Wind Speed Affects Pollination Success in Blackberries

Pollination of wild plants and agricultural crops is a vitally important ecosystem service. Many landscape and environmental factors influence the pollination success of crops, including distance from natural habitat, wind speed, and solar radiation. Although there is a general consensus that increasing distance from forest decreases pollination success, few studies have examined the influence of specific environmental factors. In this study, we examined which environmental factors influence the pollination success of blackberries (Rubus glaucus). We measured the number of fruitlets per berry, a proxy for pollination success, as well as the weight and sweetness of each berry. Our results indicate that number of fruitlets is positively correlated with wind speed, but number of unripe red berries per bush is negatively correlated with wind speed. In addition, sweetness increased with increasing numbers of red berries per bush but was lower when flowers and berries were present, though this result should be considered with caution due to methodological limitations. Our findings suggest that a little studied environmental factor, wind, has a large impact on the number of fruitlets in blackberries. Although our findings should be confirmed in other locations to draw broader conclusions, they suggest that producers should consider the effect of wind on blackberry yield to optimize blackberry production

Assessing Sperm Quality in Stingless Bees

Although stingless bees have a great potential as commercial pollinators, their exploitation depends on the successful reproduction of colonies on a large scale. To do so, it is essential to develop accurate diagnostic tools that facilitate a better understanding of the reproductive biology of stingless bees. Sperm counts, sperm morphology and sperm viability (the relative proportion of live to dead sperm), are key parameters assessing semen quality and potential fertilization success. Here we present standardized protocols to assess these three parameters. We used Scaptotrigona aff. depilis (Moure) as a study model. Semen extractions from the seminal vesicles were found to yield better results when performed in mature rather than in younger males. For morphology and viability analyses, the best semen dilution on Hayes solution was adding 120 µl to the contents of the two seminal vesicles. For sperm count, however, we recommend a higher dilution (1.000 µl). Sperm viability values were higher when Hayes solution was adjusted to pH 8.7 and no difference were found in sperm viability when analyzing fresh semen, and semen collected 1, 3 and 5 hours prior to the analyzes. However, we found a significant decrease in sperm viability when analyzing sperm collected 24 hours beforehand. The protocols seem sensitive and efficient, and show great potential to be used in other stingless bee species

Deformed wing virus and drone mating flights in the honey bee ( Apis mellifera ): implications for sexual transmission of a major honey bee virus

Deformed wing virus (DWV) represents an ideal model to study the interaction between mode of transmission and virulence in honey bees since it exhibits both horizontal and vertical transmissions. However, it is not yet clear if venereal-vertical transmission represents a regular mode of transmission for this virus in natural honey bee populations. Here, we provide clear evidence for the occurrence of high DWV titres in the endophallus of sexually mature drones collected from drone congregation areas (DCAs). Furthermore, the endophallus DWV titres of drones collected at their maternal hives were no different from drones collected at nearby DCAs, suggesting that high-titre DWV infection of the endophallus does not hinder the ability of drones to reach the mating area. The results are discussed within the context of the dispersal of DWV between colonies and the definition of DWV virulence with respect to the transmission route and the types of tissues infecte

PROPOSTA PARA A DETERMINAÇÃO DE CAVERNAS DE DIMENSÕES NOTÁVEIS EM CAVERNAS FERRÍFERAS

Com o intuito de contribuir com a definição de uma metodologia adequada para a seleção de excepcionalidades dimensionais, no presente trabalho: 1) Comparou-se diferentes metodologias para estabelecer a categoria “dimensões notáveis” utilizando uma amostra de 1451 cavernas ferríferas da Serra dos Carajás, Pará, Brasil; 2) Avaliou-se diferentes distribuições de probabilidade, de forma a determinar o melhor ajuste das medidas espeleométricas; e 3) Avaliou-se por meio de simulações a influência da assimetria na distribuição dos dados sobre as diferentes metodologias utilizadas para definir a categoria “dimensões notáveis”. Os resultados mostram que os diferentes métodos resultam em um número distinto de cavidades classificadas como de máxima relevância por dimensões notáveis. Conforme encontrado em trabalhos anteriores, as análises revelam que as variáveis espeleométricas utilizadas seguem uma distribuição log-normal. Finalmente, as simulações indicam que maioria dos métodos empregados são influenciados pelo grau de assimetria da distribuição dos dados. Com base nestes resultados, sugere-se o método de quartis como o mais indicado para estabelecer dimensões notáveis, já que ele foi o único que não foi influenciado pela assimetria na distribuição dos dados

