西双版纳热带森林地区不同生境蜜蜂的物种多样性研究

本文研究了西双版纳热带森林地区不同生境蜜蜂的物种多样性。共鉴定蜜蜂总科5科、22属、77种。8个生境的物种丰富度指数D_MA的取值范围在1.914～7.877之间,多样性指数H′的范围是0.608～1.398,均匀度指数J_sw为0.716～0.956,其中保护区、雨林和灌丛拥有较高的物种丰富度指数和多样性指数,橡胶林的最小,而均匀度指数以曼养广龙山最大,农田最小。根据不同生境物种的相似性系数C进行系统聚类,8个生境在相似性系数0.169的水平时全部聚合在一起。傣族龙山在保持雨林的蜜蜂物种多样性中可以起一定的作用,但很有限,且当龙山面积越小,受人为干扰越严重时,物种多样性的损失就越大。雨林一旦被开垦为橡胶林或农田,雨林中原有的许多蜜蜂将会消失,物种多样性显著减少。     

外来西方蜜蜂放蜂密度对云南罗平本地传粉蜂群落结构及物种多样性的影响

【目的】近年来随着交通条件的改善,每年有大量西方蜜蜂Apis mellifera蜂场从全国各地赶到云南放蜂。本研究旨在揭示西方蜜蜂这一外来蜂种对云南本地传粉蜂种类、数量及其物种多样性的影响。【方法】采用马来氏网收集、调查了云南省罗平县西方蜜蜂高放蜂密度试验点(鲁特和走马田)、中放蜂密度试验点(外纳和下阿列)和低放蜂密度试验点(马把和下庄科)共6个试验点包括山林生境和农田生境的本地传粉蜂群落结构;并对比分析了不同放蜂密度、不同生境下各试验点传粉蜂物种多样性指数(H′)、均匀度指数(J′)及丰富度指数(Dm)之间的差异。【结果】采集到的1 715头本地传粉蜂隶属于10科53种,其中蜜蜂科(Apidae)、隧蜂科(Halictidae)和胡蜂科(Vespidae)为优势类群,东方蜜蜂Apis cerana和切淡脉隧蜂Lasioglossum excisum为优势种。在放蜂密度(试验点周围3 km范围内西方蜜蜂蜂群数量)为723～2 750群这一变动范围内,各试验点本地传粉蜂物种数量、个体数量均随西方蜜蜂放蜂密度的增大而减少,物种多样性指数(H′)及丰富度指数(Dm)也相应降低,但西方蜜蜂放蜂密度对本地传粉蜂均匀度指数(J′)没有影响。此外,在相同放蜂密度下,山林生境的本地传粉蜂物种多样性均显著高于农田生境。【结论】云南罗平本地传粉蜂的群落结构及物种多样性受西方蜜蜂放蜂密度的影响,在放蜂密度从723～2 750群这一变动范围内,放蜂密度越大,本地传粉蜂的个体数、物种数、多样性指数和丰富度指数越小。本研究结果为进一步研究合理控制西方蜜蜂放蜂密度以保护云南本地传粉蜂种的多样性提供了思路。     

木蜂属分类学研究概况

木蜂隶属于膜翅目蜜蜂总科蜜蜂科木蜂亚科木蜂族的木蜂属。其个体较大且粗壮,种类多,世界分布广泛,我国种类丰富。该物种在形态、外貌和采食行为上都与木蜂亚科的其他种类有较大差别。简述了木蜂属的分类学和系统发育学研究进展,为进一步研究、保护和利用木蜂资源奠定基础。     

熊蜂生物学及种群影响因素研究进展

熊蜂是膜翅目蜜蜂科熊蜂属内物种的统称,全球约有250种,中国已知125种,是全球熊蜂资源最丰富的国家。该类昆虫是众多野生植物和农作物的重要传粉者,对维持自然生态系统和农业粮食生产极为重要。一些群势强、易于人工饲养的熊蜂物种被开发利用,为多种目标作物授粉。本文介绍了熊蜂的生物学特性和授粉应用现状,综述了栖息地丧失、气候变化、病原体传播、外来物种入侵及化学农药等多重因素对熊蜂种群的影响,并从熊蜂的应用基础研究、资源保护及授粉经济价值评估等多方面作了展望,旨在为中国本土熊蜂的保护、应用和生态功能研究提供参考。     

蜜蜂和其授粉植物的多样性在下降

科学家报告说,不列颠和荷兰的蜜蜂以及被这些蜜蜂授粉的植物的多样性已经减少了。许多农作物和天然植物种群依赖野生昆虫的授粉。虽然研究人员和政策制定曾对授粉“服务”的丢失表示担忧,但是迄今为止究竟有多少授粉昆虫减少还没有证据。Biesmeijer和同事们分析了不列颠和荷兰数据库中1980年以前与以后的蜜蜂和食蚜蝇的观察记录。结果发现,2个国家当地的蜜蜂密度都有所下降,但食蚜蝇的变化没有固定的趋势;靠蜜蜂授粉的植物物种相对其他植物物种也有所下降。现在还不清楚是植物还是蜜蜂先减少的,或两是否都是在响应某种其他因素,但是它们的下降是并行发生的。Scince313：351～354（2006）     

