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.     

Pollen and organoleptic analysis of honeys in Leon province (Spain)

According to the pollen spectra recorded, most of them were monofloral (23) and 16 were multifloral. Erica honeys were the most abundant monofloral samples (9), Castanea sativa came next with 5; there were 3 samples of Helianthus annuus and 3 others of Lotus corniculatus and 1 of Rubus ulmifolius, Echium and Scrophularia canina pollen type respectively. The monofloral chestnuts honeys presented a minor pollen diversity. 108 pollen types were recorded, which belonged to 41 families. Fabaceae, Rosaceae and Ericaceae were the most represented families in the honeys studied. Cytisus scoparius and Rubus ulmifolius were the pollen types, which appeared in the highest number of samples. Certain pollen types such as Lavandula stoechas and Cistus ladanifer can be used as indicator or key elements in order to recognise the origin zone of honeys in the biogeographical Mediterranean region. As regards organoleptic analyses, most of our honeys (multiflorales, Erica, Rubus ulmifolius, Castanea sativa), samples are brown, not very sweet and present a homogeneous aspect, the other honeys have lighter colours, are sweeter and also have an homogeneous aspect (Helianthus annuus, Lotus corniculatus, Echium and Scrophularia canina -type).     

Pollen analysis of honeys from the Gharb region (NW Morocco)

The pollen spectra in 18 honey samples from the Gharb region (Northwest of Morocco) have been studied. The samples were collected directly from the beekeepers, both professional and amateurs. The results show that nectar was the main honey source in this region, although one forest or mixed honey was detected. Seven samples belonging to the Class I, five to the Class II and six to the Class III were found. In all the samples some honeydew indicator elements were detected, with HDEN/NPGN= 0.005-1.38. By the qualitative results 58 pollen types belonging to 28 families were identified. Some species of Lythrum , Eucalyptus , Trifolium , Citrus , Mentha , Apiaceae and Scrophulariaceae are the main nectar sources,and some of Asteraceae, Quercus sp., Olea europaea , Plantago sp. and Fragaria 2 ananassa are the most important pollen sources. At least 14 unifloral honeys (c. 77%) from Citrus , Eucalyptus , Lythrum , Mentha and Teucrium were detected.     

Pollen characterization of multifloral honeys from La Palma (Canary Islands)

The pollen content of twenty-five honey samples from twelve different apiaries on La Palma (Canary Islands) was subjected to qualitative and quantitative melissopalynological analysis. The quantitative analysis showed that 4% of the honey belonged to Maurizio Class II, 88% to Class III, 4% to Class IV and 4% to Class V. In the qualitative analysis, 60 pollen types were identified from 40 different families. The number of pollen types per honey sample ranges between 16 and 37 (mean of 25.8). Foeniculum vulgare-type and Rumex sp. pollen were present in all the samples. Castanea sativa and Echium plantagineum pollen were found in 96% of them and the combination Aspalathium bituminosum, Bidens pilosa-type and Erica arborea in 92%.     

A melissopalynological study of 54 Louisiana (U.S.A.) honeys

Pollen analyses were made of 54 commercial Louisiana (U.S.A.) honeys collected during 1967–1968. Fifty-eight different pollen types were identified. A direct correlation was assumed between a plant's pollen quantity and its nectar contribution. On this basis, the major Louisiana honey plants that were determined are: Fabaceae, predominantly Trifolium repens (99%), Rubus, Berchemia scandens, and Salix. Plants established as important for their nectar contributions in isolated samples are: Cephalanthus occidentalis, Sapium sebiferum, miscellaneous Compositae (Asteraceae), Glycine max, and Parthenocissus quinquefolia. Native plants such as Rubus, Berchemia scandens, and Salix contribute more to Louisiana's honey sources than do cultivated plants or introduced plants. Most samples originated from six to fifteen different plant types and thus do not appear to be of particularly diverse botanical origin. The pollen types that indicate late spring, summer, or fall honeys include: Glycine max, Cassia fasciculata, Polygonum, Lagerstroemia indica, Lythrum, Ampelopsis, Trachelospermum difforme, and others. Thirty-one samples could be considered unifloral honeys. Most Louisiana honeys were a clear color and from nectar of flowers and not honeydew.     

