Nachhaltige Entwicklung im Bildungsbereich

Weltweit wird nachhaltige Entwicklung zwar als wichtig betrachtet, allerdings umfasst dieses Konzept mit politischem Ursprung sehr viele Ziele, was das Ableiten von Zielen für den Bildungsbereich sowie die Erfassung der Zielerreichung erschwert. Darüber hinaus gibt es bisher wenige Untersuchungen die nachhaltige Entwicklung im Grundschulkontext analysieren. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es daher aufzuzeigen, wie nachhaltige Entwicklung vor allem bezogen auf ausgewählten Zielsetzungen Perspektiveneinnahme und naturverbundene Einstellung im Bildungsbereich und spezifisch auf Grundschulebene anhand einer Lerneinheit umgesetzt werden kann. Die Ergebnisse der empirischen Studie zeigten, dass Grundschüler vor allem eine kurzfristige Steigerung bezüglich der Einnahme der Perspektiven aufweisen, die vertieft im Rahmen der Lerneinheit gefördert wurden und sich eine Steigerung der naturverbundenen Einstellung erst mittelfristig zeigt. Darüber hinaus wurde der Einfluss verschiedener weiterer Faktoren auf die naturverbundene Einstellung deutlich, wie beispielsweise die Erfahrenheit mit Pflanzen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit wurden größtenteils durch bisherige Befunde und theoretische Ansätze gestützt. Zusammenfassend leistet diese Arbeit einen theoretischen, methodischen und praktischen Beitrag, die nachhaltige Entwicklung, vor allem spezifisch bezogen auf Perspektiveneinnahme und naturverbundene Einstellung, im Grundschulbereich voranzubringen

Nachhaltige Entwicklung im Bildungsbereich

Weltweit wird nachhaltige Entwicklung zwar als wichtig betrachtet, allerdings umfasst dieses Konzept mit politischem Ursprung sehr viele Ziele, was das Ableiten von Zielen für den Bildungsbereich sowie die Erfassung der Zielerreichung erschwert. Darüber hinaus gibt es bisher wenige Untersuchungen die nachhaltige Entwicklung im Grundschulkontext analysieren. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es daher aufzuzeigen, wie nachhaltige Entwicklung vor allem bezogen auf ausgewählten Zielsetzungen Perspektiveneinnahme und naturverbundene Einstellung im Bildungsbereich und spezifisch auf Grundschulebene anhand einer Lerneinheit umgesetzt werden kann. Die Ergebnisse der empirischen Studie zeigten, dass Grundschüler vor allem eine kurzfristige Steigerung bezüglich der Einnahme der Perspektiven aufweisen, die vertieft im Rahmen der Lerneinheit gefördert wurden und sich eine Steigerung der naturverbundenen Einstellung erst mittelfristig zeigt. Darüber hinaus wurde der Einfluss verschiedener weiterer Faktoren auf die naturverbundene Einstellung deutlich, wie beispielsweise die Erfahrenheit mit Pflanzen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit wurden größtenteils durch bisherige Befunde und theoretische Ansätze gestützt. Zusammenfassend leistet diese Arbeit einen theoretischen, methodischen und praktischen Beitrag, die nachhaltige Entwicklung, vor allem spezifisch bezogen auf Perspektiveneinnahme und naturverbundene Einstellung, im Grundschulbereich voranzubringen

Honey bee genotypes and the environment

Although knowledge about honey bee geographic and genetic diversity has increased tremendously in recent decades (Meixner et al., 2013), the adaptation of honey bees to their local environment has not been well studied. The current demand for high economic performance of bee colonies with desirable behavioural characteristics contributes to changing the natural diversity via mass importations and an increasing practice of queen trade and colony movement. At the same time, there is also a growing movement in opposition to this trend, aimed at conserving the natural heritage of local populations, with on-going projects in several countries (Strange et al., 2008; Dall’Olio et al., 2008, De la Rúa et al., 2009)

Immunosuppression response to the neonicotinoid insecticide thiacloprid in females and males of the red mason bee Osmia bicornis L.

