Regulation of nectar collection in relation to honey storage levels by honey bees, Apis mellifera

Honey bees collect distinct nutrient sources in the form ofnectar (energy) and pollen (nitrogen). We investigated the effectof varying energy stores on nectar and pollen foraging. We foundno significant changes in nectar foraging in response to changesin honey storage levels within colonies. Individual foragersdid not vary activity rates or nectar load sizes in responseto changes in honey stores, and colonies did not increase nectarintake rates when honey stores within the hive were decreased.This result contrasts with pollen foraging behavior, which isextremely sensitive to colony state. Our data show that individualforaging decisions during nectar collection and colony regulationof nectar intake are distincdy different from pollen foraging.The behavior of honey bees illustrates that foraging strategy(and therefore foraging models) can incorporate multiple currencies,including both energy and protein intake.[Behav Ecol 7: 286–291(1996)]     

Bumblebee flight distances in relation to the forage landscape

1. Foraging range is a key aspect of the ecology of 'central place foragers'. Estimating how far bees fly under different circumstances is essential for predicting colony success, and for estimating bee-mediated gene flow between plant populations. It is likely to be strongly influenced by forage distribution, something that is hard to quantify in all but the simplest landscapes; and theories of foraging distance tend to assume a homogeneous forage distribution. 2. We quantified the distribution of bumblebee Bombus terrestris L. foragers away from experimentally positioned colonies, in an agricultural landscape, using two methods. We mass-marked foragers as they left the colony, and analysed pollen from foragers returning to the colonies. The data were set within the context of the 'forage landscape': a map of the spatial distribution of forage as determined from remote-sensed data. To our knowledge, this is the first time that empirical data on foraging distances and forage availability, at this resolution and scale, have been collected and combined for bumblebees. 3. The bees foraged at least 1.5 km from their colonies, and the proportion of foragers flying to one field declined, approximately linearly, with radial distance. In this landscape there was great variation in forage availability within 500 m of colonies but little variation beyond 1 km, regardless of colony location. 4. The scale of B. terrestris foraging was large enough to buffer against effects of forage patch and flowering crop heterogeneity, but bee species with shorter foraging ranges may experience highly variable colony success according to location.     

Seasonal variations in black-faced black spider monkey (Ateles chamek) habitat use and ranging behavior in a southern Amazonian tropical forest

Data are presented regarding the habitat use and ranging behavior of a spider monkey (Ateles chamek) community at Lago Caiman in northeastern Bolivia. Habitat use was driven primarily by fruit availability and distribution across the community home range. Strong seasonal variations occurred in fruit availability within all five of the floristically and phenologically distinct habitat types identified within the study site, and the spider monkeys dramatically shifted their ranging according to which habitat was richest in fleshy fruits. This use of local habitat diversity resulted in an unusually elongated shape for the home range that was otherwise typical of previous Ateles studies in terms of size. Ranging behavior was clumped and community core areas shifted seasonally across the focal community home range. Individual core areas were not relevant to the study due to dramatic community-wide shifts in ranging patterns. Day journey lengths were highly variable (460-5,690 m) and the distribution and abundance of fleshy fruit resources explained 81% of the monthly variations in mean day journey length. Keystone habitats for forest frugivores are identified and results are discussed with reference to previous studies on this genus, and the importance of considering keystone habitats and local habitat diversity within the management of forestry concessions in the region. Results are also discussed with reference to the behavioral ecology of the genus Ateles.     

Seed consumption by small fish follows peak seed availability in a tropical dry forest river

We evaluated seed consumption by fish in an altered tropical dry forest river in Mexico. Non‐natives fishes more than natives ingested significantly more seeds in the rainy season. Fishes follow the peak of seed availability after a flood pulse released them from the soil seed banks. Abstract in spanish is available with online material     