PONTOS CRÍTICOS DE AGROECOSSISTEMAS MELÍPONAS NO SEMIÁRIDO NORTE-RIO-GRANDENSE DO BRASIL

Embora a criação de abelhas sem ferrão (meliponicultura) no Semiárido brasileiro tenha se apresentado como uma ferramenta aliada do desenvolvimento sustentável, a avaliação da sustentabilidade dessa atividade nesse espaço geográfico ainda precisa ser realizada como contribuições para torná-la uma prática mais atrativa e promissora. Diante dessa questão, o objetivo deste artigo é identificar os pontos críticos de agroecossistemas melíponas no Semiárido norte-rio-grandense do Brasil. Para isso, aplicaram-se os dois primeiros passos da ferramenta Marco para a Avaliação de Sistemas de Manejo de Recursos Naturais Incorporando Indicadores de Sustentabilidade (MESMIS) em 15 unidades de análise. Os dados foram coletados entre junho e setembro de 2014 e sistematizados a partir de fontes bibliográficas, aplicação de entrevistas semiestruturadas com os meliponicultores, mensuração do uso e ocupação do solo de cada sistema e observação direta dos pesquisadores. Os resultados evidenciam sete pontos críticos (vegetação, água, clima, diversidade, manejo, organização e capacitação). Com isso, este estudo revela aspectos positivos e negativos da criação de abelhas sem ferrão, sendo um dos pioneiros retratos na busca pela avaliação da sustentabilidade da meliponicultura em pleno Semiárido brasileiro

Everything you always wanted to know about gene flow in tropical landscapes (but were afraid to ask)

The bulk of the world’s biodiversity is found in tropical regions, which are increasingly threatened by the human-led degradation of natural habitats. Yet, little is known about tropical biodiversity responses to habitat loss and fragmentation. Here we review all available literature assessing landscape effects on gene flow in tropical species, aiming to help unravel the factors underpinning functional connectivity in the tropics. We map and classify studies by focus species, the molecular markers employed, statistical approaches to assess landscape effects on gene flow, and the evaluated landscape and environmental variables. We then compare qualitatively and quantitatively landscape effects on gene flow across species and units of analysis. We found 69 articles assessing landscape effects on gene flow in tropical organisms, most of which were published in the last five years, were concentrated in the Americas, and focused on amphibians or mammals. Most studies employed population-level approaches, microsatellites were the preferred type of markers, and Mantel and partial Mantel tests the most common statistical approaches used. While elevation, land cover and forest cover were the most common gene flow predictors assessed, habitat suitability was found to be a common predictor of gene flow. A third of all surveyed studies explicitly assessed the effect of habitat degradation, but only 14 of these detected a reduced gene flow with increasing habitat loss. Elevation was responsible for most significant microsatellite-based isolation by resistance effects and a single study reported significant isolation by non-forested areas in an ant. Our study reveals important knowledge gaps on the study of landscape effects on gene flow in tropical organisms, and provides useful guidelines on how to fill them

Valuing nature's contribution to people: The pollination services provided by two protected areas in Brazil

The assessment of nature's contribution to people (NCP) is an important strategy for decision-making given the increasing need to reconcile biodiversity and human society with conservation. A monetary and a non-monetary approaches were combined to evaluate the pollination services provided by two Brazilian protected areas (PAs) in northern (Serra da Bocaina, Pará) and southeastern region (Mata do Jambreiro, Minas Gerais) within the Amazon forest and Atlantic forest biomes, respectively. The monetary valuation methodology was based on the role of pollination for crop production in the municipalities surrounding the PAs, and the non-monetary involved estimating the areas with wider range of resources for sustaining pollinators. In Serra da Bocaina, the total annual monetary value of the pollination services performed by bee species was estimated at approximately 564,000 dollars and in Mata do Jambreiro, 246,000 dollars, both for 2016. The non-monetary valuation highlighted the PAs and their surrounding areas with denser plant coverage. The methods used in this study allowed us to evaluate and integrate different types of information: bee diversity data, the spatial data of the PAs and their surroundings, and the economic value of the agricultural production of the neighbouring municipalities. The results can be applied in management and sustainability studies aiming to increase awareness about the importance of PAs and their value and importance for agricultural production. This study demonstrates where efforts can be concentrated for future proposals for valuating pollination services and conservation strategies, especially in areas where data are scarce. © 2019 The Author