| acetylcholine and an unidentified, muscle-contracting factor in the venom of the bumblebee, bombus terrestris l. | extracts of venom reservoirs as well as dilutions of venom droplets collected from the tip of the sting of bombus terrestris were tested for biological activity on the isolated guinea-pig ileum, the frog rectus abdominis, and the rat phrenic nerve-hemidiaphragm preparation. the venom contains a cholinergic factor, apparently identical to acetylcholine, at a concentration of about 30 micrograms per venom reservoir. this was confirmed using radioimmunoassay of acetylcholine. the venom also contain ... | 1983 | 6138203 |
| genetic differentiation of continental and island populations of bombus terrestris (hymenoptera: apidae) in europe. | ten microsatellite loci and a partial sequence of the coii mitochondrial gene were used to investigate genetic differentiation in b. terrestris, a bumble bee of interest for its high-value crop pollination. the analysis included eight populations from the european continent, five from mediterranean islands (six subspecies altogether) and one from tenerife (initially described as a colour form of b. terrestris but recently considered as a separate species, b. canariensis). eight of the 10 microsa ... | 1996 | 9147693 |
| single-clone and mixed-clone infections versus host environment in crithidia bombi infecting bumblebees. | current theories assume that adaptive parasite evolution explains variation in the level of virulence and parasite success. in particular, mixed-genotype infections by parasites should generally be more virulent, and faster multiplying strains more successful, either because fixed strategies have evolved or because parasites facultatively alter virulence in response to co-infecting competitors. we compared several measures of parasite success and virulence between single-clone and mixed-clone in ... | 1998 | 9820854 |
| are queen bombus terrestris giant workers or are workers dwarf queens? solving the 'chicken and egg' problem in a bumblebee species. | in the social bee, bombus terrestris, the two castes differ in size and physiology, but not in any other morphological and anatomical aspects. the size differences between the castes are the result of longer instar duration in prospective queen larvae. it appears that queen larvae are programmed to have a higher molting weight at the end of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th instars. calculation of the growth ratio, the ratio between the logarithm of molting weight at two successive instars, revealed that que ... | 2001 | 11320894 |
| bumblebee commercialization will cause worldwide migration of parasitic mites. | we investigated natural populations of three japanese native bumblebee species to determine the status of infestation by a tracheal mite, locustacarus buchneri, which we had earlier detected in introduced commercial colonies of the european bumblebee, bombus terrestris. we also investigated mite infestation in commercial colonies of a japanese native species, b. ignitus, which are mass-produced in the netherlands and reimported into japan. we detected the mite in both natural and commercial colo ... | 2001 | 11555253 |
| unexpected consequences of polyandry for parasitism and fitness in the bumblebee, bombus terrestris. | multiple mating by females (polyandry) is taxonomically widespread but the evolution of such behaviors is not clearly understood given potential costs of polyandry such as time, energy, or predation risk. the genetic variability versus parasites hypothesis predicts a reduction of parasitism due to increased genetic variability among offspring and an associated fitness gain. we tested this hypothesis with a field experiment in the bumblebee, bombus terrestris l. worker heterogeneity within the co ... | 2001 | 11580023 |
| activation of host constitutive immune defence by an intestinal trypanosome parasite of bumble bees. | many parasites, including important species that affect humans and livestock, must survive the harsh environment of insect guts to complete their life-cycle. hence, understanding how insects protect themselves against such parasites has immediate practical implications. previously, such protection has been thought to consist mainly of mechanical structures and the action of lectins. however, recently it has become apparent that gut infections may interact with the host immune system in more comp ... | 2003 | 12666884 |
| specific versus nonspecific immune defense in the bumblebee, bombus terrestris l. | hosts vary in both their strength of response to a general immunological insult and in their specific susceptibility to different parasite species or different strains of the same parasite. the variation in the general immune response is considered a result of the costs imposed by selection on defended individuals. the variation in the specific response may originate from variation in host and parasite genotypes and is a requirement for frequency-dependent selection. the relationship between the ... | 2003 | 12894951 |
