome. More specifically, we find that selection recently affected key processes underpi…

Laboratory phase‐contrast nanotomography of unstained Bombus terrestris compound eyes

2021

Imaging the visual systems of bumblebees and other pollinating insects may increase understanding of their dependence on specific habitats and how they will be affected by climate change. Current high-resolution imaging methods are either limited to two dimensions (light- and electron microscopy) or have limited access (synchrotron radiation x-ray tomography). For x-ray imaging, heavy metal stains are often used to increase contrast. Here, we present micron-resolution imaging of compound eyes of buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) using a table-top x-ray nanotomography (nano-CT) system. By propagation-based phase-contrast imaging, the use of stains was avoided and the microanatomy co…