Pollen analysis of honeys from the northwest of Argentina: Province of Jujuy

The palynological characterisation of 157 honey samples from three northwest regions of Argentina (Prepuna, Yungas and Chaco) are presented to determine their botanical origin and species associations to be able to define their geographic origin. Samples were harvested during 2003–2011 and processed by means of melissopalynological conventional techniques. One-hundred and nine pollen types were identified. Representative pollen types with a frequency of occurrence greater than 50% in descending order of importance are: Salix humboldtiana, Allophylus edulis, Baccharis, Solanaceae, Eucalyptus, Schinus, Brassicaceae, Papilionoideae, Celtis, Scutia/Condalia-type and Parapiptadenia excelsa. The most important monofloral honeys are from the following: Salix humboldtiana, Scutia/Condalia-type, Allophylus edulis, Baccharis, Blepharocalyx salicifolius, Gleditsia amorphoides, Myrtaceae, Sicyos, Ziziphus mistol, Schinopsis-type, Agonandra excelsa, Anadenathera colubrina, Mimosa, all of them native species, and among introduced species are Eucalyptus, Citrus and Tithonia. Three apicultural zones and their corresponding pollen association indicators were determined: Zone I, Prepuna: Arquita trichocarpa, Prosopis ferox, Schinus areira, Baccharis, Buddleja and Mutisieae; Zone II, Yungas: Myrtaceae, Parapiptadenia excelsa, Baccharis, Salix humboldtiana, Allophylus edulis, Scutia/Condalia-type and Zanthoxylum coco; Zone III, transitional area Yungas-Chaco: Prosopis, Salix humboldtiana, Schinus, Anadenanthera colubrina and Allophylus edulis.     

Pollen analysis of honeys from the Mamora forest region (NW Morocco)

The present work refers to the pollen analysis of 35 Moroccan honey samples from the Mamora forest region. The samples were directly provided by the beekeepers, all professionals. The quantitative analysis showed that nectar is the main honey source in the samples studied, and that most honeys have a medium-low presence of botanical elements (BEN). The qualitative analysis of the samples showed the presence of 54 taxa belonging to 29 families, and 31 of the samples were unifloral: 24 of eucalyptus, 3 of orange, 2 of Loeflingia, 1 of mint and 1 of Ridolfia segetum. The eucalyptus honeys of the studied region are characterized by their high content in pollen grains (NGP; x¯=180000) and their low honeydew indicator elements content (HDE; x¯=4000); Plantago f. (present in 70% of the samples), Quercus f. and Brassicaceae (50%) and Ceratonia siliqua (30%) could be mentioned among the characteristic accompanying species of this honey type.     

Pollen and sensorial characterization of different honeys from El Hierro (Canary Islands)

The pollen content of 31 honey samples from 19 different apiaries of El Hierro (Canary Islands) were subject to qualitative and quantitative melissopalynological analysis. The quantitative analysis demonstrated that 13% of the honey belonged to Maurizio Class I (<2?000?grains), 68% to Class II (2?000–10?000?grains) and 19% to Class III (10?000–50?000?grains). The pollen density ranges from 1?042?grains/g of honey to 24?478?grains/g with an average of 7?471?grains/g. According to the qualitative analysis, six honeys were typified as unifloral and 25 as multifloral. The unifloral honey samples were broken down as follows: two of heather (Erica arborea L.), two of Chamaecytisus proliferus (L. f.) Link‐type (“tagasaste”), one of Fabaceae (Genisteae sp.) and one of Lamiaceae Origanum vulgare L. ssp. virens (Hoffmanns. &; Link) Ietsw.‐type (thyme: Micromeria hyssopifolia Webb &; Berthel.). Honeydew elements were practically absent. Sixty‐nine pollen types were identified belonging to 42 families. The number of pollen types range between 18 and 39 (mean of 27.42). Foeniculum vulgare Mill.‐type pollen is present in all the samples. Galactites tomentosa Moench‐type, Echium plantagineum L., Echium L. sp., Bituminaria bituminosa (L.) C. H. Stirt., Chamaecytisus proliferus ‐type and Origanum vulgare ssp. virens ‐type pollen were found in 96.8% of the samples. The sensorial analysis indicated that honey types are generally of good quality, because 62% were evaluated as very high (16%), high (23%), and good (23%).     

