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Zarić NM, Brodschneider R, Goessler W. Correction to: Sex-specific element accumulation in honey bees (Apis mellifera). Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2024:10.1007/s11356-024-32957-z. [PMID: 38498137 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-32957-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Nenad M Zarić
- Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Studentski Trg 16, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia.
- Analytical Chemistry for Health and Environment, Institute of Chemistry, University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 1, 8010, Graz, Austria.
| | - Robert Brodschneider
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Walter Goessler
- Analytical Chemistry for Health and Environment, Institute of Chemistry, University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 1, 8010, Graz, Austria
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Zarić NM, Brodschneider R, Goessler W. Sex-specific element accumulation in honey bees (Apis mellifera). Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2024:10.1007/s11356-024-32822-z. [PMID: 38472584 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-32822-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Honey bees are social insects that show division of labor and sexual dimorphism. Female honey bees differentiate in two different castes, queens or worker bees, while males are called drones. Worker bees have different tasks in the hive including collection of food, its processing, caring for brood, protecting the hive, or producing wax. The drones' only role is to mate with a virgin queen. Many studies have dealt with differences in physiology, behavior, and morphology of workers and drones. This is the first study that demonstrates differences in element accumulation and composition between workers and drones honey bees. Using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, we found that worker honey bees have higher concentrations of most elements analyzed. Drones had higher concentrations of elements essential to bees, Na, P, S, Zn, Cu, and especially Se (2.2 × higher), which is known to be important for sperm quality and fertility in many animals. Until now higher Se content was not observed in male insects. These differences can be attributed to different environmental exposure, reproductive role of drones, but mostly to the food workers and drones consume. Worker bees feed on bee bread, which is rich in minerals. Drones are fed food pre-processed by worker bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nenad M Zarić
- Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Studentski Trg 16, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia.
- Analytical Chemistry for Health and Environment, Institute of Chemistry, University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 1, 8010, Graz, Austria.
| | - Robert Brodschneider
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Walter Goessler
- Analytical Chemistry for Health and Environment, Institute of Chemistry, University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 1, 8010, Graz, Austria
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Quaresma A, Ankenbrand MJ, Garcia CAY, Rufino J, Honrado M, Amaral J, Brodschneider R, Brusbardis V, Gratzer K, Hatjina F, Kilpinen O, Pietropaoli M, Roessink I, van der Steen J, Vejsnæs F, Pinto MA, Keller A. Semi-automated sequence curation for reliable reference datasets in ITS2 vascular plant DNA (meta-)barcoding. Sci Data 2024; 11:129. [PMID: 38272945 PMCID: PMC10810873 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-02962-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
One of the most critical steps for accurate taxonomic identification in DNA (meta)-barcoding is to have an accurate DNA reference sequence dataset for the marker of choice. Therefore, developing such a dataset has been a long-term ambition, especially in the Viridiplantae kingdom. Typically, reference datasets are constructed with sequences downloaded from general public databases, which can carry taxonomic and other relevant errors. Herein, we constructed a curated (i) global dataset, (ii) European crop dataset, and (iii) 27 datasets for the EU countries for the ITS2 barcoding marker of vascular plants. To that end, we first developed a pipeline script that entails (i) an automated curation stage comprising five filters, (ii) manual taxonomic correction for misclassified taxa, and (iii) manual addition of newly sequenced species. The pipeline allows easy updating of the curated datasets. With this approach, 13% of the sequences, corresponding to 7% of species originally imported from GenBank, were discarded. Further, 259 sequences were manually added to the curated global dataset, which now comprises 307,977 sequences of 111,382 plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreia Quaresma
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
- Laboratório Associado para a Sustentabilidade e Tecnologia em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, S/N, Edifício FC4, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661, Vairão, Vila do Conde, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Vila do Conde, Portugal
| | - Markus J Ankenbrand
- Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology, Faculty of Biology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Klara-Oppenheimer-Weg 32, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Carlos Ariel Yadró Garcia
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
- Laboratório Associado para a Sustentabilidade e Tecnologia em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
| | - José Rufino
- Laboratório Associado para a Sustentabilidade e Tecnologia em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
- Research Centre in Digitalization and Intelligent Robotics (CeDRI), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Bragança, Portugal
| | - Mónica Honrado
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
- Laboratório Associado para a Sustentabilidade e Tecnologia em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
| | - Joana Amaral
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
- Laboratório Associado para a Sustentabilidade e Tecnologia em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
| | - Robert Brodschneider
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Valters Brusbardis
- Latvian Beekeepers' Association (LBA), Rigas iela 22, LV-3004, Jelgava, Latvia
| | - Kristina Gratzer
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Fani Hatjina