封面照片

正照片示弗里熊蜂Bombus friseanus蜂王(膜翅目:蜜蜂科)访问毛杜鹃Rhododendron pulchrum(杜鹃花科)。弗里熊蜂主要分布于中国华南地区、喜马拉雅山脉以及亚洲东南部,分布区海拔1 200～4 400 m。该虫为云南优势熊蜂物种,是众多野生高山植物的重要传粉昆虫。本期报道了弗里熊蜂蜜罐中糖液成分分析(pp. 90-98)。     

从有意引入到外来入侵--以意大利蜂Apis mellifera L.为例

原产于欧洲、非洲等地的意大利蜜蜂几个世纪以来被人类频繁地有意引入到其它国家和地区,然而其在带来经济利益的同时,意大利蜂凭借其在诸多方面的竞争优势对当地物种和生态系统产生不利影响。本文主要阐述了意大利蜜蜂引入后对我国本地种——中华蜜蜂造成的负面效应：①中华蜜蜂种群数量急剧下降,甚至在某些地区已到了灭绝的边缘;②影响了以中华蜜蜂作为主要传粉媒介的早花乔木、灌木和草本植物的正常繁育,从而降低了物种多样性,破坏了群落结构及其稳定性。     

生态条件的多样性变化对蜜蜂生存的影响

蜜蜂在整个生态系统中起着重要的传花授粉作用,是生态链中不可或缺的物种。随着现代农业的发展,蜜蜂赖以生存的环境遭到破坏,继而引发蜜蜂数量大幅减少,影响了蜂种的生存与可持续发展。总结了近年来生态条件的变化,归纳了影响蜜蜂生存的主要因素,分析了蜜蜂生存艰难的原因,提出了蜜蜂生存的关键问题,并展望了未来维持蜜蜂强群的主要研究方向。     

蜜蜂总科化石新种（昆虫纲：膜翅目）

本文记述了膜翅目熊蜂科、木蜂科和蜜蜂科3属3新种,其中熊蜂科熊蜂属1种:鲁熊蜂Bombus luianus sp. nov., 木蜂科木蜂属1种:硅藻木蜂Xylacopa diatoma sp. nov. 和蜜蜂科蜜蜂属1种:长胫蜜蜂Apis longitibia sp. nov.。所有模式标本均采自山东山旺中新统硅藻土页岩中,现保存在山东省博物馆。     

绿藻门小球藻科的分类学研究进展

小球藻科物种生境范围广,分布于全球各种淡水、海水及陆生环境中,是多种生态系统的重要组成部分,且以其重要的科学和应用价值成为研究热点。由于个体微小及较强的形态可塑性,小球藻科物种能供分辨的形态特征有限,其经典分类学研究和物种鉴定存在诸多困难。随着基于DNA序列的研究方法在分类学研究中的应用,小球藻科历经多次修订,物种组成发生了很大变化,目前,小球藻科包含约48个属258个种。该科分类仍存在许多悬而未决的问题,如有些属、种的分类地位存疑、分类单元的多系起源问题、一些新支系有待进行物种归类。本文系统总结了小球藻科分类学研究历史和现状,并对其中存在的问题及存疑类群进行阐述,探讨了基因组学数据测序情况及其在分类学上的应用前景,以期为小球藻科的系统分类研究和开发利用提供基础参考资料。     

Intensively Cultivated Landscape and Varroa Mite Infestation Are Associated with Reduced Honey Bee Nutritional State

As key pollinators, honey bees are crucial to many natural and agricultural ecosystems. An important factor in the health of honey bees is the availability of diverse floral resources. However, in many parts of the world, high-intensity agriculture could result in a reduction in honey bee forage. Previous studies have investigated how the landscape surrounding honey bee hives affects some aspects of honey bee health, but to our knowledge there have been no investigations of the effects of intensively cultivated landscapes on indicators of individual bee health such as nutritional physiology and pathogen loads. Furthermore, agricultural landscapes in different regions vary greatly in forage and land management, indicating a need for additional information on the relationship between honey bee health and landscape cultivation. Here, we add to this growing body of information by investigating differences in nutritional physiology between honey bees kept in areas of comparatively low and high cultivation in an area generally high agricultural intensity in the Midwestern United States. We focused on bees collected directly before winter, because overwintering stress poses one of the most serious problems for honey bees in temperate climates. We found that honey bees kept in areas of lower cultivation exhibited higher lipid levels than those kept in areas of high cultivation, but this effect was observed only in colonies that were free of Varroa mites. Furthermore, we found that the presence of mites was associated with lower lipid levels and higher titers of deformed wing virus (DWV), as well as a non-significant trend towards higher overwinter losses. Overall, these results show that mite infestation interacts with landscape, obscuring the effects of landscape alone and suggesting that the benefits of improved foraging landscape could be lost without adequate control of mite infestations.     