Solitary bees are frequently exposed to pesticides, which are considered as one of the main stress factors that may lead to population declines. A strong immune defence is vital for the fitness of bees. However, the immune system can be weakened by environmental factors that may render bees more vulnerable to parasites and pathogens. Here we demonstrate for the first time that field-realistic concentrations of the commonly used neonicotinoid insecticide thiacloprid can severely affect the immunocompetence of Osmia bicornis. In detail, males exposed to thiacloprid solutions of 200 and 555 µg/kg showed a reduction in hemocyte density. Moreover, functional aspects of the immune defence - the antimicrobial activity of the hemolymph - were impaired in males. In females, however, only a concentration of 555 µg/kg elicited similar immunosuppressive effects. Although males are smaller than females, they consumed more food solution. This leads to a 2.77 times higher exposure in males, probably explaining the different concentration thresholds observed between the sexes. In contrast to honeybees, dietary exposure to thiacloprid did not affect melanisation or wound healing in O. bicornis. Our results demonstrate that neonicotinoid insecticides can negatively affect the immunocompetence of O. bicornis, possibly leading to an impaired disease resistance capacity

New microalgae media formulated with completely recycled phosphorus originating from agricultural sidestreams

This study investigated the impact of struvite as a sustainable phosphorus source on the growth and phycocyanin production by the blue-green alga Arthrospira platensis. Three modified growth media were compared to the typical SAG-spirul culture media. CS(+) refers to the completely recycled struvite from bovine urine as a phosphate source, while S(-) and S(+) refer to commercially available struvite as a phosphate source. On media with (+), a pre-treatment was conducted to evaporate NH4, as it negatively affects cell growth and functions of the photosynthetic apparatus at high concentrations, and to release phosphate due to the low solubility of struvite in water. For each medium, three cultures were cultivated in Erlenmeyer flasks for a duration of 42 days. Results showed that no statistically significant negative effect of struvite was found on the growth rates. However, C-phycocyanin (CPC-P) in CS(+) and S(+) was significantly higher compared to CPC-P in untreated growth media. The study hypothesized that low concentrations of NH3 remaining after the pre-treatment of struvite could have a positive impact on phycocyanin accumulation, as an energy efficient and quick nitrogen source for A. platensis

Balancing conflicting needs : a case study in the conservation of the endemic honeybee, Apis mellifera ruttneri

Apis mellifera ruttneri is an endemic honeybee confined to the Maltese Islands and is one of just ten honey bee sub-species described in Europe. It is an important receptacle of environmental adaptations and if it is to thrive, it is essential that suitable habitats that can provide adequate foraging, with minimal exposure to competitors and pathogens are available.peer-reviewe

Present day characters of the honeybee Apis mellifera ruttneri, observations and implications

The honeybee Apis mellifera ruttneri is an endemic sub-species of the Maltese Islands (Sheppard et al., 1997), closely resembling its counterparts from Sicily (A.m. siciliana) and North Africa (A.m. intermissa). As with other island populations, A.m. ruttneri is threatened by the anthropogenic expropriation of its natural habitats and unregulated importations of honeybees. This paper investigates the morphological and genetic characters of local managed colonies in Malta in an attempt to determine whether A. m ruttneri is still extant. A tot al of 332 bees from 35 colonies were subjected to morphometric analysis and examined for 33 of the original 42 parameters described by Ruttner et al. in 1978. Concurrently, mitochondrial DNA from the abdomen and legs of specimens from 52 colonies were also extracted and the region between the tRNAleu gene and the second subunit of the cytochrome oxidase (COX-2) gene were amplified. The calculated means and standard deviations for each character were compared and compared using Discriminant Analysis (DA) with data for honeybees from the closest neighbouring countries. DA confirmed that the present-day characters of A.m. ruttneri, which are described in the paper, share features with A.m. siciliana and A.m. intermissa but, more importantly, retain the features described by Sheppard et al. in 1997. The investigation of the mitochondrial DNA shows that there were six haplotypes (A4, A8, A9, C1, C2 and M7). The implications of these results are then discussed.peer-reviewe