- Ellinikos Georgikos Organismos DIMITRA (ELGO- DIMITRA), Kourtidou 56-58, GR-11145, Athina, Greece
| | - Ole Kilpinen
- Danish Beekeepers Association (DBF), Fulbyvej 15, DK-4180, Sorø, Denmark
| | - Marco Pietropaoli
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana "M. Aleandri" (IZSLT), Via Appia Nuova 1411, IT-00178, Roma, Italy
| | - Ivo Roessink
- Wageningen Environmental Research, WageningenUniversity&Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6700 AA, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | | | - Flemming Vejsnæs
- Danish Beekeepers Association (DBF), Fulbyvej 15, DK-4180, Sorø, Denmark
| | - M Alice Pinto
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
- Laboratório Associado para a Sustentabilidade e Tecnologia em Regiões de Montanha (SusTEC), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
| | - Alexander Keller
- Cellular and Organismic Interactions, Biocenter, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Großhaderner Str. 2-4, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
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Murcia-Morales M, Tzanetou EN, García-Gallego G, Kasiotis KM, Vejsnaes F, Brodschneider R, Hatjina F, Machera K, Van der Steen JJ. Environmental assessment of PAHs through honey bee colonies - A matrix selection study. Heliyon 2024; 10:e23564. [PMID: 38187233 PMCID: PMC10770451 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The steady conditions of temperature, humidity and air flux within beehives make them a valuable location for conducting environmental monitoring of pollutants such as PAHs. In this context, the selection of an appropriate apicultural matrix plays a key role in these monitoring studies, as it maximizes the information that will be obtained in the analyses while minimizing the inaccurate results. In the present study, three apicultural matrices (honey bees, pollen and propolis) and two passive samplers (APIStrips and silicone wristbands) are compared in terms of the number and total load of PAHs detected in them. Samplings took place in a total of 11 apiaries scattered in Austria, Denmark, and Greece, with analyses performed by GC-MS/MS. Up to 14 different PAHs were identified in silicone wristbands and pollen, whereas the remaining matrices contained a maximum of five contaminants. Naphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene, and pyrene were found to be the most prevalent substances in the environment. Recovery studies were also performed; these suggested that the chemical structure of APIStrips is likely to produce very strong interactions with PAHs, thus hindering the adequate desorption of these substances from their surface. Overall, silicone wristbands placed inside the beehives proved the most suitable matrix for PAH monitoring through honey bee colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Murcia-Morales
- Chemistry and Physics Department, University of Almeria, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain
| | - Evangelia N. Tzanetou
- Laboratory of Chemical Control of Pesticides, Department of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 145 61 Kifissia, Greece
| | - Guillermo García-Gallego
- Chemistry and Physics Department, University of Almeria, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain
| | - Konstantinos M. Kasiotis
- Laboratory of Pesticides' Toxicology, Department of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 145 61 Kifissia, Greece
| | | | - Robert Brodschneider
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Fani Hatjina
- Department of Apiculture, Institute of Animal Science, Ellinikos Georgikos Organismos ‘DIMITRA’, Nea Moudania GR-63200, Greece
| | - Kyriaki Machera
- Laboratory of Pesticides' Toxicology, Department of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 145 61 Kifissia, Greece
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Murcia-Morales M, Vejsnæs F, Brodschneider R, Hatjina F, Van der Steen JJM, Oller-Serrano JL, Fernández-Alba AR. Enhancing the environmental monitoring of pesticide residues through Apis mellifera colonies: Honey bees versus passive sampling. Sci Total Environ 2023; 884:163847. [PMID: 37127158 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The use of apicultural matrices for the environmental monitoring of pesticides is a widely employed approach that facilitates to a great extent the sampling procedures. Honey bees are one of the most commonly employed matrices in these studies due to their abundance in the colonies and their direct contact with the beehive and the environment. However, the analysis of this matrix is associated to a lack of representativity of the contaminants accumulated within the beehive, due mainly to the limited number of honey bees that are sampled and analyzed compared to the population in a hive. This small proportion of organisms which are sampled from the colony may lead to underestimations or overestimations of the total pesticide load, depending on the specific individuals that are included in the analysis. In the present work, the passive, non-invasive APIStrip-based sampling approach is compared to active bee sampling with a total of 240 samples taken from 15 apiaries from Austria, Denmark and Greece over a two-month period in 2022. The APIStrips have been found to provide a more comprehensive image of the pesticide residues accumulated in the beehive in terms of number of identified residues and robustness of the results. A total of 74 different pesticide residues were detected: the use of APIStrips allowed to detect 66 pesticides in the three countries, compared to 38 residues in honey bees. The use of APIStrips also resulted in a higher percentage of positive samples (containing at least one pesticide residue). The results provided by the passive sampling approach were also more consistent among the replicates and over time, which reveals an increased sampling robustness.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Murcia-Morales
- Chemistry and Physics Department, University of Almeria, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain
| | | | - Robert Brodschneider
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, Graz 8010, Austria
| | - Fani Hatjina
- Department of Apiculture, Institute of Animal Science, Ellinikos Georgikos Organismos 'DIMITRA', Nea Moudania GR-63200, Greece
| | | | - José Luis Oller-Serrano
- Chemistry and Physics Department, University of Almeria, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain
| | - Amadeo R Fernández-Alba
- Chemistry and Physics Department, University of Almeria, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain.