Pollen analysis of honeys from Caatinga vegetation of the state of Bahia,Brazil

Based on pollen analysis, 17 honey samples collected in the Caatinga area from Nova Soure city were classified by botanical origin to identify the most important floral sources. Most of the honey samples were obtained in August and September. A total of 73 pollen types were identified belonging to 30 families, 64 genera and 30 species. The families best represented by their number of pollen types were Mimosaceae (11), Caesalpiniaceae (9), Rubiaceae and Fabaceae (5 each). Predominant pollen types were: Mimosa arenosa in four samples, M. sensitiva and M. tenuiflora in one sample. Pollen from Mimosa ursina was registered for the first time in the pollen spectrum of the Caatinga vegetation. The correspondence analysis showed a similarity among the honey samples based on pollen composition. The high representation of pollen from native species such as Chamaecrista nictitans, C. ramosa, C. swainsonii and Copaifera martii (Caesalpiniaceae); Aeschynomene martii and Zornia sericea (Fabaceae); Herissantia tiubae (Malvaceae); Mimosa arenosa, M. quadrivalvis, M. sensitiva, M. tenuiflora, M. ursina, Piptadenia moniliformis and Plathymenia reticulata (Mimosaceae), and Ziziphus joazeiro (Rhamnaceae) supports the origin of these honeys from Caatinga vegetation.     

Pollen spectra of different unifloral honeys from La Palma (Canary Islands,Spain)

The pollen content of twenty-four unifloral honey samples from twelve different apiaries in La Palma (Canary Islands) was subjected to qualitative and quantitative melissopalynological analysis. The quantitative analysis showed that 4% of the honey belonged to Maurizio's Class I, 8% to Class II, 58% to Class III, 17% to Class IV and 13% to Class V. According to the qualitative analysis, eight honeys were typified as unifloral of Castanea sativa , five of Carlina salicifolia , three of Echium brevirame , three of Reseda luteola , two of Erica arborea , two of Lotus hillebrandii and one of Lamiaceae Origanum vulgare ssp. virens -type. No honeydew elements were found. 62 pollen types were identified belonging to 42 different families. There is no pollen type common to all samples but Foeniculum vulgare -type is present in 22 of the samples (91.7%) and the combination Cistus sp., Erica arborea , Aspalthium bituminosum , Origanum vulgare ssp. virens -type and Rumex sp. in 21 (87.5%). The organoleptic analysis indicated that they are of good quality.     

Seasonal Incidence of Bacterial Temperature Types in Louisiana Soil and Water

Psychrophilic bacteria were not detected in soil, mud, and water in the summer. In winter, they were present in water and mud and constituted a significant portion of the bacterial flora in lake water.     

Ant Diversity in Dominant Vegetation Types of Southern Cameroon

Ants have been shown as particularly affected by land disturbance through deforestation and conversion of forest to agriculture. The effect of land use change on ant diversity in the Congo Basin is not well known. We conducted intensive sampling along a gradient of increasing vegetation disturbance to test the effect of habitat disturbance on ant diversity and Functional Groups composition. Sampling was conducted in 30 plots (5 study sites × 3 habitat × 2 plots/habitat), replicated six times in 1 year. In each plot, ants were monitored with pitfall traps, quadrats and baits. We recorded 237 ant morphospecies grouped in 10 subfamilies and 43 genera. Myrmicaria opaciventris was the most abundant species followed by Anoplolepis tenella. Forest had greater ant diversity compared with fallows and mixed‐crop fields. Functional groups were dominated by Opportunists, followed by Omnivorous Arboreal Dominants and Generalized Mymicinae. Their composition was not affected by the disturbance, but occurrence of Specialist Predators decreased with increasing disturbance. Occurrence of Generalized Myrmicinae, Opportunists and Subordinate Camponotini increased with disturbance. These results indicate that forest conversion into mixed‐crop fields reduce ant diversity. It can also increase abundance of species with generalized diet that predominates where stress and disturbance limits other ants.     