| genetic analysis of spatial foraging patterns and resource sharing in bumble bee pollinators. | conservation biologists, evolutionary ecologists and agricultural biologists require an improved understanding of how pollinators utilize space and share resources. using microsatellite markers, we conducted a genetic analysis of space use and resource sharing at several spatial scales among workers of two ecologically dissimilar bumble bee species (bombus terrestris and b. pascuorum) foraging in an urban landscape (london, uk). at fine scales, the relatedness of workers visiting small patches o ... | 2003 | 12969482 |
| absolute configuration of chiral terpenes in marking pheromones of bumblebees and cuckoo bumblebees. | the absolute configurations of citronellol, 2,3-dihydrofarnesol, and 2,3-dihydrofarnesal in male marking pheromones of seven species of bumblebees and cuckoo bumblebees were determined by enantioselective gas chromatography on a capillary column coated with 60% heptakis(2,3-di-o-acetyl-6-o-tbdms)-beta-cyclodextrin in polysiloxane ps 268. pure (-)-s-enantiomers of all three terpenes were found in the labial glands of all investigated specimens of the following species: bombus (bombus) terrestris, ... | 2004 | 15034905 |
| social parasitism by male-producing reproductive workers in a eusocial insect. | the evolution of extreme cooperation, as found in eusocial insects (those with a worker caste), is potentially undermined by selfish reproduction among group members. in some eusocial hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps), workers can produce male offspring from unfertilized eggs. kin selection theory predicts levels of worker reproduction as a function of the relatedness structure of the workers' natal colony and the colony-level costs of worker reproduction. however, the theory has been only part ... | 2004 | 15282605 |
| the distribution of genotypes of the trypanosome parasite, crithidia bombi, in populations of its host, bombus terrestris. | this study reports the distribution of parasite genotypes for the trypanosome crithidia bombi across individual units (the colonies) in host populations of a social insect, the bumble bee bombus terrestris. a number of microsatellite primers were developed and several of them were found to be polymorphic in our samples. furthermore, a simple algorithm was used to identify the likely multi-locus genotypes present in multiply infected host individuals. the results demonstrated a remarkably high de ... | 2004 | 15376774 |
| an interspecific comparison of foraging range and nest density of four bumblebee (bombus) species. | bumblebees are major pollinators of crops and wildflowers in northern temperate regions. knowledge of their ecology is vital for the design of effective management and conservation strategies but key aspects remain poorly understood. here we employed microsatellite markers to estimate and compare foraging range and nest density among four uk species: bombus terrestris, bombus pascuorum, bombus lapidarius, and bombus pratorum. workers were sampled along a 1.5-km linear transect across arable farm ... | 2005 | 15836652 |
| bumblebees, humble pollinators or assiduous invaders? a population comparison of foraging performance in bombus terrestris. | worldwide trade in non-native bumblebees remains largely unrestricted despite well-documented cases where introductions of non-native bees have gone dramatically wrong. within europe, indiscriminate importation of non-native populations of bumblebees (bombus terrestris) for the pollination of glasshouse crops continues on a massive scale. however, no risk assessment has been conducted for these introductions, perhaps because b. terrestris is considered a native species, so shipping populations f ... | 2005 | 15891827 |
| the impact of host starvation on parasite development and population dynamics in an intestinal trypanosome parasite of bumble bees. | host nutrition plays an important role in determining the development and success of parasitic infections. while studies of vertebrate hosts are accumulating, little is known about how host nutrition affects parasites of invertebrate hosts. crithidia bombi is a gut trypanosome parasite of the bumble bee, bombus terrestris and here we use it as a model system to determine the impact of host nutrition on the population dynamics and development of micro-parasites in invertebrates. pollen-starved be ... | 2005 | 15977900 |