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Brodschneider R, Omar E, Crailsheim K. Flight performance of pollen starved honey bees and incomplete compensation through ingestion after early life pollen deprivation. Front Physiol 2022; 13:1004150. [PMID: 36569746 PMCID: PMC9780383 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.1004150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the effect of adult honey bee pollen nutrition on the flight performance of honey bees. Therefore, caged bees were allowed to perform 30 min of defecation/training flights every second day before flight performance of pollen-fed bees and pollen-deprived bees older than 16 days were compared in a flight mill. We first fed 10 µL of 1 M glucose solution to bees, and after they metabolized this during flight, they were fed 10 µL of 2 M glucose solution for a second flight test. Pollen-deprived bees flew longer and further than pollen-fed bees in both flights. Pollen-fed bees flew faster in the early period at the beginning of flights, whereas pollen-deprived bees were faster in the final phases. Pollen-fed bees were able to raise their maximum flight speed in 2 M glucose solution flights, whereas pollen-constraint bees were not. The two groups did not differ in abdomen fresh weight, but the fresh weight of the head and thorax and dry weight of the head, thorax and abdomen were higher in pollen-fed bees. In a second experiment, we constrained pollen consumption of caged bees during the first 7 days and compared daily consumption of bees from day 8-16 to consumption of bees unrestricted in pollen. We found that pollen-deprived bees perceive the pollen shortage and try to compensate for their needs by consuming significantly more pollen at the later phase of their life than pollen-fed bees of the same age. Still, bees constrained from pollen in the first 7 days did only reach 51.1% of the lifetime consumption of unconstrained bees. This shows that bees can sense the need for essential nutrients from pollen, but their physiological apparatus does not allow them to fully compensate for their early life constraint. Pollen deprivation only in the first 7 days of worker life likewise significantly reduced fresh and dry weights of the body sections (head, thorax, and abdomen) and survival. This underlines the importance of protein consumption in a short critical period early in adult bees' lives for their development and their performance later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Brodschneider
- University of Graz, Institute of Biology, Graz, Austria,*Correspondence: Robert Brodschneider,
| | - Eslam Omar
- University of Graz, Institute of Biology, Graz, Austria,Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
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Zarić NM, Brodschneider R, Goessler W. Honey bees as biomonitors - Variability in the elemental composition of individual bees. Environ Res 2022; 204:112237. [PMID: 34688641 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Homogenized or pooled samples of honey bees are already used for monitoring of metal pollution in the environment for a couple of decades. This is the first study that analyzed the elemental composition of individual honey bees. One apiary with 21 hives was used to test in-hive and between-hive differences at the same location. Highest in-hive variability was observed for Al (14.1x), Li (10.3x), V (10.3x), As (8.9x) and Cd (7.9x). For the elements Cu, K, Mg, Na, P, S and Zn the smallest both in-hive (2.3x, 1.8x, 2.0x, 2.2x, 1.9x, 1.7x, 2.4x respectively) as well as between-hive variability (1.5x, 1.4x, 1.4x, 1.6x, 1.4x, 1.4x and 1.5x respectively) was observed. Nonetheless, between-hive variability was statistically significant for all the analyzed elements. We proved that these differences significantly influence comparison of element concentrations in bees from different locations. One hive from Mesić apiary had significantly lower concentrations of Al (hive 18: 18.6 mg kg-1) and U (hive 1: 0.0013 mg kg-1), while at the same time a different hive from the same apiary showed higher concentration of these elements (Al, hive 14: 125 mg kg-1; U, hive 13: 0.012 mg kg-1) compared to another location (thermal power plant, Al: 97 mg kg-1, U: 0.0044 mg kg-1). Therefore, when using honey bees as biomonitors, we recommend a larger number of hives to be sampled at each location to provide an adequate dataset for reliable interpretation of results. Comparing individual bee elemental concentrations, for Na, Mg, P, S, K, Fe, Cu, and Zn negative correlations were found between dry mass of a bee and concentrations of these elements. These negative correlations could be a consequence of higher honey or nectar content in some of the sampled bees. However, this should also be considered when using honey bees as bioindicators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nenad M Zarić
- University of Belgrade - Faculty of Biology, Studentski Trg 16, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia; University of Graz, Institute of Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry for Health and Environment, Universitaetsplatz 1, 8010, Graz, Austria.
| | - Robert Brodschneider
- University of Graz, Institute of Biology, Universitaetsplatz 2, Graz, 8010, Austria
| | - Walter Goessler
- University of Graz, Institute of Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry for Health and Environment, Universitaetsplatz 1, 8010, Graz, Austria
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Quaresma A, Brodschneider R, Gratzer K, Gray A, Keller A, Kilpinen O, Rufino J, van der Steen J, Vejsnæs F, Pinto MA. Preservation methods of honey bee-collected pollen are not a source of bias in ITS2 metabarcoding. Environ Monit Assess 2021; 193:785. [PMID: 34755261 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09563-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Pollen metabarcoding is emerging as a powerful tool for ecological research and offers unprecedented scale in citizen science projects for environmental monitoring via honey bees. Biases in metabarcoding can be introduced at any stage of sample processing and preservation is at the forefront of the pipeline. While in metabarcoding studies pollen has been preserved at - 20 °C (FRZ), this is not the best method for citizen scientists. Herein, we compared this method with ethanol (EtOH), silica gel (SG) and room temperature (RT) for preservation of pollen collected from hives in Austria and Denmark. After ~ 4 months of storage, DNAs were extracted with a food kit, and their quality and concentration measured. Most DNA extracts exhibited 260/280 absorbance ratios close to the optimal 1.8, with RT samples from Austria performing slightly worse than FRZ and SG samples (P < 0.027). Statistical differences were also detected for DNA concentration, with EtOH samples producing lower yields than RT and FRZ samples in both countries and SG in Austria (P < 0.042). Yet, qualitative and quantitative assessments of floral composition obtained using high-throughput sequencing with the ITS2 barcode gave non-significant effects of preservation methods on richness, relative abundance and Shannon diversity, in both countries. While freezing and ethanol are commonly employed for archiving tissue for molecular applications, desiccation is cheaper and easier to use regarding both storage and transportation. Since SG is less dependent on ambient humidity and less prone to contamination than RT, we recommend SG for preserving pollen for metabarcoding. SG is straightforward for laymen to use and hence robust for widespread application in citizen science studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreia Quaresma
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
| | - Robert Brodschneider
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Kristina Gratzer
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Alison Gray
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Alexander Keller
- Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology, Hubland Nord, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Bioinformatics, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, BiocenterWürzburg, Germany
| | | | - José Rufino
- Research Centre in Digitalization and Intelligent Robotics (CeDRI), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Bragança, Portugal
| | | | | | - M Alice Pinto
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal.
