26 research outputs found

    DNA barcoding applied: identifying the larva of Merodon avidus (Diptera: Syrphidae)

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    The immature stages of phytophagous hoverflies and their plant hosts are mostly unknown. This paper describes the larva of Merodon avidus Rossi, 1790 (Diptera: Syrphidae), based on material collected from Đerdap National Park in Serbia. Larvae were found in the bulbs of Ornithogalum L. (Hyacinthaceae) and in the surrounding soil. DNA barcoding was used to identify the species and scanning electron microscopy was used to describe the morphological characteristics of Merodon avidus. Reared material previously identified as Merodon constans (Rossi, 1794) is shown to belong to M. hurkmansi Marcos-Garcƭa, Vujić & Mengual, 2007.This study was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia, Grant No. 173002 and Grant No. 43002, the Provincial Secretariat for Science and Technological Development, Grant No. 114-457-2173/2011-01 and by the project Status and Trends of European Pollinators, FP7-ENV-2009-1-244090 (STEP)

    Polyphenol profile of buckwheat honey, nectar and pollen

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    A focus of research in recent years is the comparison of honey as the final product of bees with pollen and nectar of the plant from which the honey originates, as the main food source for bees. Buckwheat honey is recognized as a nutritionally valuable product, which provides a scientifically proven health benefit and is confirmed as a functional food. The quality of this type of honey is attributed to high levels of phytochemicals in buckwheat. The purpose of this study was the examination of similarity between buckwheat honey and buckwheat nectar and pollen, as well as simultaneous investigation of their chemical profiles and the origin of the honey. The phenolic profile of buckwheat pollen showed a lower number of flavonoids and phenolic acids than those of nectar and honey samples, but confirmed the presence of the most characteristic polyphenols derived from the buckwheat plant. The notable difference was found to be the presence of (epi)catechin units, its galloylated derivatives and procyanidin dimers, which were not present in honey. Honey polyphenols displayed a pronounced correlation with those of nectar, but not with those of pollen. Finally, by comparing the polyphenolic profiles of honey, nectar and pollen sharing the same geographical origin, new data could be provided for a potential assessment of the botanical origin of buckwheat honey

    Using Front-Face Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Biochemical Analysis of Honey to Assess a Marker for the Level of Varroa destructor Infestation of Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Colonies

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    Varroa destructor is a parasitic mite responsible for the loss of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies. This study aimed to find a promising marker in honey for the bee colony infestation level using fluorescence spectroscopy and biochemical analyses. We examined whether the parameters of the honey samplesā€™ fluorescence spectra and biochemical parameters, both related to proteins and phenolics, may be connected with the level of honey bee coloniesā€™ infestation. The infestation level was highly positively correlated with the catalase activity in honey (r = 0.936). Additionally, the infestation level was positively correlated with the phenolic spectral component (r = 0.656), which was tentatively related to the phenolics in honey. No correlation was found between the diastase activity in honey and the coloniesā€™ infestation level. The results indicate that the catalase activity in honey and the PFC1 spectral component may be reliable markers for the V. destructor infestation level of the colonies. The obtained data may be related to the honey yield obtained from the apiaries. Ā© 2023 by the authors

    Remote Sensing of Poplar Phenophase and Leaf Miner Attack in Urban Forests

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    Remote sensing of phenology is adopted as the practice in greenery monitoring. Now research is turned towards the fusion of data from various sensors to fill in the gap in time series and allow monitoring of pests and disturbances. Poplar species were monitored for the determination of the best approach for detecting phenology and disturbances. With the adjustments that include a choice of indices, wavelengths, and a setup, a multispectral camera may be used to calibrate satellite images. The image processing pipeline included different denoising and interpolation methods. The correlation of the changes in a signal of top and lateral imaging proved that the contribution of the whole canopy is reflected in satellite images. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and normalized difference red edge index (NDRE) successfully distinguished among phenophases and detected leaf miner presence, unlike enhanced vegetation index (EVI). Changes in the indices were registered before, during, and after the development of the disease. NDRE is the most sensitive as it distinguished among the different intensities of damage caused by pests but it was not able to forecast its occurrence. An efficient and accurate system for detection and monitoring of phenology enables the improvement of the phenological modelsā€™ quality and creates the basis for a forecast that allows planning in various disciplines
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