Analysis of Nesting Behavior Based on Daily Observation of Andrena vaga (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)

We present a study on nesting behavior of the gregarious solitary bee, Andrena vaga Panzer. Based on the daily observation of individually marked females, we constructed an ethogram, determined a sequence of behavioral elements within the provisioning cycle, estimated their length and computed the transition probability between the elements. We confirmed the existence of distinctive pollen and nectar days in A. vaga and showed apparent differences in the overall daily provisioning pattern in pollen and nectar days as well as in the probability of transition between some behavioral elements. Bees typically performed one provisioning trip and carried no pollen on nectar days, but they performed up to four pollen-provisioning trips on pollen days. The duration of one pollen trip depended on the number and sequence of the trip in a given day, with the shortest trip usually occurring last in the day.     

云锦杜鹃的开花动态与繁育系统研究

对3个云锦杜鹃种群的开花动态和传粉方式等野外定位观测结果显示:花芽在花朵开放后形成雏 形,经过8～9月的生长后成形,次年4月复苏,形成含6～12朵花的总状伞形花序,5月初开花,花期接近25 d。花生命周期为5～8d,其中种群G的周期最短,平均为5.8d,主要原因是光照时间长,湿度相对较低,花形 态较小。开花后第二天到第三天,花药开裂,散出粘连成串的花粉,悬挂在花柱的中上部,同时柱头进入可授 期;第五天到第六天,花瓣与花托分开并前移到花柱,使花柱倒垂,花粉串能粘附到柱头上。根据人工授粉试 验和花粉落置观察的结果,云锦杜鹃的繁育系统为混合交配型,自然条件下为花后自花授粉,主要借助花瓣脱 落来传播花粉;但根据杂交指数估算和花粉-胚珠比测定,云锦杜鹃的繁育系统为异交,自交亲和,需要传粉 者,说明云锦杜鹃可能是由虫媒传粉向自花传粉演化。     

Do pollen diets vary among adjacent bumble bee colonies?

Central-place foragers, such as bumble bees, are often constrained by their location when collecting resources to provide their young. We compared the resource use (pollen diets) among seven feral colonies of Bombus ardens located in an area of 2.5 × 2.5 km². Because this area was likely to be within their maximum foraging distance, most floral resources could have been accessible to all colonies alike. Similarities in pollen diets among these colonies may suggest that the surrounding resources determine resources use, while deviations from this could reveal other factors that affect resources use among colonies. We examined if colonies showed similarities in pollen diets and if colonies do differ in pollen diets, we investigated whether factors, such as establishment year, colony size, and location, affected the colony pollen diets. We found that while the choices of floral resources were similar, the proportional use of the floral resources were significantly different, suggesting that the surrounding resources do not solely determine resource use among colonies. Further analyses showed that the dissimilarity of pollen diets between two colonies increased as spatial distance decreased, as the temporal distances increased, and as the difference in colony size increased. We found that other than differences in annual variances of resources distribution, colony size was the prominent factor that affected the resource use of our seven colonies. We propose that colony-size-dependent work-force differences and other unidentified colony-size-related factors could have significant effects on floral use among colonies overlapping spatially and temporally.     

Postfertilization causes of differential success of pollen donors in Erythronium grandiflorum (Liliaceae): nonrandom ovule abortion

Seed paternity in Erythronium grandiflorum does not fully reflect the proportion of pollen on the stigma. When two types of pollen are simultaneously applied to the stigma, outbred seeds are produced over inbred, and seeds from more distant donors are produced over seeds from donors nearby. I looked for postfertilization causes of these previously reported patterns of differential success of pollen donors. I simultaneously pollinated stigmas with pollen from two donors and observed ovule development through a window sliced in the ovary. Pollen donor pairs were self and cross, donors 1 and 100 m from the recipient, and two donors each 100 m from the recipient. Since one donor was always the alternate homozygote from the recipient at the malate dehydrogenase locus, I could determine the paternity of developing seeds. When it appeared that ovules were aborting, I removed them and determined their paternity using starch gel electrophoresis. Ovules fertilized by self pollen were more likely to abort than ovules fertilized by cross pollen, and ovules fertilized by nearby donors were more likely to abort than ovules fertilized by distant donors. Ovules fertilized by donors 100 m from the recipient were equally likely to abort. There was not a significant relationship between the proportion of ovules fertilized by a pollen donor and the probability of those fertilized ovules developing into seeds. There was no relationship between ovule position within a fruit and ovule abortion. I manipulated available resources by removing leaves and by permitting only one fruit to develop per plant. Decreasing the amount of resources increased the proportion of aborted ovules. Abortion of ovules of lesser quality appears to release resources that can then be used to develop other offspring.     