| detection of deformed wing virus, a honey bee viral pathogen, in bumble bees (bombus terrestris and bombus pascuorum) with wing deformities. | honey bees (apis mellifera) productively infected with deformed wing virus (dwv) through varroa destructor (v. destructor) during pupal stages develop into adults showing wing and other morphological deformities. here, we report for the first time the occurrence of bumble bees (bombus terrestris, bombus pascuorum) exhibiting wing deformities resembling those seen in clinically dwv-infected honey bees. using specific rt-pcr protocols for the detection of dwv followed by sequencing of the pcr prod ... | 2006 | 16300785 |
| diversity and phylotype consistency of bacteria in the guts of three bee species (apoidea) at an oilseed rape field. | the gut of insects may harbour one of the largest reservoirs of a yet unexplored microbial diversity. to understand how specific insects select for their own bacterial communities, the structural diversity and variability of bacteria found in the gut of different bee species was analysed. for three successive years, adults and larvae of apis mellifera ssp. carnica (honey bee), and bombus terrestris (bumble bee), as well as larvae of osmia bicornis (red mason bee) were collected at a flowering oi ... | 2006 | 16423014 |
| serial passage of the parasite crithidia bombi within a colony of its host, bombus terrestris, reduces success in unrelated hosts. | in the wild, bombus spp. bees may contract infections of the trypanosome parasite crithidia bombi from their nestmates or from others while foraging on contaminated flowers. we expected that as c. bombi is transmitted repeatedly among related workers within a colony, the parasite population would become more successful in this relatively homogeneous host population and less successful in individuals from unrelated colonies of the same or different species. to test our prediction, we serially pas ... | 2006 | 16608683 |
| bumblebees experience landscapes at different spatial scales: possible implications for coexistence. | coexistence in bumblebee communities has largely been investigated at local spatial scales. however, local resource partitioning does not fully explain the species diversity of bumblebee communities. theoretical studies provide new evidence that partitioning of space can promote species coexistence, when species interact with their environment at different spatial scales. if bumblebee species possess specific foraging ranges, different spatial resource utilisation patterns might operate as an ad ... | 2006 | 16758219 |
| insect immunity shows specificity in protection upon secondary pathogen exposure. | immunological memory in vertebrates, conferring lasting specific protection after an initial pathogen exposure, has implications for a broad spectrum of evolutionary, epidemiological, and medical phenomena . however, the existence of specificity in protection upon secondary pathogen exposure in invertebrates remains controversial . to separate this functional phenomenon from a particular mechanism, we refer to it as specific immune priming. we investigate the presence of specific immune priming ... | 2006 | 16782011 |
| presence of a thermoregulatory hot spot in the prothorax of the large carpenter bee and the bumble bee. | in both the large carpenter bee (xylocopa pubescens) and the bumblebee (bombus terrestris), a hot spot was detected in the center of the prothorax on its dorsal-external aspect. in both cases, the temperature in this hot spot was found to be greater than the ambient temperature and that at the tip of the gaster. in b. terrestris, it was higher by 9-10 degrees c from that at the gaster tip and by 15-16 degrees c from the ambient temperature, while in x. pubescens the corresponding differences wer ... | 2006 | 16952147 |
| cytological variation and pathogenicity of the bumble bee parasite nosema bombi (microspora, nosematidae). | in three field seasons, 2003-2005, bumble bees were collected in southern sweden and eastern denmark in search of microsporidian parasites. of the 16 bumble bee species studied, microsporidia were found in bombus hortorum, bombus hypnorum, bombus lapidarius, bombus lucorum, bombus pascuorum, bombus pratorum, bombus ruderarius, bombus subterraneus and bombus terrestris. only one microsporidian species, nosema bombi, was recorded. a microsporidium found in b. pratorum differed cytologically from m ... | 2007 | 17005191 |
| response characteristics of visual altitude control system in bombus terrestris. | frequency response characteristics of bumblebees to vertical visual oscillations were measured and analyzed. we measured the vertical force of the bees at four oscillation frequencies (0.9, 1.8, 3.6 and 7.4 hz), and summarized their response characteristics in terms of amplitude and phase differences. the amplitude was almost constant throughout the examined frequency domain, whereas the phase gradually lagged with increasing frequency. in order to view the relationship between the input (visual ... | 2006 | 17079723 |
