Origen y biodiversidad del polen apícola

El polen apícola tiene un gran interés desde el punto de vista ambiental, en terapéutica para la prevención y tratamiento de distintas patologías, y como suplemento alimenticio por su gran valor nutricional. La encargada de llevar a cabo este proceso de producción de polen apícola (polen, néctar y secreciones salivales) es la abeja, uno de los polinizadores de mayor importancia. Existe una relación de mutualismo entre plantas y polinizadores que desempeña una función muy importante en la generación de la biodiversidad en la Tierra. Existen evidencias claras de un reciente descenso de polinizadores así como una disminución paralela de las plantas que dependen de ellos. Son varios los factores potenciales que afectan a la biodiversidad en general y a la abundancia y diversidad de polinizadores en particular. Los diferentes factores ambientales raramente actúan de forma aislada (solo existen estudios de los factores de forma aislada), producen efecto por interacción con otros. Entre los factores se encuentra: modificaciones en el uso del territorio (la pérdida de hábitats reduce la diversidad y abundancia de abejas), utilización de productos químicos, introducción de especies exóticas (avispa asiática, Vespa velutina) y cambio climático global. En el estudio realizado, se obtiene la biodiversidad polínica y botánica de 53 muestras de 3 localidades de Guadalajara (Castilla la Mancha) y 1 localidad que pertenece a la Comunidad de Madrid. Han sido facilitadas por el Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental de Marchamalo (CIAPA). En dicho estudio se ha podido observar cómo influyen en la biodiversidad polínica y botánica distintos factores ambientales como la altitud y el entorno paisajístico, así como los modelos de intervención y conservación del medio ambiente y de los ecosistemas llevados a cabo en Molina de Aragón que influyen positivamente en la biodiversidad

COLOSS B-RAP expert evaluation of beekeeping advice from ChatGPT, part 1

The advanced language model ChatGPT is capable of understanding and generating human-like text. It can be integrated into various services, ranging from customer support to educational platforms, providing personalized assistance, information and guidance. For straightforward, low-complexity medical quest­ions, ChatGPT has been shown to have potential as an AI-assisted decision support tool in medicine (Harskamp & De Clercq, Citation2024). In apiculture, hive management is an important factor in maintaining healthy and productive honey bee colonies (Sperandio et al., Citation2019; Steinhauer et al., Citation2021). Artificial intelligence-based linguistic models could provide an easy-to-access advisory service in countries where no advisory services are available or to relieve advisors. At a workshop of the COLOSS core project B-RAP (Fabricius Kristiansen et al., Citation2022) held in Olomouc, Czechia, in February 2024, we, therefore, tested the ability of ChatGPT3.5 to deal with some common questions in beekeeping. The question formulation always included rough information on location and date and formulated the beekeeping-related problem as a question allowing an open answer. The panel of 13 experts present (researchers, beekeeping advisors, veterinarians), many of them beekeepers themselves, evaluated the answers

Emerging Risk of Cross-Species Transmission of Honey Bee Viruses in the Presence of Invasive Vespid Species

The increase in invasive alien species is a concern for the environment. The establishment of some of these species may be changing the balance between pathogenicity and host factors, which could alter the defense strategies of native host species. Vespid species are among the most successful invasive animals, such as the genera Vespa, Vespula and Polistes. Bee viruses have been extensively studied as an important cause of honey bee population losses. However, knowledge about the transmission of honey bee viruses in Vespids is a relevant and under-researched aspect. The role of some mites such as Varroa in the transmission of honey bee viruses is clearer than in the case of Vespidae. This type of transmission by vectors has not yet been clarified in Vespidae, with interspecific relationships being the main hypotheses accepted for the transmission of bee viruses. A majority of studies describe the presence of viruses or their replicability, but aspects such as the symptomatology in Vespids or the ability to infect other hosts from Vespids are scarcely discussed. Highlighting the case of Vespa velutina as an invader, which is causing huge losses in European beekeeping, is of special interest. The pressure caused by V. velutina leads to weakened hives that become susceptible to pathogens. Gathering this information is necessary to promote further research on the spread of bee viruses in ecosystems invaded by invasive species of Vespids, as well as to prevent the decline of bee populations due to bee viruses