The isolation and culture of lily pollen protoplasts

Methods for the enzymatic isolation of lily protoplasts and their successful culture are described. When pre-anthesis binucleate pollen (immature pollen grains) was treated in enzyme solution containing macerozyme and cellulase, up to 80% lost their exine and gave rise to intact protoplasts within 1 h. These pollen protoplasts were uniform in size and densely cytoplasmic with two prominent generative and vegetative nuclei. The isolated pollen protoplasts regenerated a cell wall within 1 day of culture and produced a structure resembling a pollen tube after 10–12 days of culture. During this culture period, dividing generative nuclei or 2 sperm nuclei were observed in many protoplasts with regenerated cell walls.     

Dance Communication Affects Consistency,but Not Breadth,of Resource Use in Pollen-Foraging Honey Bees

In groups of cooperatively foraging individuals, communication may improve the group’s performance by directing foraging effort to where it is most useful. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) use a specialized dance to communicate the location of floral resources. Because honey bees dance longer for more rewarding resources, communication may shift the colony’s foraging effort towards higher quality resources, and thus narrow the spectrum of resource types used. To test the hypothesis that dance communication changes how much honey bee colonies specialize on particular resources, we manipulated their ability to communicate location, and assessed the relative abundance of different pollen taxa they collected. This was repeated across five natural habitats that differed in floral species richness and spatial distribution. Contrary to expectation, impairing communication did not change the number or diversity of pollen (resource) types used by individual colonies per day. However, colonies with intact dance communication were more consistent in their resource use, while those with impaired communication were more likely to collect rare, novel pollen types. This suggests that communication plays an important role in shaping how much colonies invest in exploring new resources versus exploiting known ones. Furthermore, colonies that did more exploration also tended to collect less pollen overall, but only in environments with greater floral abundance per patch. In such environments, the ability to effectively exploit highly rewarding resources may be especially important–and dance communication may help colonies do just that. This could help explain how communication benefits honey bee colonies, and also why it does so only under certain environmental conditions.     

Pollen grain size, stigma depth, and style length: the relationships revisited

I examine data and review information in the literature to test hypotheses proposed by Delpino and Darwin to explain the source of nutrients utilized by pollen tubes. In 1867, Delpino, in his discussion of distyly, suggested that the positive relationship between pollen grain size and style length was based on the pollen grains containing sufficient nutrients to sustain the growth of their pollen tubes through their respective styles. Darwin (The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species, 2nd edn. J. Murray, London, 1884) rejected Delpino’s suggestion based on his examination of distylous species whose morphs produced pollen grains whose sizes were not proportionate to the lengths of their respective styles. Darwin then proposed that pollen tubes first grow autotrophically, i.e., through the stigma, then heterotrophically in the style. This should result in a positive relationship between pollen grain size and stigma depth, if pollen tubes grow autotrophically through the stigma. I examined 15 species in Fabaceae and 20 species in Proteaceae to test the two hypotheses. Pollen grain size was correlated with stigma depth among the Fabaceae, i.e., consistent with Darwin’s hypothesis, and was not correlated with style length in either family, i.e., inconsistent with Delpino’s proposal. Comparisons of related species, in general, were consistent with Darwin’s hypothesis. In addition, information in the literature provided no evidence that pollen tubes obtain resources on or in the stigma, i.e., pollen tube growth from the stigmatic surface to the style was autotrophic. In contrast, pollen tubes obtain an array of resources from the transmission tissue, thus there is little reason for pollen grains to contain those resources. In addition, I suggest that positive correlations between pollen grain size and style/pistil length may be a result of both being correlated with stigma depth.     