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Becsi B, Formayer H, Brodschneider R. A biophysical approach to assess weather impacts on honey bee colony winter mortality. R Soc Open Sci 2021; 8:210618. [PMID: 34631120 PMCID: PMC8483266 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The western honey bee (Apis mellifera) is one of the most important insects kept by humans, but high colony losses are reported around the world. While the effects of general climatic conditions on colony winter mortality were already demonstrated, no study has investigated specific weather conditions linked to biophysical processes governing colony vitality. Here, we quantify the comparative relevance of four such processes that co-determine the colonies' fitness for wintering during the annual hive management cycle, using a 10-year dataset of winter colony mortality in Austria that includes 266 378 bee colonies. We formulate four process-based hypotheses for wintering success and operationalize them with weather indicators. The empirical data is used to fit simple and multiple linear regression models on different geographical scales. The results show that approximately 20% of winter mortality variability can be explained by the analysed weather conditions, and that it is most sensitive to the duration of extreme cold spells in mid and late winter. Our approach shows the potential of developing weather indicators based on biophysical processes and discusses the way forward for applying them in climate change studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt Becsi
- Institute of Meteorology and Climatology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
| | - Herbert Formayer
- Institute of Meteorology and Climatology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
| | - Robert Brodschneider
- Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, Division of Livestock Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 2/I, 8010 Graz, Austria
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Bugarova V, Godocikova J, Bucekova M, Brodschneider R, Majtan J. Effects of the Carbohydrate Sources Nectar, Sucrose and Invert Sugar on Antibacterial Activity of Honey and Bee-Processed Syrups. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:antibiotics10080985. [PMID: 34439035 PMCID: PMC8388957 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10080985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Honey is a functional food with health-promoting properties. Some types of honey are used in wound care for the treatment of acute and chronic infected wounds. Increased interest in using honey as a functional food and as a base for wound care products causes limited availability of raw honey. Numerous studies suggest that the protein content of honey is mainly comprised of bee-derived proteins and peptides, with a pronounced antibacterial effect. Therefore, the aim of our study was to characterize for the first time the antibacterial activity of raw honeys and bee-processed syrups which were made by processing sucrose solution or invert sugar syrup in bee colonies under field conditions. Furthermore, we compared the contents of glucose oxidase (GOX) and the levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in honey samples and bee-processed syrups. These parameters were also compared between the processed sucrose solution and the processed invert sugar syrup. Our results clearly show that natural honey samples possess significantly higher antibacterial activity compared to bee-processed syrups. However, no differences in GOX contents and accumulated levels of H2O2 were found between honeys and bee-processed syrups. Comparison of the same parameters between bee-processed feeds based on the two artificial carbohydrate sources revealed no differences in all measured parameters, except for the content of GOX. The amount of GOX was significantly higher in bee-processed sucrose solutions, suggesting that processor bees can secrete a higher portion of carbohydrate metabolism enzymes. Determination of honey color intensity showed that in bee colonies, bee-processed syrups were partially mixed with natural honey. Further research is needed to identify the key botanical compounds in honey responsible for the increased antibacterial potential of honey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Bugarova
- Laboratory of Apidology and Apitherapy, Department of Microbial Genetics, Institute of Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 21, 845 51 Bratislava, Slovakia; (V.B.); (J.G.); (M.B.)
| | - Jana Godocikova
- Laboratory of Apidology and Apitherapy, Department of Microbial Genetics, Institute of Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 21, 845 51 Bratislava, Slovakia; (V.B.); (J.G.); (M.B.)
| | - Marcela Bucekova
- Laboratory of Apidology and Apitherapy, Department of Microbial Genetics, Institute of Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 21, 845 51 Bratislava, Slovakia; (V.B.); (J.G.); (M.B.)
| | - Robert Brodschneider
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria;
| | - Juraj Majtan
- Laboratory of Apidology and Apitherapy, Department of Microbial Genetics, Institute of Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 21, 845 51 Bratislava, Slovakia; (V.B.); (J.G.); (M.B.)
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Limbova 12, 833 03 Bratislava, Slovakia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +421-903-869413
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Gratzer K, Brodschneider R. How and why beekeepers participate in the INSIGNIA citizen science honey bee environmental monitoring project. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2021; 28:37995-38006. [PMID: 33728609 PMCID: PMC8302492 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-13379-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
In the "contributory" citizen science project INSIGNIA, beekeepers carried out non-invasive sampling of their own honey bee colonies for an environmental investigation of pesticide residues and pollen plant origin. We surveyed several traits and attitudes of 69 of the volunteering beekeepers from ten countries. We found that their motivation was similar to that found in previous studies of environmental volunteer motivation, with helping the environment and contributing to scientific knowledge being strong motivators. Our results suggest that receiving laboratory analysis results of the samples from their colonies is the most meaningful way of appreciation for beekeepers, but is not their primary reason for participation. A citizen scientist beekeeper in this study spent on average 10.4 working hours on the project during a sampling season. Our study indicates that most of our volunteers would participate in similar future investigations, or would recommend participation to other beekeepers, underlining the potential of beekeepers as citizen scientists in honey bee research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Gratzer
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, Graz, 8010 Austria
| | - Robert Brodschneider
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, Graz, 8010 Austria