Pollen analysis of Apis dorsata Fabricius honeys in Bankura and Paschim Medinipur districts,West Bengal

One-hundred-and-five species corresponding to 38 families were identified through pollen analyses of 53 Apis dorsata honeys collected from Bankura and Paschim Medinipur districts, West Bengal. The families most frequently encountered were Fabaceae, Arecaceae, Asteraceae and Myrtaceae. Fabaceae had the greatest representation in number of pollen types (18 types), followed by Asteraceae (nine types), Cucurbitaceae (seven types), Lamiaceae and Myrtaceae (each with six types) and Malvaceae and Rutaceae (each with five types). Most of the honey samples correspond to class I. The presence of dominant pollen was detected in 18 samples. The predominant pollen types were Borassus flabellifer, Sesamum indicum (during summer), Eucalyptus globulus (during late autumn), Brassica nigra, Eucalyptus globulus (during winter) and Borassus flabellifer and Lannea coromandelica (during spring). The unifloral honeys obtained mostly during late autumn and winter were dominated by Eucalyptus globulus type. In monsoon and autumn unifloral honeys containing predominant pollen types (> 45%) were not found. However, according to frequency distribution the pollen types represented as very frequent were Peltophorum pterocarpum, Tridax procumbens (in monsoon) and Acacia auriculiformis, Cocos nucifera, Eucalyptus globulus, Tridax procumbens and Ziziphus mauritiana (in autumn). The seasonal diversity of pollen types obtained was at a maximum during spring (36 types) and minimum during late autumn (14 types). Seasonal variation in the number of pollen types per sample range from 5.86 ± 1.87 (during late autumn) to 6.86 ± 1.95 (during autumn) and exhibit low correlation (r = 0.31) with floral diversity. The diversity of pollen types per unifloral honey sample remains lower than multifloral honeys.     

Genotypic Analysis of Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates Recovered From Central China

DNA sequencing analysis was used to investigate genetic alterations in the rpoB, katG, and inhA regulatory region and embB in 66 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates recovered from Central China. Of the 36 multidrug-resistant isolates, 33 (92%) had mutations in the amplified region of rpoB. The most frequent mutation (58%, 19/36) was S531L (TCG→TTG). At least one mutation was found in the katG and inhA regulatory region in 83% (30/36) of the multidrug-resistant isolates, and mutations at katG codon 315 were identified in 78% (28/36). Alterations at embB306 may not confer resistance to EMB, and embB306 mutants were more frequently accompanied by rpoB mutations (100%, 16/16) than by katG 315 mutations (75%, 12/16). Our results show that geographic variation in the molecular genetic mechanism is responsible for drug resistance in multidrug-resistant M. tuberculosis. This observation will facilitate the development of a rapid molecular drug resistance screening approach for drug-resistant M. tuberculosis.     

An Ultrastructural Study on Pollen Protoplasts and Pollen Tubes Germinated From Them in Gladiolus gandavensis