The role of pollination level on the reproduction of females and hermaphrodites in the gynodioecious plant Gypsophila repens (Caryophyllaceae)

In gynodioecious plant species, females are expected to have more resources available for maturing seeds because pistillate flowers are smaller, do not produce pollen, and are thus less costly that perfect flowers. The potential female advantage arising from more abundant resources is, however, likely to vary depending on whether seed production is limited by resource or pollen availability. Here we experimentally investigated the influence of pollen and resource limitation on female advantage in a gynodioecious species using two levels of pollination. Total seed production of females was always greater than that of hermaphrodites: females produced more flowers and more fruits that contained similar numbers of seeds of similar mass. Under low pollination, female and hermaphrodite plants allocated resources to increased flower production rather than to increased seed size or quality. We did not detect any influence of pollen or resource limitation on female advantage, which remained similar under low (= abundant resources) and full pollination. Outcrossed fruits performed better than selfed fruits when the same plant received both selfed and outcrossed pollen on different flowers. These differences were not greater under high pollination, possibly because resources available for each fruit did not differ between our pollen intensity treatments.     

Integration of flowering dates in phenology and pollen counts in aerobiology: analysis of their spatial and temporal coherence in Germany (1992–1999)

We studied the possibility of integrating flowering dates in phenology and pollen counts in aerobiology in Germany. Data were analyzed for three pollen types (Betula, Poaceae, Artemisia) at 51 stations with pollen traps, and corresponding phenological flowering dates for 400 adjacent stations (< 25 km) for the years 1992–1993 and 1997–1999. The spatial and temporal coherence of these data sets was investigated by comparing start and peak of the pollen season with local minima and means of plant flowering. Our study revealed that start of birch pollen season occurred on average 5.7 days earlier than local birch flowering. For mugwort and grass, the pollen season started on average after local flowering was observed; mugwort pollen was found 4.8 days later and grass pollen season started almost on the same day (0.6 days later) as local flowering. Whereas the peak of the birch pollen season coincided with the mean flowering dates (0.4 days later), the pollen peaks of the other two species took place much later. On average, the peak of mugwort pollen occurred 15.4 days later than mean local flowering, the peak of grass pollen catches followed 22.6 days after local flowering. The study revealed a great temporal divergence between pollen and flowering dates with an irregular spatial pattern across Germany. Not all pollen catches could be explained by local vegetation flowering. Possible reasons include long-distance transport, pollen contributions of other than phenologically observed species and methodological constraints. The results suggest that further research is needed before using flowering dates in phenology to extrapolate pollen counts.     

Pistillate flower development and pollen tube growth mode during the delayed fertilization stage in Corylus heterophylla Fisch

Unlike most angiosperms, in which fertilization occurs within several days after pollination, fertilization in hazel (Corylus Spp.) is delayed by two to three and a half months. However, the female inflorescences or young fruits are too hard or lignified to be dissected according to regular paraffin sectioning technique. So, what the nature of development during the extended progamic phases of hazel remains unknown. The female inflorescence development and pollen tube growth mode during the delayed fertilization stage in hazel were investigated by improved paraffin sectioning and aniline blue staining of pollen tubes. The results showed ovaries and ovules of hazel were invisible at the time of blooming. Early ovary and ovule primordium began to form from 15 to 20 days after blooming, respectively. Integument and mature embryo sacs differentiated from the nucellus on 40th and 55th day after blooming, respectively. Pollen tubes were retarded in the bottom of the style or the pollen tube cavity (PTC, a specifical lignified cavity structure at the bottom of style for pollen tube to rest during progamic phase) for about 26 days. Then, the pollen tubes were observed to leave the PTC and began to enter the ovary. After that, a single pollen tube passed through the vicinity of the micropyle. Finally, pollen tubes turned a corner and penetrated the embryo sac through the tissue of the chalaza instead of micropyle on 52 and 55 days after blooming, respectively. The results of more in-depth information will be beneficial to better understanding of the delayed fertilization process in hazel.     

LEVER ACTION ANTHERS AND THE FORCIBLE SHEDDING OF POLLEN IN TORENIA (SCROPHULARIACEAE)

The anthers of Torenia fournieri were found to shed pollen forcibly by lever action. Anther structure was modified for this function by a flangelike outgrowth of the lateral pollen sac wall forming a lever. When pressed, this lever causes an infolding of the thinner, subadjacent, pollen sac wall forcing pollen from the stomium. A force of 1–1.5 g pressing against the four levers of an anther pair resulted in the forcible shedding of 2,000–3,000 pollen grains in two parallel rows. During the 2-day anthesis the flowers shift from functioning as males to hermaphroditic outcrossers, and yet only have a pollen:ovule ratio of 98.6, a ratio more indicative of facultative autogamy. The outermost pair of anthers functions on the first day of anthesis, while the second, inner pair functions on both days. In each flower, the 2-day anther pair produces approximately twice as many pollen grains as the 1 -day anther pair, a pollen production highly correlated with the length of their functional lives. This difference in pollen production is apparent in the larger size of the 2-day anthers, a size difference that first appears with the initiation of the anther primordia.     