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Wakjira K, Negera T, Zacepins A, Kviesis A, Komasilovs V, Fiedler S, Kirchner S, Hensel O, Purnomo D, Nawawi M, Paramita A, Rachman OF, Pratama A, Faizah NA, Lemma M, Schaedlich S, Zur A, Sperl M, Proschek K, Gratzer K, Brodschneider R. Smart apiculture management services for developing countries-the case of SAMS project in Ethiopia and Indonesia. PeerJ Comput Sci 2021; 7:e484. [PMID: 33954251 PMCID: PMC8049118 DOI: 10.7717/peerj-cs.484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The European Union funded project SAMS (Smart Apiculture Management Services) enhances international cooperation of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) and sustainable agriculture between EU and developing countries in pursuit of the EU commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goal "End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture". The project consortium comprises four partners from Europe (two from Germany, Austria, and Latvia) and two partners each from Ethiopia and Indonesia. Beekeeping with small-scale operations provides suitable innovation labs for the demonstration and dissemination of cost-effective and easy-to-use open source ICT applications in developing countries. SAMS allows active monitoring and remote sensing of bee colonies and beekeeping by developing an ICT solution supporting the management of bee health and bee productivity as well as a role model for effective international cooperation. By following the user centered design (UCD) approach, SAMS addresses requirements of end-user communities on beekeeping in developing countries, and includes findings in its technological improvements and adaptation as well as in innovative services and business creation based on advanced ICT and remote sensing technologies. SAMS enhances the production of bee products, creates jobs (particularly youths/women), triggers investments, and establishes knowledge exchange through networks and initiated partnerships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kibebew Wakjira
- Oromia Agricultural Research Institute, Holeta Bee Research Centre, Holeta, Ethiopia
| | - Taye Negera
- Oromia Agricultural Research Institute, Holeta Bee Research Centre, Holeta, Ethiopia
| | - Aleksejs Zacepins
- Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava, Latvia
| | - Armands Kviesis
- Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava, Latvia
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Markos Lemma
- Iceaddis IT Consultancy PLC, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Stefanie Schaedlich
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Feldafing, Germany
| | - Angela Zur
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Feldafing, Germany
| | - Magdalena Sperl
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Feldafing, Germany
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Brodschneider R, Gratzer K, Kalcher-Sommersguter E, Heigl H, Auer W, Moosbeckhofer R, Crailsheim K. A citizen science supported study on seasonal diversity and monoflorality of pollen collected by honey bees in Austria. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16633. [PMID: 31719621 PMCID: PMC6851371 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53016-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Austrian beekeepers participated in the “C.S.I. Pollen” study as citizen scientists and collected pollen from honey bee colonies in hive mounted traps every three weeks from April to September in 2014 and 2015 to uncover the seasonal availability of pollen sources for bees. 1622 pollen samples were collected and analysed using palynological light microscopy to the lowest taxonomic level possible. For 2014 and 2015 combined, 239 pollen types from more than 85 families were detected. ‘Various unknown’ species, Taraxacum-form and Plantago spp. were the pollen types collected by the majority of colonies (occurrence), whereas the most pollen grains collected were from Trifolium repens-form, Plantago spp. and Salix spp. (abundance). In spring, trees were found to be the most abundant pollen source, whereas in summer herbs dominated. On average, a colony collected pollen from 16.8 ± 4.7 (2014) and 15.0 ± 4.4 (2015) pollen types per sampling. Those numbers, however, vary between sampling dates and indicate a seasonal pattern. This is also supported by Simpson’s diversity index, which was on median 0.668. In both years, 50.0% of analysed pollen samples were partially (>50%) and 4.2% were highly monofloral (i.e. containing >90% of one pollen type). Prevalence of monofloral pollen samples peaked at the beginning and the end of the season, when pollen diversity was the lowest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Brodschneider
- University of Graz, Institute of Biology, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria.
| | - Kristina Gratzer
- University of Graz, Institute of Biology, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | | | - Helmut Heigl
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Ltd., Institute for Seed and Propagating Material, Plant Protection Service and Apiculture, Department for Apiculture and Bee Protection, Vienna, Austria
| | - Waltraud Auer
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Ltd., Institute for Seed and Propagating Material, Plant Protection Service and Apiculture, Department for Apiculture and Bee Protection, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rudolf Moosbeckhofer
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Ltd., Institute for Seed and Propagating Material, Plant Protection Service and Apiculture, Department for Apiculture and Bee Protection, Vienna, Austria
| | - Karl Crailsheim
- University of Graz, Institute of Biology, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
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14
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Morawetz L, Köglberger H, Griesbacher A, Derakhshifar I, Crailsheim K, Brodschneider R, Moosbeckhofer R. Health status of honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera) and disease-related risk factors for colony losses in Austria. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0219293. [PMID: 31287830 PMCID: PMC6615611 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Austrian beekeepers frequently suffered severe colony losses during the last decade similar to trends all over Europe. This first surveillance study aimed to describe the health status of Austrian bee colonies and to analyze the reasons for losses for both the summer and winter season in Austria. In this study 189 apiaries all over Austria were selected using a stratified random sampling approach and inspected three times between July 2015 and spring 2016 by trained bee inspectors. The inspectors made interviews with the beekeepers about their beekeeping practice and the history of the involved colonies. They inspected a total of 1596 colonies for symptoms of nine bee pests and diseases (four of them notifiable diseases) and took bee samples for varroa mite infestation analysis. The most frequently detected diseases were three brood diseases: Varroosis, Chalkbrood and Sacbrood. The notifiable bee pests Aethina tumida and Tropilaelaps spp. were not detected. During the study period 10.8% of the 1596 observed colonies died. Winter proved to be the most critical season, in which 75% of the reported colony losses happened. Risks for suffering summer losses increased significantly, when colonies were weak in July, had queen problems or a high varroa mite infestation level on bees in July. Risks for suffering winter losses increased significantly, when the colonies had a high varroa mite infestation level on bees in September, were weak in September, had a queen older than one year or the beekeeper had few years of beekeeping experience. However, the effect of a high varroa mite infestation level in September had by far the greatest potential to raise the winter losses compared to the other significant factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linde Morawetz