华北驼绒藜自然种群结实的花粉和资源限制

运用人工授粉、补充无机营养、去叶处理以及疏花处理研究了华北驼绒藜自然种群花粉和资源有效性对结实的影响,并进一步探讨了该植物的选择性败育现象和繁殖对策。结果表明:花粉来源而不是花粉数量对华北驼绒藜结实存在显著影响;同枝授粉结籽率和结实率均低于自然授粉,异株授粉则显著高于同枝授粉和自然授粉;异株授粉种子千粒重显著高于自然授粉和同株异枝授粉,极显著高于同枝授粉。华北驼绒藜结实存在资源限制,补充施肥提高了单枝开花数和结籽率。随摘除叶片数量的增加,结籽率明显降低,摘除叶片处理与对照之间均形成显著差异,摘除1/2叶、3/4叶以及去全叶处理使种子千粒重显著低于对照。人工疏花实验表明华北驼绒藜存在选择性败育现象。华北驼绒藜可根据花粉和资源的可利用性来调整性分配、授粉方式和结实以获得最大适合度,具有复杂的繁殖对策,表现出较好的环境适应性。     

Space use and social association in a gregarious ungulate: Testing the conspecific attraction and resource dispersion hypotheses

Animals use a variety of proximate cues to assess habitat quality when resources vary spatiotemporally. Two nonmutually exclusive strategies to assess habitat quality involve either direct assessment of landscape features or observation of social cues from conspecifics as a form of information transfer about forage resources. The conspecific attraction hypothesis proposes that individual space use is dependent on the distribution of conspecifics rather than the location of resource patches, whereas the resource dispersion hypothesis proposes that individual space use and social association are driven by the abundance and distribution of resources. We tested the conspecific attraction and the resource dispersion hypotheses as two nonmutually exclusive hypotheses explaining social association and of adult female caribou (Rangifer tarandus). We used location data from GPS collars to estimate interannual site fidelity and networks representing home range overlap and social associations among individual caribou. We found that home range overlap and social associations were correlated with resource distribution in summer and conspecific attraction in winter. In summer, when resources were distributed relatively homogeneously, interannual site fidelity was high and home range overlap and social associations were low. Conversely, in winter when resources were distributed relatively heterogeneously, interannual site fidelity was low and home range overlap and social associations were high. As access to resources changes across seasons, caribou appear to alter social behavior and space use. In summer, caribou may use cues associated with the distribution of forage, and in winter caribou may use cues from conspecifics to access forage. Our results have broad implications for our understanding of caribou socioecology, suggesting that caribou use season‐specific strategies to locate forage. Caribou populations continue to decline globally, and our finding that conspecific attraction is likely related to access to forage suggests that further fragmentation of caribou habitat could limit social association among caribou, particularly in winter when access to resources may be limited.     

Resource availability and habitat use by mantled howling monkeys in a Nicaraguan coffee plantation: can agroforests serve as core habitat for a forest mammal?

Although shade coffee plantations are potentially valuable habitats for wildlife conservation, little information exists on the extent to which they provide resident wildlife populations with resources necessary for survival and reproduction. A 14-month study of the ecology of mantled howling monkeys Alouatta palliata living in a Nicaraguan shade coffee plantation was therefore conducted. Trees were surveyed at randomly located enumeration points in the coffee plantation and monitored for phenophase production to characterize resource availability. Day-long focal animal follows were used to characterize the ranging and habitat preferences of the howlers. The study site had a diverse canopy, with over 60 tree species providing shade for coffee cultivation; high tree diversity ensured year-round availability of the howlers' preferred foods. Howlers did not avoid feeding or ranging in areas of shade coffee cultivation. However, when foraging in coffee they favored large shade trees for feeding and were less likely to use areas of shade coffee with small trees and fewer arboreal pathways. Results suggest, in conjunction with controls on hunting and protection of nearby forests, that shade coffee can serve as alternate wildlife habitat and corridors between forest fragments for howling monkeys and possibly other forest mammals. Specific management recommendations to improve the conservation value of shade coffee for primates are made and the potential role of coffee plantations in primate conservation at a regional scale are discussed.     

Pollen and resource limitations to lifetime seed production in a wild population of the endangered plant Disanthus cercidifollus var.Iongipes H.T.Chang (Hamamelidaceae)