| phylogenetic analysis of honey bee behavioral evolution. | dna sequences from three mitochondrial (rrnl, cox2, nad2) and one nuclear gene (itpr) from all 9 known honey bee species (apis), a 10th possible species, apis dorsata binghami, and three outgroup species (bombus terrestris, melipona bicolor and trigona fimbriata) were used to infer apis phylogenetic relationships using bayesian analysis. the dwarf honey bees were confirmed as basal, and the giant and cavity-nesting species to be monophyletic. all nodes were strongly supported except that groupin ... | 2007 | 17123837 |
| trans-generational immune priming in a social insect. | detecting functional homology between invertebrate and vertebrate immunity is of interest in terms of understanding the dynamics and evolution of immune systems. trans-generational effects on immunity are well known from vertebrates, but their existence in invertebrates remains controversial. earlier work on invertebrates has interpreted increased offspring resistance to pathogens as trans-generational immune priming. however, interpretation of these earlier studies involves some caveats and thu ... | 2005 | 17148213 |
| natural variation in the genetic architecture of a host-parasite interaction in the bumblebee bombus terrestris. | the genetic architecture of fitness-relevant traits in natural populations is a topic that has remained almost untouched by quantitative genetics. given the importance of parasitism for the host's fitness, we used qtl mapping to study the genetic architecture of traits relevant for host-parasite interactions in the trypanosome parasite, crithidia bombi and its host, bombus terrestris. the three traits analysed were the parasite's infection intensity, the strength of the general immune response ( ... | 2007 | 17391417 |
| nosema bombi: a pollinator parasite with detrimental fitness effects. | nosema bombi is an obligate intracellular parasite that infects different bumblebee species at a substantial, though variable, rate. to date its pathology and impact on host fitness are not well understood. we performed a laboratory experiment investigating the pathology and fitness effects of this parasite on the bumblebee bombus terrestris. we experimentally infected one group of colonies with n. bombi spores at the start of the worker production, while a second uninfected group of colonies se ... | 2007 | 17482641 |
| horizontal transmission success of nosema bombi to its adult bumble bee hosts: effects of dosage, spore source and host age. | parasite transmission dynamics are fundamental to explaining the evolutionary epidemiology of disease because transmission and virulence are tightly linked. horizontal transmission of microsporidian parasites, e.g. nosema bombi, may be influenced by numerous factors, including inoculation dose, host susceptibility and host population heterogeneity. despite previous studies of n. bombi and its bumble bee hosts, neither the epidemiology nor impact of the parasite are as yet understood. here we inv ... | 2007 | 17610765 |
| [chitosan in topical preparations]. | chitosan in topical preparations within the framework of experimental work at the department of pharmaceutical technology of slovak medical university, "insect" chitin obtained from the buff-tailed bumblebee (bombus terrestris) was processed to produce dosage forms and compared with commercially available chitin, or chitosan, obtained from shrimps (pandalus borealus). the paper aimed to find whether insect chitin, or chitosan, possessed similar technological properties as commercially available ... | 2007 | 17867527 |
| incidents of bee poisoning with pesticides in the united kingdom, 1994-2003. | for over 20 years, the uk agriculture departments have monitored the direct effects of pesticides on beneficial insects, mainly honeybees (apis mellifera, l.) and bumblebees (bombus terrestris, l.), as part of the wildlife incident investigation scheme (wiis). the central science laboratory (csl) has contributed to wiis by providing the required laboratory skills for the determination of bee diseases and the expert analytical experience necessary to determine low-level pesticide residues and int ... | 2007 | 17918188 |
| interspecific mating of the introduced bumblebee bombus terrestris and the native japanese bumblebee bombus hypocrita sapporoensis results in inviable hybrids. | the bumblebee bombus terrestris is not only an effective pollinator, but also a potential invasive alien species outside its native range. recently, nearly 30% of queens of the japanese native species bombus hypocrita sapporoensis and b. hypocrita hypocrita were estimated to copulate with b. terrestris males in the field, suggesting that indigenous bumblebees could be genetically deteriorated through hybrid production with the introduced species. in this study, we evaluated hybrid production bet ... | 2008 | 18594790 |
