Sesquiterpene glucosides from Shenzhou honey peach fruit showed the anti-aging activity in the evaluation system using yeasts

One new (1, SZMT01) and one known (2) anti-aging substances were isolated from Shenzhou honey peach fruit. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and chemical derivatization, and the result reveals that these two compounds are sesquiterpene glucosides. SZMT01 possesses a new glycosylation with an ester linkage at one terminal in an acyclic sesquiterpenoid which is the end of a double bond at another terminal. Both compounds extend the replicative lifespan of K6001 yeast strain at doses of 7.5 and 25 μM. Then, to understand the action mechanism involved, we performed an anti-oxidative experiment on SZMT01. The result revealed that treatment with SZMT01 increased the survival rate of yeast under oxidative stress. Moreover, the lifespans of sod1 and sod2 mutant yeast strains with a K6001 background were not affected by SZMT01. These results demonstrate that anti-oxidative stress performs important roles in anti-aging effects of SZMT01.     

蜂蜜中内源性物质苯甲酸的研究进展

蜂蜜是一种蜜蜂采集植物花蜜后酿制而成的天然甜味物质,具有丰富营养成分和多种生理活性功能。本文明确了苯甲酸是蜂蜜中天然存在的一种特征性风味物质,且含量与蜜源植物有关,并对其检测方法、形成机理、代谢途径和稳定性等进行了概述。最后,提出应深入细化蜂蜜等食品中苯甲酸形成机理的基础研究,不仅可针对性降低加工工艺导致的含量升高,更可为传统产业科技转型升级提供技术支持。     

移虫日龄对蜂王生长发育的影响

移取1、2、3日龄工蜂幼虫进行人工育王,通过HPLC-MS的方法,分别测定4日龄蜂王幼虫体内保幼激素(JHⅢ)和9日龄蛹体内蜕皮激素(Ecd)的滴度,并通过形态学和解剖学的方法对不同移虫日龄培育的处女王的初生重、卵巢重、头重和卵巢管数进行比较分析,以研究不同移虫日龄对意大利蜂蜂王生长发育的影响。结果显示,不同移虫日龄所培育的蜂王幼虫4日龄JHⅢ和9日龄Ecd浓度均存在显著差异,且随着移虫日龄的增加,蜂王幼虫体内JHⅢ和Ecd含量均显著下降;不同移虫日龄所培育的处女王其初生重、卵巢重、头重及卵巢管数均存在显著差异,且随着移虫日龄的增加,蜂王的初生重、卵巢重和头重显著减轻,蜂王的卵巢管数显著减小;蜂王的初生重和卵巢管数成显著正相关关系,相关系数r=0.82。说明移虫日龄越小幼虫获得的生长条件越好,越有利于蜂王个体尤其是繁殖性状的发育,人工育王实践中应移取虫龄尽量小的幼虫。     

云南地区小蜜蜂的饲养方法

为了小蜜蜂Apis florea资源的利用和保护,本论文对其饲养方法及生物学特性进行了研究。在云南省蒙自市,收集野生小蜜蜂8群,对其筑巢、蜂蜜生产、蜂群越冬等饲养方法进行研究,观察并记录饲养过程中蜂群生物学特性。辅助蜂群筑巢过程中,支撑巢脾的树枝距离地面高度在0.6-1.0 m,蜂群较稳定,不易弃巢;利用"巢脾分区切割"的方法生产蜂蜜可以提高产量,减少蜂群分蜂次数;模拟野外筑巢环境,用塑料框和稻草包装,置于日光室的网室内,可有效辅助蜂群越冬。通过对小蜜蜂饲养方法的探索,明确了云南地区小蜜蜂饲养过程中的筑巢高度及科学合理的蜂蜜生产、蜂群越冬方法,为深入研究该种传粉蜂资源的利用与保护提供了重要的参考依据。     

Pollinator population size and pollination ecosystem service responses to enhancing floral and nesting resources

Modeling pollination ecosystem services requires a spatially explicit, process‐based approach because they depend on both the behavioral responses of pollinators to the amount and spatial arrangement of habitat and on the within‐ and between‐season dynamics of pollinator populations in response to land use. We describe a novel pollinator model predicting flower visitation rates by wild central‐place foragers (e.g., nesting bees) in spatially explicit landscapes. The model goes beyond existing approaches by: (1) integrating preferential use of more rewarding floral and nesting resources; (2) considering population growth over time; (3) allowing different dispersal distances for workers and reproductives; (4) providing visitation rates for use in crop pollination models. We use the model to estimate the effect of establishing grassy field margins offering nesting resources and a low quantity of flower resources, and/or late‐flowering flower strips offering no nesting resources but abundant flowers, on bumble bee populations and visitation rates to flowers in landscapes that differ in amounts of linear seminatural habitats and early mass‐flowering crops. Flower strips were three times more effective in increasing pollinator populations and visitation rates than field margins, and this effect increased over time. Late‐blooming flower strips increased early‐season visitation rates, but decreased visitation rates in other late‐season flowers. Increases in population size over time in response to flower strips and amounts of linear seminatural habitats reduced this apparent competition for pollinators. Our spatially explicit, process‐based model generates emergent patterns reflecting empirical observations, such that adding flower resources may have contrasting short‐ and long‐term effects due to apparent competition for pollinators and pollinator population size increase. It allows exploring these effects and comparing effect sizes in ways not possible with other existing models. Future applications include species comparisons, analysis of the sensitivity of predictions to life‐history traits, as well as large‐scale management intervention and policy assessment.     