- Department for Apiculture and Bee Protection, Institute for Seed and Propagating Material, Phytosanitary Service and Apiculture, Division for Food Security, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety Ltd., Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- * E-mail:
| | - Hemma Köglberger
- Department for Apiculture and Bee Protection, Institute for Seed and Propagating Material, Phytosanitary Service and Apiculture, Division for Food Security, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety Ltd., Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Antonia Griesbacher
- Department for Statistics and Analytical Epidemiology, Division for Data, Statistics & Risk Assessment, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety Ltd., Graz, Styria, Austria
| | - Irmgard Derakhshifar
- Department for Apiculture and Bee Protection, Institute for Seed and Propagating Material, Phytosanitary Service and Apiculture, Division for Food Security, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety Ltd., Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Karl Crailsheim
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, Styria, Austria
| | | | - Rudolf Moosbeckhofer
- Department for Apiculture and Bee Protection, Institute for Seed and Propagating Material, Phytosanitary Service and Apiculture, Division for Food Security, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety Ltd., Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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15
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Gratzer K, Susilo F, Purnomo D, Fiedler S, Brodschneider R. Challenges for Beekeeping in Indonesia with Autochthonous and Introduced Bees. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/0005772x.2019.1571211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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16
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Brodschneider R, Gratzer K, Heigl H, Auer W, Moosbeckhofer R, Crailsheim K. What We Can (or Cannot) Learn from Multifloral Pollen Pellets. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/0005772x.2018.1483057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Helmut Heigl
- Department for Apiculture and Bee Protection, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Ltd., Institute for Seed and Propagating Material, Plant Protection Service and Apiculture, Vienna, Austria
| | - Waltraud Auer
- Department for Apiculture and Bee Protection, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Ltd., Institute for Seed and Propagating Material, Plant Protection Service and Apiculture, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rudolf Moosbeckhofer
- Department for Apiculture and Bee Protection, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Ltd., Institute for Seed and Propagating Material, Plant Protection Service and Apiculture, Vienna, Austria
| | - Karl Crailsheim
- Department for Apiculture and Bee Protection, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Ltd., Institute for Seed and Propagating Material, Plant Protection Service and Apiculture, Vienna, Austria
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17
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Kuchling S, Kopacka I, Kalcher-Sommersguter E, Schwarz M, Crailsheim K, Brodschneider R. Investigating the role of landscape composition on honey bee colony winter mortality: A long-term analysis. Sci Rep 2018; 8:12263. [PMID: 30116056 PMCID: PMC6095838 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-30891-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The health of honey bee colonies is, amongst others, affected by the amount, quality and diversity of available melliferous plants. Since landscape is highly diverse throughout Austria regarding the availability of nutritional resources, we used data from annual surveys on honey bee colony losses ranging over six years to analyse a possible relationship with land use. The data set comprises reports from a total of 6,655 beekeepers and 129,428 wintered honey bee colonies. Regions surrounding the beekeeping operations were assigned to one of six clusters according to their composition of land use categories by use of a hierarchical cluster analysis, allowing a rough distinction between urban regions, regions predominated by semi-natural areas and pastures, and mainly agricultural environments. We ran a Generalised Linear Mixed Model and found winter colony mortality significantly affected by operation size, year, and cluster membership, but also by the interaction of year and cluster membership. Honey bee colonies in regions composed predominantly of semi-natural areas, coniferous forests and pastures had the lowest loss probability in four out of six years, and loss probabilities within these regions were significantly lower in five out of six years compared to those within regions composed predominantly of artificial surfaces, broad-leaved and coniferous forest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Kuchling
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) GmbH, Data, Statistics and Integrative Risk Assessment, Graz, 8010, Austria
| | - Ian Kopacka
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) GmbH, Data, Statistics and Integrative Risk Assessment, Graz, 8010, Austria.
| | | | - Michael Schwarz
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) GmbH, Data, Statistics and Integrative Risk Assessment, Vienna, 1210, Austria
| | - Karl Crailsheim
- University of Graz, Institute of Biology, Graz, 8010, Austria
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18
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Kovac H, Stabentheiner A, Brodschneider R. Foraging strategy of wasps - optimisation of intake rate or energetic efficiency? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:jeb.174169. [PMID: 29844200 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.174169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In endothermic wasps, foraging is an expensive activity. To maximise the benefit for the colony, wasps can optimise either the intake rate or energetic efficiency of a foraging trip. We investigated the foraging behaviour of vespine wasps under variable environmental and reward conditions. We trained them to forage for 0.5 mol l-1 sucrose solution from an artificial flower in a flow-through respiratory measurement chamber, and simultaneously measured their body temperature using infrared thermography to investigate interactions between thermoregulation and energetics. Measurement of carbon dioxide release (for energetic calculations) and load mass enabled the direct determination of foraging efficiency. An unlimited reward increased the wasps' energetic effort to increase the suction speed through high body temperatures. With reduced reward (limited flow), when an increased body temperature could not increase suction speed, the wasps decreased their body temperature to reduce the metabolic effort. Solar heat gain was used differently, either to increase body temperature without additional metabolic effort or to save energy. The foraging efficiency was mainly determined by the flow rate, ambient temperature and solar heat gain. In shade, an unlimited sucrose flow and a high ambient temperature yielded the highest energetic benefit. A limited flow reduced foraging efficiency in the shade, but only partly in sunshine. Solar radiation boosted the efficiency at all reward rates. Wasps responded flexibly to varying reward conditions by maximising intake rate at unlimited flow and switching to the optimisation of foraging efficiency when the intake rate could not be enhanced due to a limited flow rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helmut Kovac