| seasonal activity of bombus terrestris l. in east mediterranean region, turkey. | bumblebees have economical importance in most of wild and cultivated plants. they can be abundant in suitable habitats and have a broad flower choice. bombus terrestris was collected at intervals during 2002 and 2003 from various flora and ecosystems of east mediterranean region of turkey. in this study, plants visited by bombus terrestris, seasonal activities, distribution and altitudes were determined. bombus terrestris have boon seen throughout turkey in a wide range of habitats from sea leve ... | 2008 | 18831364 |
| how floral odours are learned inside the bumblebee (bombus terrestris) nest. | recruitment in social insects often involves not only inducing nestmates to leave the nest, but also communicating crucial information about finding profitable food sources. although bumblebees transmit chemosensory information (floral scent), the transmission mechanism is unknown as mouth-to-mouth fluid transfer (as in honeybees) does not occur. because recruiting bumblebees release a pheromone in the nest that triggers foraging in previously inactive workers, we tested whether this pheromone h ... | 2009 | 18949450 |
| reproductive disturbance of japanese bumblebees by the introduced european bumblebee bombus terrestris. | the european bumblebee, bombus terrestris, is an invasive eusocial species whose distribution is expanding greatly beyond its native range because numerous colonies are imported to or locally produced in non-native countries for pollination of agricultural crops. closely related species exist in japan where the unrestricted import and use of b. terrestris has resulted in the establishment of wild colonies. laboratory studies previously showed that b. terrestris and japanese native species can co ... | 2009 | 19089400 |
| a laboratory evaluation to determine the compatibility of microbiological control agents with the pollinator bombus terrestris. | this study was undertaken to identify any potential adverse side effects of the use of seven microbiological control agents (mcas) on the bumblebee, bombus terrestris l., in the context of combined use in integrated pest management (ipm). aq10 (ampelomyces quisqualis), binab-t-vector (hypocrea parapilulifera + t. atroviride; 1/1), prestop-mix (gliocladium catenulatum j1446), serenade (bacillus subtilis qst713), trianum-p (trichoderma harzianum t22), botanigard (beauveria bassiana gha) and granup ... | 2009 | 19437453 |
| invasive bombus terrestris (hymenoptera: apidae) parasitized by a flagellate (euglenozoa: kinetoplastea) and a neogregarine (apicomplexa: neogregarinorida). | the flagellate crithidia bombi and the neogregarine apicystis bombi have been found in individuals of bombus terrestris, a palaearctic species of bumble bee commercially reared and shipped worldwide for pollination services. b. terrestris has recently entered into the northwestern patagonia region of argentina from chile, where it was introduced in 1998. prevalence was 21.6% for c. bombi and 3.6% for a. bombi (n=111). the pathogens were not detected in 441 bumble bees belonging to five of the ei ... | 2009 | 19682459 |
| hydrocarbon footprints as a record of bumblebee flower visitation. | bumblebees leave traces of cuticular hydrocarbons on flowers they visit, with the amount deposited being positively related to the number of visits. we asked whether such footprint hydrocarbons are retained on flowers for sufficiently long periods of time so as to reflect bee visitation in pollination studies. in laboratory experiments, flower corollae (primula veris, digitalis grandiflora) visited by bombus terrestris workers retained bee-derived nonacosenes (c(29)h(58)) in near-unchanged quant ... | 2009 | 20013038 |
| impact of bacillus thuringiensis strains on survival, reproduction and foraging behaviour in bumblebees (bombus terrestris). | bacillus thuringiensis (bt) and its protein crystals are used worldwide, either as a spray or when expressed in transgenic crops, for the control of pest insects. however, owing to their intensive use, there exists a debate regarding the involvement of this microbial insecticide in bee colony losses. in this study, in a tiered approach using laboratory microcolonies, an evaluation was made of the potential lethal and sublethal hazards on colony reproduction and foraging behaviour of workers of t ... | 2010 | 20024947 |
| infection with the trypanosome crithidia bombi and expression of immune-related genes in the bumblebee bombus terrestris. | social bees and other insects are frequently parasitized by a large range of different microorganisms. among these is crithidia bombi (kinetoplastida: trypanosomatidae), a common gut parasite of bumblebees, bombus spp. (insecta: apidae). bumblebees are important pollinators in commercial and natural environments. there are clear detrimental effects of c. bombi infections on the fitness of bumblebees. however, little has been known about how the bee's immune system responds to infections with try ... | 2010 | 20144650 |