Air and surface soil samples – two different pairs of shoes? Comparing the pollen spectrum on different days of the pollen season

The pollen spectra of air and surface soil samples from a rooftop (at 14 m) and from ground level (at 1.6 m) in the suburbs of Vienna (Austria) were compared. Two soil samples and two air samples were taken on four different days to account for possible differences: in winter when no pollination occurred (reference day), in spring during the main flowering of Betula (birch day), in spring/summer during the main flowering of Poaceae (grass day), and in autumn during the main flowering of Ambrosia (ragweed day). Thirty-five different pollen types were used to describe the pollen spectra. Frequencies of certain pollen types reflect a seasonal impact on both the surface soil and air samples and show a similarity between air and soil samples on most of the days. However, the seasonal impact is higher in the air samples and shows a high consistency for ground and rooftop level. Kendall’s tau correlation coefficients further substantiate the similarities of the samples especially for the pollen season days. Exceptions include the winter day when pollination was low and the air samples recorded nearly no pollen at all, and the ragweed day when Ambrosia pollen was abundant in three of four samples but not in the ground surface soil sample. Thus, (1) air and surface pollen samples record similar signals during the pollen season but not during the ragweed and winter season and (2) air and surface pollen samples show the impact of local vegetation also in pollen traps located at different heights.     

Partitioning of pollen resources by two stingless bee species in the north Bahia,Brazil

Analysing the pollen stored by stingless bees allows identification of the diversity of flowering plants visited by these bees while collecting resources during a given period. However, few studies have focused on investigating the sharing of resources between species of native bees that coexist in transitional plant formations, which support conservation efforts and increase colony productivity. This study aims to describe the partitioning of pollen resources among colonies of two species of stingless bees in the state of the Bahia (Brazil) through the analysis of stored pollen. The study was conducted in neighbouring vegetation zones of the relevant species Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides and Melipona scutellaris by collecting monthly pollen samples stored by three colonies of each species over one year. The collected samples were treated using the acetolysis technique, and the partitioning of pollen resources between the two species was investigated through quali-quantitative analysis of the treated pollen. The results show that among the 16 pollen types belonging to a particular species or group identified in the Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides samples and the 18 identified in the Melipona scutellaris samples, 13 were shared by both species. The two most common pollen types stored by both species were from Mimosa arenosa (Fabaceae, Mimosoidae) and Eucalyptus sp. (Myrtaceae). These results demonstrate the niche similarity of pollen pasture between these two species and suggest that conservation efforts for these bee species should focus on the plant families most visited by bees.     

长木蜂蜂粮酿制过程中pH值和花粉活力的测定

测定手采新鲜的芍药花粉、芍药长木蜂Xylocopa tranquebarorum（Swederus）花粉和不同酿制时间蜂粮样品的平均pH值,结果分别是6．19、5．92和4．05（40日龄蜂粮）。随着酿制时间的延长,蜂粮的pH值下降,2日龄蜂粮到3日龄蜂粮的pH值从5．57降至4．82,下降速率明显。经测定,紫藤长木蜂花粉和不同日龄蜂粮样品中紫藤花粉的纯度均在98％以上;芍药长木蜂花粉和不同日龄蜂粮样品中芍药花粉的纯度均在93％以上;测定紫藤花粉的长木蜂蜂粮和芍药花粉的长木蜂蜂粮中的花粉活力。结果表明,在1日龄蜂粮中花粉活力基本丧失,3日龄后均失去萌发力,并且不同的花粉蜂粮其花粉活力表现一致。     

Effect of Diet History on Prey and Pollen Food Choice by Two Lady Beetle Species

Mixed diets of prey and plant-provided foods, such as pollen, have been shown to benefit a wide range of arthropods. However, diet shifting between these two very different food sources remains poorly understood. We hypothesized that previous diet should influence subsequent time allocation between prey and plant food types; to reach a balanced diet, consumers are expected to allocate more time to resources previously lacking in their diet. We tested this hypothesis by observing the foraging choices of larvae of two omnivorous coccinellid species: Coccinella septempunctata L. and Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), following a diet history of prey, pollen or a mixed diet of both food types. Results showed an asymmetrical tendency of C. septempunctata larvae to complement their previous diet with unfamiliar food: larvae allocated more time to pollen feeding, but not to prey, when each of the foods was previously absent from their diet. Study results have important implications for the use of plant-provided food supplements to enhance biological control by these omnivorous consumers.     