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Anton Stabentheiner
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Robert Brodschneider
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria
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Brodschneider R, Libor A, Kupelwieser V, Crailsheim K. Food consumption and food exchange of caged honey bees using a radioactive labelled sugar solution. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0174684. [PMID: 28355267 PMCID: PMC5371368 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 03/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We measured the distribution of sugar solution within groups of caged honey bees (Apis mellifera) under standard in vitro laboratory conditions using 14C polyethylene glycol as a radioactive marker to analyze ingestion by individual bees after group feeding. We studied the impact of different experimental setups by varying the number of bees, age of bees, origin of bees, duration of experiment, the amount of available diet, and the influence of the neurotoxic pesticide imidacloprid in the diet on the feeding and food sharing behavior (trophallaxis). Sugar solution was non-uniformly distributed in bees in 36 out of 135 cages. As a measure of the extent to which the sugar diet was equally distributed between caged bees, we calculated the (inner 80%) intake ratio by dividing the intake of the 90th percentile bee by the intake of the 10th percentile bee. This intake ratio ranged from 1.3 to 94.8 in 133 individual cages, further supporting a non-uniform distribution of food among caged bees. We can expect a cage with 10 or 30 bees containing one bee that ingests, on average, the 8.8-fold of the bee in the same cage ingesting the smallest quantity of food. Inner 80% intake ratios were lower in experiments with a permanent or chronic offering of labelled sugar solution compared to temporary or acute feedings. After pooling the data of replicates to achieve a higher statistical power we compared different experimental setups. We found that uniform food distribution is best approached with 10 newly emerged bees per cage, which originate from a brood comb from a single colony. We also investigated the trophallaxis between caged honey bees which originally consumed the diet and newly added bees. Color marked bees were starved and added to the cages in a ratio of 10:5 or 20:20 after the initial set of bees consumed all the labelled sugar solution. The distribution of the labelled sugar solution by trophallaxis within 48 hours to added bees was 25% (10:5) or 45% (20:20) of the initial sugar solution. Imidacloprid at its median lethal dose (LD50) in the sugar solution reduced this post-feeding food transmission to 27% (20:20). Our results show that differences in food intake exist within caged bees that may lead to differential exposure that can influence the interpretation of toxicity tests.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anika Libor
- Institute of Zoology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
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20
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Switanek M, Crailsheim K, Truhetz H, Brodschneider R. Modelling seasonal effects of temperature and precipitation on honey bee winter mortality in a temperate climate. Sci Total Environ 2017; 579:1581-1587. [PMID: 27916302 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.11.178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2016] [Revised: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 11/24/2016] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Insect pollinators are essential to global food production. For this reason, it is alarming that honey bee (Apis mellifera) populations across the world have recently seen increased rates of mortality. These changes in colony mortality are often ascribed to one or more factors including parasites, diseases, pesticides, nutrition, habitat dynamics, weather and/or climate. However, the effect of climate on colony mortality has never been demonstrated. Therefore, in this study, we focus on longer-term weather conditions and/or climate's influence on honey bee winter mortality rates across Austria. Statistical correlations between monthly climate variables and winter mortality rates were investigated. Our results indicate that warmer and drier weather conditions in the preceding year were accompanied by increased winter mortality. We subsequently built a statistical model to predict colony mortality using temperature and precipitation data as predictors. Our model reduces the mean absolute error between predicted and observed colony mortalities by 9% and is statistically significant at the 99.9% confidence level. This is the first study to show clear evidence of a link between climate variability and honey bee winter mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Switanek
- University of Graz, Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change, Brandhofgasse 5, 8010 Graz, Austria.
| | - Karl Crailsheim
- University of Graz, Institute of Zoology, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Heimo Truhetz
- University of Graz, Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change, Brandhofgasse 5, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Robert Brodschneider
- University of Graz, Institute of Zoology, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
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21
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Krainer S, Brodschneider R, Vollmann J, Crailsheim K, Riessberger-Gallé U. Effect of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) on mortality of artificially reared honey bee larvae (Apis mellifera carnica). Ecotoxicology 2016; 25:320-328. [PMID: 26590927 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-015-1590-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/13/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a heat-formed, acid-catalyzed contaminant of sugar syrups, which find their way into honey bee feeding. As HMF was noted to be toxic to adult honey bees, we investigated the toxicity of HMF towards larvae. Therefore we exposed artificially reared larvae to a chronic HMF intoxication over 6 days using 6 different concentrations (5, 50, 750, 5000, 7500 and 10,000 ppm) and a control. The mortality was assessed from day 2 to day 7 (d7) and on day 22 (d22). Concentrations ranging from 5 to 750 ppm HMF did not show any influence on larval or pupal mortality compared to controls (p > 0.05; Kaplan-Meier analysis). Concentrations of 7500 ppm or higher caused a larval mortality of 100%. An experimental LC50 of 4280 ppm (d7) and 2424 ppm (d22) was determined. The calculated LD50 was 778 µg HMF per larva on d7 and 441 µg HMF on d22. Additionally, we exposed adult honey bees to high concentrations of HMF to compare the mortality to the results from larvae. On d7 larvae are much more sensitive against HMF than adult honey bees after 6 days of feeding. However, on d22 after emergence adults show a lower LC50, which indicates a higher sensitivity than larvae. As toxicity of HMF against honey bees is a function of time and concentration, our results indicate that HMF in supplemental food will probably not cause great brood losses. Yet sublethal effects might decrease fitness of the colony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Krainer
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria.