Soil and vegetation dynamics in a chronosequence of abandoned vineyards

Euro-Mediterranean countries have undergone radical changes in their traditional landscapes due to the abandonment of rural areas. Natural vegetation rapidly colonizes abandoned lands and cause changes in ecosystem functioning. Our main objective was to study how time since abandonment of vineyards influences the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil and the vegetation composition and cover. In 2016, we selected a chronosequence of six abandoned vineyards (1, 3, 7, 11, 25 and 40 years), an active vineyard, and a plot of land that has not been used as a vineyard for at least the last 60 years. Soil physical-chemical variables, including the organic matter fractions and available nutrients, were analysed. To observe the variation in the biochemical properties of the soils, the activities of 11 enzymes were determined, relating to the main macronutrient cycles: carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and sulphur (S) cycling. Three sites (1 m2 ) were randomly established on each plot within the area occupied by annual grasslands, and species cover was estimated in order to obtain the species density and cover of plant functional traits. Our results showed that the abandonment caused major changes in the functioning of the ecosystems. Secondary succession in abandoned vineyards was characterized by a significant increase in plant species density and by changes in the composition of the annual grasslands, from an early brassicaceous community to a late cistaceous community. This was accompanied by an increase in soil TOC (0.38–1.78%) and TN (0.14 to 0.26 %) content, and the activity of most enzymes. These changes occurred more rapidly during the first two decades after abadonment

Interannual climate variability determines the efficiency of functional recovery in dry Mediterranean abandoned vineyards

European abandoned lands have been increasing in recent decades, and this is occurring in a climate change scenario in which the consequences of their interactions are still little known. We tested the hypothesis that the functionality of abandoned lands responds differently to year‐to‐year climate variations depending on the time since the cessation of agricultural activity. We constructed a chronosequence in Mediterranean abandoned vineyards at six different years of abandonment in 2016 (1, 3, 7, 11, 25, 40), in a current vineyard and in land not dedicated to vineyards. Soil total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and available nutrients, enzyme activities relating to the main macronutrient cycles and plant‐community attributes were studied at 24 sites over three consecutive years. A total of 144 samplings were performed. TOC, TN, most enzyme activities and plant species density increased throughout the chronosequence, although interannual climate variability also had a significant influence. The extreme drought event increased the activity of enzymes related to the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycle, as well as the stock of TOC after a subsequent decrease in TOC when environmental conditions became favourable. In contrast, plant species density and the cover of certain plant functional traits such as mycorrhizal symbiotic plants (Cistaceae) and N‐fixers (Fabaceae) decreased significantly. Our results also demonstrated that extreme drought events had a higher negative impact on lands that had been abandoned for longer. We therefore conclude that extreme drought events damage the functionality of Mediterranean abandoned agrosystems, thus affecting all its compartments and jeopardising its functionality

Embryo, relocation and secondary nests of the invasive species Vespa velutina in Galicia (NW Spain)

Invasive species become established in non-native areas due to their intrinsic characteristics and the ability to adapt to new environments. This work describes the characteristics of the nesting behavior of the invasive yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) in Galicia (Northwest Spain). The first nest was detected in the area in 2012 and after that, the distribution pattern shows a species-invasion curve with slow progress at first but followed by rapid expansion. The nesting places for this hornet differ between the kinds of nests, while embryo nests are mainly found in buildings in spring, secondary nests are observed in vegetation in summer, autumn, and winter. The annual life cycle starts when the queen builds the embryo nests and starts to lay eggs. This leads to the emergence of the first workers, usually small in size, and sometimes a few males. After this stage, large nests called secondary nests are normally observed in most exposed sites. Relocation nests can also be observed; these are nests in the first stage of development presenting adults insects but without brood or meconium. The period of decline is characterized by the emergence of new queens and males, that are distinguishable even in the pupal stage, the appearance of two eggs per cell, and an irregular brood pattern.INTERREG ATLANTIC AREA PROGRAM | Ref. EAPA_800/2018-Atlantic-POSitiveXunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481D-2022-02

Tools for the internationalization of educational material in the University: the case of micro-videos on biodiversity at the UCM

Este proyecto inicia la universalización de material educativo audiovisual a partir de ofertar micro-videos en ingles sobre la biodiversidad dirigidos a los diferentes componentes de la comunidad educativa internacional.This project initiates the universalization of audiovisual educational material from offering micro-videos in English on biodiversity aimed at the different components of the international educational community.Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónFac. de Ciencias BiológicasFALSEsubmitte