Disanthus cercidifolius Maxim.var.longipes H.T.Chang,a plant species that only occurs in a few counties in Hunan,Jiangxi and Zhejiang Provinces and with a relatively small number of individuals,is ranked as a second Class endangered species for conservation in China.We have studied the effect of pollen and resources available to female reproduction,and the reproductive mechanism of "excess flowers with low fruit set" in Disanthus cercidifolius Maxim.var.longipes H.T.Chang was discussed.Results are as follows:Pollen from different sources has significant effects on fruit set and seed set of Disanthus cercidifolius Maxim.var.longipes H.T.Chang.The pollen source rather than pollen numbers significantly affected reproduction of this species.In wild populations,producing one fruit needs about 54.8 flowers,and one satiation seed needs about 6.60 flowers or 83.19 ovules.After fertilizing,which was propitious to flower development,the abortion rate of flower buds was decreasing,but the flowering rate was increasing.The fruit set and seed set was also significantly increasing,while abortion rate of fruit was significantly decreasing.With the increasing percentages of cutting leaves,the fruit set decreased,but the abortion rate of fruit shows no significant differentiation among treatments.After cutting branches that were puny,broken and insectinfested branches,the flower number seemed to be decreasing,but the fruit set and seed set all increased significantly.After removing some flowers,the fruit set was calculated with respect to the number of flowers remaining after the treatment increased with increasing of percentages of flower removal,whereas fruit set calculated with respect to the initial number of flowers remained constant,and the mean weights of per fi'uit and per seed all decreased significantly.Sufficient spatial or temporal heterogeneities in nutrient levels might allow limitation of seed set by resources and pollen in a natural population,while supplying resources may indirectly affect pollination by increasing attraction of the flowers to pollinators.There were very low fruit and seed sets in natural populations ofDisanthus cercidifolius Maxim.var.longipes H.T.Chang.Different factors may have interacted to effect a low fruit set.A joint adoption of the "selection abortion hypothesis","ovary reserve hypothesis" and "male function hypothesis" seems to be the most likely explanation for the reproductive strategy of"excess flowers with few fruit sets" in Disanthus cercidifolius Maxim.var.longipes H.T.Chang.     

Fruit production is influenced by tree size and size‐asymmetric crowding in a wet tropical forest

In tropical forest communities, seedling recruitment can be limited by the number of fruit produced by adults. Fruit production tends to be highly unequal among trees of the same species, which may be due to environmental factors. We observed fruit production for ~2,000 trees of 17 species across 3 years in a wet tropical forest in Costa Rica. Fruit production was modeled as a function of tree size, nutrient availability, and neighborhood crowding. Following model selection, tree size and neighborhood crowding predicted both the probability of reproduction and the number of fruit produced. Nutrient availability only predicted only the probability of reproduction. In all species, larger trees were more likely to be reproductive and produce more fruit. In addition, number of fruit was strongly negatively related to presence of larger neighboring trees in 13 species; presence of all neighboring trees had a weak‐to‐moderate negative influence on reproductive status in 16 species. Among various metrics of soil nutrient availability, only sum of base cations was positively associated with reproductive status, and for only four species. Synthesis Overall, these results suggest that direct influences on fruit production tend to be mediated through tree size and crowding from neighboring trees, rather than soil nutrients. However, we found variation in the effects of neighbors and nutrients among species; mechanistic studies of allocation to fruit production are needed to explain these differences.     

濒危植物长柄双花木自然种群结实的花粉和资源限制

长柄双花木（Disanthus cercidifolius Maxim．vsr．longipes H．T．Chang）只零星分布于湖南、江西和浙江等省的少数县,已处于濒危状态。通过对其野外自然种群试验,研究了花粉和资源的有效性对雌性生殖的影响,并进一步探讨了长柄双花木“花多果少”的生殖机制。结果表明：不同来源的花粉对长柄双花木结果率及结籽率均产生显著影响。花粉来源而不是花粉数量对长柄双花木结实存在显著影响。自然条件下,长柄双花木“花一果转化率”约为54馏,“胚珠-种子转化率”约为83．19。施肥处理有利于花芽发育,可使植株花芽败育率明显下降,开花比例升高;同时座果率和结籽率均显著提高,而果实败育率则显著降低。随剪除叶片量的增加,结果率明显降低,但果实败育率在处理间无显著差异;剪除弱小枝条及病虫枝后,个体总开花数虽有所下降,但是结果率和结籽率均显著提高。去除花后,长柄双花木平均单果重、单粒种子重均显著降低。营养水平的时空异质性使自然种群结籽率受到资源和花粉的限制;补充资源可以通过增强花对传粉者的吸引而间接影响传粉。长柄双花木自然种群的坐果率极低,而且存在严重的“大小年”结果现象,不同的因子可能对其低水平坐果率产生相互作用。选择性败育、子房供应和雄性功能假说似乎是长柄双花木“花多果少”的生殖策略的最合理解释。     