Large quantities of protoplasts were isolated enzymatically from the mature pollen grains in Gladiolus gandavensis. Regeneration of cell wall and germination of pollen tubes were performed during culture of purified pollen protoplasts in Ks medium supplemented with 32% sucrose, 0.1 mg/1 2,4-D, 1 mg/1 NAA and 0.2 mg/1 6-BA, with a germination rate up to 47.7%. The materials were fixed gently with gradually increasing concentration of glutaraldehyde, followed by osmium, then preembedded in a thin layer of agar and surveyed under an inverted microscope so as to select desired specimens for subsequent procedure. Small agar blocks containing specimens were dehydrated through ethanal-propylene oxide series, embedded in Araldite and ultratomed. Electron microscopic observations show that the pollen protoplasts are surrounded by a smooth plasma membrane and with ultrastructurally intact cytoplasm, a vegetative nucleus and a generative cell. After 8h of culture, wall regeneration commences resulting in a multilayered, fibrillar wall structure which is different from the intine. No exine is formed. Numerous vesicles participate actively in the wall formation. The wall is uneven in thickness around its periphery; a thickened area somewhat resembling to germ furrow is formed, from which pollen tube emerges. The tubes contain abundant plastids, mitochondria and dictyosomes. Vesicles are released out of the plasma membrane and involved in tube wall formation. After 18h of culture, the vegetative nucleus and generative cell have migrated into the tube. Technical points of preparing pollen protoplast specimens for ultastructural studies and the fearnres of wall regeneration in pollen protoplast culture are discussed.     

Utility of Surface Pollen Assemblages to Delimit Eastern Eurasian Steppe Types

Modern pollen records have been used to successfully distinguish between specific prairie types in North America. Whether the pollen records can be used to detect the occurrence of Eurasian steppe, or even to further delimit various steppe types was until now unclear. Here we characterized modern pollen assemblages of meadow steppe, typical steppe and desert steppe from eastern Eurasia along an ecological humidity gradient. The multivariate ordination of the pollen data indicated that Eurasian steppe types could be clearly differentiated. The different steppe types could be distinguished primarily by xerophilous elements in the pollen assemblages. Redundancy analysis indicated that the relative abundances of Ephedra, Tamarix, Nitraria and Zygophyllaceae were positively correlated with aridity. The relative abundances of Ephedra increased from meadow steppe to typical steppe and desert steppe. Tamarix and Zygophyllaceae were found in both typical steppe and desert steppe, but not in meadow steppe. Nitraria was only found in desert steppe. The relative abundances of xerophilous elements were greater in desert steppe than in typical steppe. These findings indicate that Eurasian steppe types can be differentiated based on recent pollen rain.     

lntrageneric Variation of Pollen Types in the Genus Phyllanthus L.

Basing on the pollen morphology of 22 Asian species, 17 from China, of PhylIanthus, 10 pollen types are recognized and described. Transformations of pollen type in this genus from a tricolporate one to a peripor(or) ste one are in succession and through 3 different pathways. It is interesting enough that the “successiformy” and “spiralizaton” pattern are all occurred.     

Soil Respiration at Dominant Patch Types within a Managed Northern Wisconsin Landscape

Soil respiration (SR), a substantial component of the forest carbon budget, has been studied extensively at the ecosystem, regional, continental, and global scales, but little progress has been made toward understanding SR over managed forest landscapes. Soil respiration is often influenced by soil temperature (T_s), soil moisture (M_s), and type of vegetation, and these factors vary widely among the patch types within a landscape. We measured SR, T_s, M_s, and litter depth (LD) during the 1999 and 2000 growing seasons within six dominant patch types (mature northern hardwoods, young northern hardwoods, clear-cuts, open-canopy Jack pine barrens, mature Jack pine, and mature red pine) on a managed forest landscape in northern Wisconsin, USA. We compared SR among and within the patch types and derived empirically based models that relate SR to T_s, M_s, and LD. Increased levels of soil moisture and higher temperatures in June–September 1999 may have accounted for the up to 37% overall higher SR than in this same period in 2000. In 2000, SR and T_s values were lower, and the sites may have been experiencing slight water limitations, but in general T_s was a much more accurate predictor of SR during this year. Empirical predictions of SR within each patch type derived from continuous T_s measurements were in close agreement with measured values of SR during 2000, but eight of 22 of the simulated values were significantly different ( = 0.05) from the rates measured in 1999. The young hardwoods consistently had the highest SR, whereas the pine barrens had the lowest. Results from our field studies and empirical models can help land managers assess landscape responses to potential disturbances and climatic changes.