陕西省常见蜜源植物花粉形态的研究

运用扫描电子显微镜,对陕西省境内３０种常见蜜源植物的花粉粒进行了观察研究,描述了花粉粒的大小、萌发孔类型及其表面纹饰等形态特征。结果表明：绝大多数种的蜜源植物,其花粉粒的形态特征明显不同。本文还就花粉粒形态特征,在鉴定蜜源植物花粉的属种,确定蜂蜜的产地、评价蜂蜜的品质等方面进行了探讨。     

Pollination of strawberry by the stingless bee,Trigona minangkabau,and the honey bee,Apis mellifera: An experimental study of fertilization efficiency

To know basic information about the stingless bee, Trigona minangkabau, and the European honey bee, Apis mellifera, as pollinator of strawberry, we set three greenhouse areas: the honey bee introduced area, the stingless bee introduced area and the control area. Foraging and pollination efficiencies of the two bee species were studied comparatively. During the experimental period (10 days), the stingless bee foraged well and the nest weight did not change, though the honey bee often foraged inefficiently and the nest weight decreased by 2 kg. The average nectar volume of a flower was lower in the honey bee area (0.02 μl) and nearly the same in the other two areas (0.1 μl). We make a numerical model to describe pollination and fertilization process. This model shows that one visit of the honey bee pollinated 11% of achenes and one visit of the stingless bee did 4.7% on average and that 11 visits of the honey bee or 30 visits of the stingless bee are required per flower to attain normal berry (fertilization rate, 87%). In this study, the rate of deformed berries in the stingless bee area (73%) was lower than that of the control area (90%), but higher than that of the honey bee area (51%). From our numerical model, we conclude the stingless bee could pollinate strawberry as well as the honey bee if we introduced 1.8 times of bees used in this experiment.     

The antibacterial activities of honey

Honey is a powerful antimicrobial agent with a wide range of effects. Various components contribute to the antibacterial efficacy of honey: the sugar content; polyphenol compounds; hydrogen peroxide; 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds; and bee defensin-1. All of these elements are present at different concentrations depending on the source of nectar, bee type, and storage. These components work synergistically, allowing honey to be potent against a variety of microorganisms including multidrug resistant bacteria and modulate their resistance to antimicrobial agents. The effectiveness and potency of honey against microorganisms depends on the type of honey produced, which is contingent on its botanical origin, the health of the bee, its origin, and processing method. The application of antibiotics with honey yielded better antimicrobial potential and synergistic effects were noted against biofilms. In medicine, honey has been used in the treatment of surface wounds, burns, and inflammation, and has a synergistic effect when applied with antibiotics. Tissue repair is enhanced by the low pH of honey (3.5–4): causing a reduction in protease activity on the wound site, elevating oxygen release from hemoglobin and stimulating fibroblast and macrophage activity. Furthermore, H₂O₂ has antiseptic effects, and it disinfects the wound site and stimulates production of vascular endothelial growth factor. The use of honey will clean wounds or burn areas from free radicals and reduces scarring and contractures. The anti-inflammatory and antibacterial potential of honey will keep the injured area moist and as such prevents it from deterioration and fibrosis. Honey can promote fast healing and reduce scarring and is very convenient for plastic surgery. Skin maceration is protected by honey due to its high osmolarity and because it keeps the injury moist. In non-infected areas, honey still reduced pain and inflammation. In general, the use of honey in medical settings has reduced economic loss and provided proven economic benefits by lowering direct costs in comparison to conventional treatments and by using less antibiotics, faster healing and less hospitalization stay. This review is intended to provide an overview of the antibacterial activities of honey and its applications.     

Secondary pollen types characteristic of Louisiana honeys

Nine secondary pollen types (those comprising 16–45% of the pollen sample) were recovered from 54 honey samples (10 g) collected from the major beekeeping areas of Louisiana. The pollen types in order of decreasing importance are:Berchemia scandens, rattan vine;Rubus spp., blackberry and dewberry;Salix spp., willow;Trifolium repens, white clover;Glycine max, soybean;Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Virginia creeper; Rosaceae, rose family;Cephalanthus occidentalis, buttonbush; andCornus spp., dogwood. The first four secondary types also appeared as dominant pollen (over 45%) in some of the Louisiana honey samples investigated and were previously reported. The remaining five pollen types and the “bee plants” associated with each pollen type are identified and described.     

