The potential impact on Florida-based marina and boating industries of a post-embargo Cuba: an analysis of geographic, physical, policy and industry trends

The information in this Technical Paper addresses the future of the US-Cuban marina and recreational boating industries from the geographic, physical, policy making and economic perspectives for a post-embargo Cuba. Each individual paper builds on the presentations made at the workshop, the information obtained in the subsequent trip to Cuba and presents in detailed form information which we hope is useful to all readers. (147pp.

Artificial reef evaluation capabilities of Florida counties

Florida's coastal county artificial reef sampling and data management programs are surveyed in this report. The survey describes the county level capability for artificial reef documentation and performance assessment based on their needs, interests, organizational structure and "in-situ" data collection and data management techniques. The. primary purpose of this study is to describe what staffing, training, techniques, organizational procedures and equipment are used by the coastal counties to establish local reef assessment projects, if they have such an effort. This information is necessary to help determine the feasibility of implementing standards of data quality assurance and control for a state reef database with information provided by local reef managers. (103pp.

Imidacloprid-Induced Impairment of Mushroom Bodies and Behavior of the Native Stingless Bee Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides

Declines in pollinator colonies represent a worldwide concern. The widespread use of agricultural pesticides is recognized as a potential cause of these declines. Previous studies have examined the effects of neonicotinoid insecticides such as imidacloprid on pollinator colonies, but these investigations have mainly focused on adult honey bees. Native stingless bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponinae) are key pollinators in neotropical areas and are threatened with extinction due to deforestation and pesticide use. Few studies have directly investigated the effects of pesticides on these pollinators. Furthermore, the existing impact studies did not address the issue of larval ingestion of contaminated pollen and nectar, which could potentially have dire consequences for the colony. Here, we assessed the effects of imidacloprid ingestion by stingless bee larvae on their survival, development, neuromorphology and adult walking behavior. Increasing doses of imidacloprid were added to the diet provided to individual worker larvae of the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides throughout their development. Survival rates above 50% were only observed at insecticide doses lower than 0.0056 µg active ingredient (a.i.)/bee. No sublethal effect on body mass or developmental time was observed in the surviving insects, but the pesticide treatment negatively affected the development of mushroom bodies in the brain and impaired the walking behavior of newly emerged adult workers. Therefore, stingless bee larvae are particularly susceptible to imidacloprid, as it caused both high mortality and sublethal effects that impaired brain development and compromised mobility at the young adult stage. These findings demonstrate the lethal effects of imidacloprid on native stingless bees and provide evidence of novel serious sublethal effects that may compromise colony survival. The ecological and economic importance of neotropical stingless bees as pollinators, their susceptibility to insecticides and the vulnerability of their larvae to insecticide exposure emphasize the importance of studying these species

Restore it, and they will come : trap-nesting bee and wasp communities (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) are recovered by restoration of riparian forests.

Riparian forests have been greatly affected by anthropogenic actions with formerly continuous riparian forests being slowly converted into small and isolated patches. Riparian forests are extremely important habitats for many groups of insects, including bees and wasps, because they are sources of shelter and food for them and their offspring. There is a growing body of evidence of success in the restoration of riparian forest plant communities; however, little research has been done on the associated invertebrate communities. We test whether restoring plant communities is sufficient for restoring the taxonomic composition of trap-nesting bees and wasps and which functional traits are favored in different sites. We predict that species richness, abundance, and community composition of trap-nesting bees and wasps of riparian sites undergoing restoration will converge on the ?target? of a reference site with increasing time, since restoration increases habitat complexity. We also predict that the width of restored patches will also influence the species richness, abundance and community composition of trap-nesting bees and wasps. Bee richness and abundance, and wasp richness, were strongly related to fragment width, but not to age since restoration. Our results indicate that although restored sites are relatively small and scattered in a fragmented landscape, they provide suitable habitat for re-colonization by community assemblages of trap-nesting bees and wasps and the traits selected captured the responses to the habitat restoration. Hence, restored riparian areas can be considered important habitats for invertebrates, thus contributing to an increase in local biodiversity and, possibly, the restoration of some of the ecosystem services they originally provided