Population Structure and Diversity in European Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.)-An Empirical Comparison of Pool and Individual Whole-Genome Sequencing

Background: Whole-genome sequencing has become routine for population genetic studies. Sequencing of individuals provides maximal data but is rather expensive and fewer samples can be studied. In contrast, sequencing a pool of samples (pool-seq) can provide sufficient data, while presenting less of an economic challenge. Few studies have compared the two approaches to infer population genetic structure and diversity in real datasets. Here, we apply individual sequencing (ind-seq) and pool-seq to the study of Western honey bees (Apis mellifera). Methods: We collected honey bee workers that belonged to 14 populations, including 13 subspecies, totaling 1347 colonies, who were individually (139 individuals) and pool-sequenced (14 pools). We compared allele frequencies, genetic diversity estimates, and population structure as inferred by the two approaches. Results: Pool-seq and ind-seq revealed near identical population structure and genetic diversities, albeit at different costs. While pool-seq provides genome-wide polymorphism data at considerably lower costs, ind-seq can provide additional information, including the identification of population substructures, hybridization, or individual outliers. Conclusions: If costs are not the limiting factor, we recommend using ind-seq, as population genetic structure can be inferred similarly well, with the advantage gained from individual genetic information. Not least, it also significantly reduces the effort required for the collection of numerous samples and their further processing in the laboratory.This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31902219) and Modern Agro-industry Technology Research System (Grant No. CARDS-45-KXJ1). The SmartBees project was funded by the European Commission under its FP7 KBBE programme (2013.1.3-02, SmartBees Grant Agreement number 613960). MP and J.L were supported by the Applied Genomics and Bioinformatics research group (IT1233-19) funded by the Basque Government grant IT1233-19. Additionally, JL was funded by the grant PRE_2017_2_0169 from the Department of Education of the Basque Government

A comparative study of colony performance, hygienic behaviour and parasite and disease infection in the endemic honeybee A. M. Ruttneri and the introduced A. M. Ligustica in Malta

Apis mellifera ruttneri, the honey bee subspecies endemic to Malta, must be regarded as seriously endangered. However, there is a critical need for scientific data to support and guide conservation measures, since only two scientific papers concerning this subspecies were published since its original description in 1997. To this end in June 2017, a first systematic study was initiated to compare colony development, performance, hygienic behaviour and infection levels of honey bee diseases of the endemic honey bee with introduced colonies of A. m. ligustica. A total of 33 colonies (A. m. ruttneri, n=15 and A. m. ligustica, n=18, headed by sister queens) were evenly distributed across two locations on Malta, at a central site UNI (n=17) and a site in the Southern region SIGG (n=16). After an initial treatment against Varroa destructor, no further chemical treatment was performed. Standard methods are used to assess colony productivity and behaviour (number of adult bees, number of brood cells, number of visible cells with pollen) in regular intervals. Hygienic behaviour is assessed using the pin test method; Varroa infestation is monitored using powdered-sugar and natural mite fall methods. Assessment of infection levels with Nosema spp. and the most common honey bee viruses is also being carried out. The selected commercial stocks of A. m. ligustica remain consistently less defensive and calmer on the combs. However, by spring 2018, the A. m. ruttneri colonies in general showed higher numbers of adult bees, brood cells and pollen cells. Early seasonal drone production and significant swarming behaviour were observed in the colonies of the endemic bee, but not in A. m. ligustica colonies. The baseline data on the performance of native and introduced genotypes under Maltese environmental conditions provided by this study will contribute to guiding beekeepers in their decision on queen purchases, and ultimately, support conservation measures for A. m. ruttneri.peer-reviewe