European foulbrood in honey bees

European foulbrood (EFB) is a severe bacterial brood disease caused by the Gram-positive bacterium Melissocccus plutonius. The disease has a worldwide distribution and is an increasing problem in some areas. Although the causative agent of EFB was described almost a century ago, many basic aspects of its pathogenesis are still unknown. This review presents both historical results and recent molecular data to synthesize present knowledge of this enigmatic honey bee disease.     

Quality evaluation of Saudi honey harvested from the Asir province by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)

Sugar profile and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) of Saudi honey were examined through high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system equipped with refractive index and diode array detectors. The work was designed to assess the quality of various types of blossom honey i.e. Sider (Ziziphus spina-christi), Dhuhyana (Acacia asak), Sumra (Acacia tortilis), Qatada (Acacia hamulosa), Dhurum (Lavandula dentata), multiflora with majra (Hypoestes forskaolii), multiflora with herbs, Keena (Eucalyptus spp.) produced in the southwestern areas of the kingdom. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal cluster analysis (PCA), and similarity and difference indices (SDI) were also applied to examine the possible grouping based on the studied quality parameters. Four main sugars (two monosaccharides i.e. fructose and glucose, two disaccharides i.e. sucrose and maltose) and HMF were investigated . The average values of fructose and glucose were in the range 33.10%–44.77% and 26.68%–37.91%, respectively. The maltose was present in all types of honey and its mean values were in the range of 0.37%–2.97%, while sucrose was absent in six types of honey, 0.25% in one unifloral honey, and 3.25% in one multi-floral honey. HMF was not detected in seven types of honey but was below the limit of quantification (0.13 mg/kg) in one type of honey. PCA displayed the accumulative variance of 79.96% for the initial two PCs suggesting that honey samples were not well distinguished by their sugar profile. Based on the sucrose and HMF contents, it was concluded that all types of blossom honey from the Asir province were of the best quality in the kingdom and met the international quality parameters.     

An assessment of the contribution of honey bees (

Recent concern that honey bees may threaten natural areas by increasing weed abundances through increased pollination was investigated by reviewing the literature to determine which weed taxa surveyed from New Zealand Protected Natural Areas (PNAs) are visited by honey bees. The contribution made by honey bees to weed reproduction was assessed by checking reproductive strategies and pollination mechanisms of a subset of problem weeds. A substantial proportion of surveyed weeds in PNAs are probably visited by honey bees (43%) including half of the problem weeds. However, reproduction of the majority of problem weeds is characterised by plastic reproductive mechanisms and/or simple pollination mechanisms where honey bee influence is low or unimportant. Although honey bees may be important pollinators of some weeds, they probably do not contribute substantially to weed problems.     

Dominant Pollen Types Recovered From commercial Louisiana honeys

Microscopical pollen analyses of 54 commercial honey samples collected from the major beekeeping areas of Louisiana during 1967–68 showed six dominant pollen types (a dominant type considered as one contributing over 45% of the total grains counted per sample and denoting a unifloral honey). The dominant pollen types and the “ bee plant ” species associated with each pollen type are identified and described. The pollen types are illustrated with light photomicrographs. The pollen types are in order of importance:Trifolium repens, white clover;Rubus spp., blackberry and/or dewberry;Berchemia scandens, rattan vine;Salix spp., willow; Asteraceae, Sunflower family; and Sapiumsebiferum,Chinese tallow tree. White clover and willow were the largest unifloral honey producers in a region including the floodplain and delta of the Mississippi River, and the floodplain of the Red River (the most productive beekeeping area of Louisiana); blackberry and/or dewberry were most significant in the longleaf pine flat woods and mixed hardwoods in the uplands section on the east side of the Mississippi River; rattan vine was most important in west-central Louisiana in an area consisting originally of pine-oak-hickory uplands and longleaf pine flat woods; white clover appeared most important in the prairie region of southwest Louisiana.     

Palynological evaluation of selected honeys from Romania

Fifty-four honey samples collected over two consecutive harvest seasons (2009–2010) from different floristic areas of Romania were analysed. A melissopalynological analysis including qualitative and quantitative analyses was carried out in order to identify the principal pollen types in Romanian honeys and therefore, the important plants exploited by Apis mellifera in this country. Seventy-seven pollen types from 35 botanical families were identified. The main pollen forms were: Brassica napus-type, Tilia, Helianthus annuus, Robinia pseudoacacia, Prunus, Castanea sativa, Fragaria-type and Plantago-type. Honey samples were classified as: acacia honey (Robinia pseudoacacia), lime honey (Tilia), rape honey (Brassica napus-type), sunflower honey (Helianthus annuus), cherry honey (Prunus). Three of them were honeydew honeys whereas the others were all polyfloral. The results from this study can be used as a palynological baseline data of Romanian artisanal honeys.