Reduced abundance and earlier collection of bumble bee workers under intensive cultivation of a mass‐flowering prairie crop

One of the most commonly seeded crops in Canada is canola, a cultivar of oilseed rape (Brassica napus). As a mass‐flowering crop grown intensively throughout the Canadian Prairies, canola has the potential to influence pollinator success across tens of thousands of square kilometers of cropland. Bumble bees (Bombus sp.) are efficient pollinators of many types of native and crop plants. We measured the influence of this mass‐flowering crop on the abundance and phenology of bumble bees, and on another species of social bee (a sweat bee; Halictus rubicundus), by continuously deploying traps at different levels of canola cultivation intensity, spanning the start and end of canola bloom. Queen bumble bees were more abundant in areas with more canola cover, indicating that this crop is attractive to queens. However, bumble bee workers were significantly fewer in these locations later in the season, suggesting reduced colony success. The median collection dates of workers of three bumble bee species were earlier near canola fields, suggesting a dynamic response of colonies to the increased floral resources. Different species experienced this shift to different extents. The sweat bee was not affected by canola cultivation intensity. Our findings suggest that mass‐flowering crops such as canola are attractive to bumble bee queens and therefore may lead to higher rates of colony establishment, but also that colonies established near this crop may be less successful. We propose that the effect on bumble bees can be mitigated by spacing the crop more evenly with respect to alternate floral resources.     

Honey bee‐collected pollen in agro‐ecosystems reveals diet diversity,diet quality,and pesticide exposure

European honey bees Apis mellifera are important commercial pollinators that have suffered greater than normal overwintering losses since 2007 in North America and Europe. Contributing factors likely include a combination of parasites, pesticides, and poor nutrition. We examined diet diversity, diet nutritional quality, and pesticides in honey bee‐collected pollen from commercial colonies in the Canadian Maritime Provinces in spring and summer 2011. We sampled pollen collected by honey bees at colonies in four site types: apple orchards, blueberry fields, cranberry bogs, and fallow fields. Proportion of honey bee‐collected pollen from crop versus noncrop flowers was high in apple, very low in blueberry, and low in cranberry sites. Pollen nutritional value tended to be relatively good from apple and cranberry sites and poor from blueberry and fallow sites. Floral surveys ranked, from highest to lowest in diversity, fallow, cranberry, apple, and blueberry sites. Pesticide diversity in honey bee‐collected pollen was high from apple and blueberry sites and low from cranberry and fallow sites. Four different neonicotinoid pesticides were detected, but neither these nor any other pesticides were at or above LD₅₀ levels. Pollen hazard quotients were highest in apple and blueberry sites and lowest in fallow sites. Pollen hazard quotients were also negatively correlated with the number of flower taxa detected in surveys. Results reveal differences among site types in diet diversity, diet quality, and pesticide exposure that are informative for improving honey bee and land agro‐ecosystem management.     

蜜蜂褪黑素的测定方法

在脊椎动物中,褪黑素(5-甲氧基-N-乙酰色胺,MLT)是一种由松果体分泌的具有典型光周期信号作用的神经内分泌激素。近年在昆虫头部也发现了这种化学物质。该文简述了褪黑素常见测定方法,详细介绍了褪黑素的免疫测定方法RIA(radionimmunoassay),并使用该方法初步测定了中华蜜蜂ApisceranaFabricius工蜂头部褪黑素的含量,结果显示褪黑素含量与工蜂的社会分工相关。     

人工释放苜蓿切叶蜂的营巢行为观察

苜蓿切叶蜂Megachile rotundata Fabricius是紫花苜蓿的理想授粉昆虫,国内外已广泛利用切叶蜂为紫花苜蓿授粉,因此,对切叶蜂的田间活动行为分析具有重要的实践指导意义。对苜蓿切叶蜂的田间营巢行为进行观测,结果表明:整个花期切叶蜂均十分活跃,放蜂的第4天开始适应环境,正常活动,7月8～22日,切叶蜂最为活跃,进入蜂巢的切叶蜂数最高时达426头/蜂巢,每日10:00～16:00为活动高峰。每日每块蜂巢的封孔数最多为14个,平均每个蜂室封闭巢孔的数量最多为185个。