A new weather factor predicting airborne pollen concentration: Péczely’s macrosynoptic weather types

In the present study determinative factors for ragweed (Ambrosia elatior) pollination were studied in Budapest between 1991 and 1996. The aim was to create a model to predict the day-to-day pollen count variation. The pollen concentration is determined mostly by the potential concentration and the mean concentration of the three previous days. These two variables can explain 56% of the total variance. Daily mean and maximum temperature, daily temperature fluctuation and the number of hours of sunshine in the previous day have a significant positive effect on the pollen count. The amount of precipitation on the previous day, relative humidity on the actual and on the previous day influence it negatively. When a cyclone prevails, pollen concentration is usually lower than the seasonal average. Some anticyclonal situations have a similar effect, while other anticyclonal types promote pollination. A predictive model was then created by multiple regression using the potential concentration, the mean concentration of the three previous days, the daily temperature fluctuation and the synoptic type as independent variables. This model can explain more than 68% of the total variance, and its accuracy is >71%. The model seems to predict accurately the trends during the pollen seasons, thus it will probably be a good tool in the practical prediction in Budapest, and the methodology will hopefully be applicable to other sites of the Carpathian Basin too.     

Marking live conifer pollen for long-distance dispersal experiments

Long-distance dispersal (LDD) theory requires a method for marking live LDD pollen. Such a method must complement more intensive sampling methods inclusive of molecular cytogenetics, proteomics and genomics. We developed a new method for marking live Pinus taeda pollen using two dyes, rhodamine 123 and aniline blue, dissolved in a sucrose solution. Marked and unmarked pollen were compared with respect to in vitro germination, storage, terminal velocity, and in vivo pollen tube penetration of ovules. We found that: (1) both types of marked pollen retained their capacity for germination, (2) both types of marked pollen had similar aerodynamic properties when compared to unmarked pollen controls, (3) marked pollen retained its germination capacity for 48 h, and (4) of the marked pollen, only the aniline-marked pollen penetrated ovules during pollination. Germination declined rapidly for both types of marked pollen after 48 h and before 37 days at -20°C storage, while unmarked pollen lots retained 93% germination at all stages. This method for marking live P. taeda pollen is feasible for tracing LDD pollen only if released and deposited within 48 h of dye treatment.     

烟草传粉前后生殖器官中细胞分裂素含量的变化

经免疫亲和层析系统纯化后,用间接竞争ＥＬＩＳＡ 法测定了烟草（Ｎｉｃｏｔｉａｎａ ｔａｂａｃｕｍ ）生殖器官在传粉前后细胞分裂素（ｔ－ＺＲ,ｉＰＡ）含量的变化． 开花前５ ｄ,花药和花丝中的细胞分裂素（ＣＴＫ）含量均达到最高值,以后随雄蕊发育逐渐下降． 授粉使花柱ＣＴＫ 含量急剧上升,授粉后１ ｄ 达到高峰,未经受粉的花柱ＣＴＫ 开花后下降．授粉后２ ｄ,子房中的ＣＴＫ 开始上升,在授粉后４ ｄ 达到最高值,而未受精的子房ＣＴＫ 含量开花后下降． 传粉后雌蕊中ＣＴＫ含量随花粉管生长而有规律地增加,ＣＴＫ 积极参与植物的传粉和受精过程     

Change in Cytokinin Levels in Reproductive Organs of Nicotiana tabacum Before and After Pollination

Immunoaffinity systems and indirect competitive ELISA were used to determine the changes of cytokinin (CTK) content in reproductive organs of Nicotiana tabacum before and after pollination. It was found that t-ZR and iPA existed in all reproductive organs tested, and their contents were higher in female than in male organs. On the 5th day before anthesis. CTK reached its peak value in anthers and filaments, then it declined. In styles, CTK content increased after pollination and reached its peak one day later. In ovaries, levels of CTK began to increase two days after pollination and reached its peak two days later, just at the time when fertilization took place. If unpollinated, CTK levels decreased both in styles and ovaries. Pollination and fertilization resulted in an increment of CTK in pistils, accompanied with the process of pollen germinfition and pollen tube growth. It could thus be inferred that t-ZR and iPA played some active role in pollination and fertilization.