Importance of rare habitats and riparian zones in a tropical forest fragment: preferential use by Tayassu pecari, a wide-ranging frugivore

In forest fragments, rare habitats contribute to heterogeneity and may provide unique resources for frugivorous species like peccaries with spatially and temporally complex patterns of range use. This study examined seasonal habitat use by two sympatric peccary species ( Tayassu pecari and Tayassu tajacu ) in an Atlantic forest fragment on the plateau region of São Paulo state, Brazil. Previous studies showed that range use by T. pecari was highly nonrandom, and that both species persisted at population densities typical of larger forest fragments. To explain this, we quantified the use and availability of habitats and riparian zones with compositional analysis. Use by T. pecari was nonrandom with respect to availability. Habitat preferences were different during dry and wet seasons and corresponded closely with seasonal movements, core range and fruit use. Although aquatic habitats made up a small proportion of the herd home range, they were most preferred by T. pecari during both seasons. Headwater palmito Euterpe edulis swamps were most favored in the dry season, whereas swamps and marshes near larger streams were preferred in the wet season. Tayassu pecari preferred riparian zones <50 m from streams over drier zones. These habitats were important sources of fruits, travel routes and corridors between forest patches in the agricultural matrix. The least-preferred habitat of T. pecari during both seasons was disturbed forest edge dominated by bamboo. Habitat and riparian zone use were herd-specific for T. tajacu and related to habitat quality and composition where stable home ranges had been established. The persistence of viable peccary populations after 75 years of fragmentation-associated pressures is related to preservation of rare habitats and overall habitat diversity. Thus, T. pecari is an indicator of high habitat diversity in forest fragments and will function as an umbrella species when targeted for conservation.     

Pollen and resource limitations to lifetime seed production in a wild population of the endangered plant Disanthus cercidifolius var. longipes H. T. Chang (Hamamelidaceae)

Disanthus cercidifolius Maxim. var. longipes H. T. Chang, a plant species that only occurs in a few counties in Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang Provinces and with a relatively small number of individuals, is ranked as a second Class endangered species for conservation in China. We have studied the effect of pollen and resources available to female reproduction, and the reproductive mechanism of “excess flowers with low fruit set” in Disanthus cercidifolius Maxim. var. longipes H. T. Chang was discussed. Results are as follows Pollen from different sources has significant effects on fruit set and seed set of Disanthus cercidifolius Maxim. var. longipes H. T. Chang. The pollen source rather than pollen numbers significantly affected reproduction of this species. In wild populations, producing one fruit needs about 54.8 flowers, and one satiation seed needs about 6.60 flowers or 83.19 ovules. After fertilizing, which was propitious to flower development, the abortion rate of flower buds was decreasing, but the flowering rate was increasing. The fruit set and seed set was also significantly increasing, while abortion rate of fruit was significantly decreasing. With the increasing percentages of cutting leaves, the fruit set decreased, but the abortion rate of fruit shows no significant differentiation among treatments. After cutting branches that were puny, broken and insectin-fested branches, the flower number seemed to be decreasing, but the fruit set and seed set all increased significantly. After removing some flowers, the fruit set was calculated with respect to the number of flowers remaining after the treatment increased with increasing of percentages of flower removal, whereas fruit set calculated with respect to the initial number of flowers remained constant, and the mean weights of per fruit and per seed all decreased significantly. Sufficient spatial or temporal heterogeneities in nutrient levels might allow limitation of seed set by resources and pollen in a natural population, while supplying resources may indirectly affect pollination by increasing attraction of the flowers to pollinators. There were very low fruit and seed sets in natural populations of Disanthus cercidifolius Maxim. var. longipes H. T. Chang. Different factors may have interacted to effect a low fruit set. A joint adoption of the “selection abortion hypothesis”, “ovary reserve hypothesis” and “male function hypothesis” seems to be the most likely explanation for the reproductive strategy of “excess flowers with few fruit sets” in Disanthus cercidifolius Maxim. var. longipes H. T. Chang. __________ Translated from Acta Ecologica Sinica, 2006, 26(2): 496–502 [译自: 生态学报]