| | - Robert Brodschneider
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Jutta Vollmann
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Karl Crailsheim
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Ulrike Riessberger-Gallé
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
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Kovac H, Stabentheiner A, Brodschneider R. What do foraging wasps optimize in a variable environment, energy investment or body temperature? J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2015; 201:1043-52. [PMID: 26286881 PMCID: PMC4611018 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-015-1033-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2014] [Revised: 07/28/2015] [Accepted: 07/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Vespine wasps (Vespula sp.) are endowed with a pronounced ability of endothermic heat production. To show how they balance energetics and thermoregulation under variable environmental conditions, we measured the body temperature and respiration of sucrose foragers (1.5 M, unlimited flow) under variable ambient temperature (Ta = 20–35 °C) and solar radiation (20–570 W m−2). Results revealed a graduated balancing of metabolic efforts with thermoregulatory needs. The thoracic temperature in the shade depended on ambient temperature, increasing from ~37 to 39 °C. However, wasps used solar heat gain to regulate their thorax temperature at a rather high level at low Ta (mean Tthorax ~ 39 °C). Only at high Ta they used solar heat to reduce their metabolic rate remarkably. A high body temperature accelerated the suction speed and shortened foraging time. As the costs of foraging strongly depended on duration, the efficiency could be significantly increased with a high body temperature. Heat gain from solar radiation enabled the wasps to enhance foraging efficiency at high ambient temperature (Ta = 30 °C) by up to 63 %. The well-balanced change of economic strategies in response to environmental conditions minimized costs of foraging and optimized energetic efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helmut Kovac
- Institute of Zoology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria.
| | - Anton Stabentheiner
- Institute of Zoology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria.
| | - Robert Brodschneider
- Institute of Zoology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
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Brodschneider R, Arnold G, Hrassnigg N, Crailsheim K. Does Patriline Composition Change over a Honey Bee Queen's Lifetime? Insects 2012; 3:857-69. [PMID: 26466632 PMCID: PMC4553593 DOI: 10.3390/insects3030857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2012] [Revised: 08/27/2012] [Accepted: 08/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
A honey bee queen mates with a number of drones a few days after she emerges as an adult. Spermatozoa of different drones are stored in her spermatheca and used for the rest of the queen's life to fertilize eggs. Sperm usage is thought to be random, so that the patriline distribution within a honey bee colony would remain constant over time. In this study we assigned the progeny of a naturally mated honey bee queen to patrilines using microsatellite markers at the queen's age of two, three and four years. No significant changes in patriline distribution occurred within each of two foraging seasons, with samples taken one and five months apart, respectively. Overall and pair-wise comparisons between the three analyzed years reached significant levels. Over the three-year period we found a trend for patrilines to become more equally represented with time. It is important to note that this study was performed with a single queen, and thus individual and population variation in sperm usage patterns must be assessed. We discuss long-term changes in patriline composition due to mixing processes in the queen's spermatheca, following incomplete mixing of different drones' sperm after mating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Brodschneider
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, CCS, Bloco Bss 31, University City, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP: 21.941-902, Brazil.
| | - Gérard Arnold
- Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria.
| | - Norbert Hrassnigg
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, CCS, Bloco Bss 31, University City, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP: 21.941-902, Brazil.
| | - Karl Crailsheim
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, CCS, Bloco Bss 31, University City, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP: 21.941-902, Brazil.
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Stabentheiner A, Kovac H, Brodschneider R. Honeybee colony thermoregulation--regulatory mechanisms and contribution of individuals in dependence on age, location and thermal stress. PLoS One 2010; 5:e8967. [PMID: 20126462 PMCID: PMC2813292 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0008967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2009] [Accepted: 01/11/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Honeybee larvae and pupae are extremely stenothermic, i.e. they strongly depend on accurate regulation of brood nest temperature for proper development (33–36°C). Here we study the mechanisms of social thermoregulation of honeybee colonies under changing environmental temperatures concerning the contribution of individuals to colony temperature homeostasis. Beside migration activity within the nest, the main active process is “endothermy on demand” of adults. An increase of cold stress (cooling of the colony) increases the intensity of heat production with thoracic flight muscles and the number of endothermic individuals, especially in the brood nest. As endothermy means hard work for bees, this eases much burden of nestmates which can stay ectothermic. Concerning the active reaction to cold stress by endothermy, age polyethism is reduced to only two physiologically predetermined task divisions, 0 to ∼2 days and older. Endothermic heat production is the job of bees older than about two days. They are all similarly engaged in active heat production both in intensity and frequency. Their active heat production has an important reinforcement effect on passive heat production of the many ectothermic bees and of the brood. Ectothermy is most frequent in young bees (<∼2 days) both outside and inside of brood nest cells. We suggest young bees visit warm brood nest cells not only to clean them but also to speed up flight muscle development for proper endothermy and foraging later in their life. Young bees inside brood nest cells mostly receive heat from the surrounding cell wall during cold stress, whereas older bees predominantly transfer heat from the thorax to the cell wall. Endothermic bees regulate brood comb temperature more accurately than local air temperature. They apply the heat as close to the brood as possible: workers heating cells from within have a higher probability of endothermy than those on the comb surface. The findings show that thermal homeostasis of honeybee colonies is achieved by a combination of active and passive processes. The differential individual endothermic and behavioral reactions sum up to an integrated action of the honeybee colony as a superorganism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Stabentheiner
- Institut für Zoologie, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Graz, Austria
- * E-mail: (AS); (HK)
| | - Helmut Kovac
- Institut für Zoologie, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Graz, Austria
- * E-mail: (AS); (HK)
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25
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Abstract
In addition to honeybee workers, drones also contribute to colonial thermoregulation. We show the drones' contribution to thermoregulation at 5 different experimental temperatures ranging from 15-34 °C. The frequency and the degree of endothermy depended on the drones' local ambient temperature and age. Location on brood or non-brood areas had no influence. The frequency of endothermic drones and the intensity of endothermy increased with decreasing temperature. 30% of drones of 8 days and older heated their thorax by more than 1 °C above the abdomen. The youngest drones (0-2 days) did not exceed this level of endothermy. Though young drones were less often engaged in active heat production, their contribution to brood warming was not insignificant because their abundance on the brood nest was 3.5 times higher than that of the oldest drones (≥13 days). Results suggest that the stimulus for the drones' increased frequency of heating at low experimental temperatures was their low local ambient air and/or comb temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helmut Kovac
- Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Institut für Zoologie, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
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