| development of a new dispenser for microbiological control agents and evaluation of dissemination by bumblebees in greenhouse strawberries. | to date, in modern agriculture, biological control strategies are increasingly becoming the preferred pest management approach. however, the success of microbiological control agents (mcas) largely depends on efficient dissemination into the crop. the pollinator-and-vector technology employs pollinating insects like bees for a better dissemination. in this study, a new dispenser for bumblebee workers of bombus terrestris l. was developed. binab-t-vector and prestop-mix were used as two typical m ... | 2010 | 20672338 |
| photoreceptor spectral sensitivity in the bumblebee, bombus impatiens (hymenoptera: apidae). | the bumblebee bombus impatiens is increasingly used as a model in comparative studies of colour vision, or in behavioural studies relying on perceptual discrimination of colour. however, full spectral sensitivity data on the photoreceptor inputs underlying colour vision are not available for b. impatiens. since most known bee species are trichromatic, with photoreceptor spectral sensitivity peaks in the uv, blue and green regions of the spectrum, data from a related species, where spectral sensi ... | 2010 | 20711523 |
| biosecurity measures to prevent the incursion of invasive alien species into japan and to mitigate their impact. | the 2004 japanese 'invasive alien species act' was enacted to control invasive alien species and prevent the damage that they cause to ecosystems. the act defines invasive alien species as those recognised as, or suspected of, causing damage to ecosystems, human safety, agriculture, forestry and fisheries. invasive alien species are carefully regulated: raising, planting, keeping or transporting them is prohibited without the express permission of the relevant minister. the act represents a revo ... | 2010 | 20919584 |
| a quantitative in vitro cultivation technique to determine cell number and growth rates in strains of crithidia bombi (trypanosomatidae), a parasite of bumblebees. | the protozoan parasite crithidia bombi and its host, the bumblebee bombus terrestris, are used as a model system for the study of the evolutionary ecology of host-parasite interactions. in order to study these interactions we established a method for in vitro cultivation of single parasite strains. additionally, a high-throughput method is developed for the determination of cell numbers in cultures by means of optical density (od) measurements. the protocol for in vitro cultivation allowed for g ... | 2010 | 21129082 |
| genetic exchange and emergence of novel strains in directly transmitted trypanosomatids. | the breeding structure of protozoan infections, i.e. whether and how frequently parasites exchange genes ("sexual reproduction"), is a crucially important parameter for many important questions; it also matters for how new virulent strains might emerge. whether protozoan parasites are clonal or sexual is therefore a hotly debated issue. for trypanosomatids, few experimental tests of breeding structure exist to date and are limited to the vector-borne human diseases trypanosoma brucei, trypanosom ... | 2011 | 21252000 |
| bombus terrestris as pollinator-and-vector to suppress botrytis cinerea in greenhouse strawberry. | background: bombus terrestris l. bumblebees are widely used as commercial pollinators, but they might also be of help in the battle against economically important crop diseases. this alternative control strategy is referred to as pollinator-and-vector technology. the present study was designed to investigate the capacity of b. terrestris to fulfil this role in greenhouse strawberry flowers, which were manually inoculated with a major plant pathogen, the grey mould botrytis cinerea pers.: fr. a m ... | 2011 | 21394887 |
| dynamics of immune system gene expression upon bacterial challenge and wounding in a social insect (bombus terrestris). | the innate immune system which helps individuals to combat pathogens comprises a set of genes representing four immune system pathways (toll, imd, jnk and jak/stat). there is a lack of immune genes in social insects (e.g. honeybees) when compared to diptera. potentially, this might be compensated by an advanced system of social immunity (synergistic action of several individuals). the bumble bee, bombus terrestris, is a primitively eusocial species with an annual life cycle and colonies headed b ... | 2011 | 21479237 |
| maternity-related plasticity in circadian rhythms of bumble-bee queens. | unlike most animals studied so far in which the activity with no circadian rhythms is pathological or linked to deteriorating performance, worker bees and ants naturally care for their sibling brood around the clock with no apparent ill effects. here, we tested whether bumble-bee queens that care alone for their first batch of offspring are also capable of a similar chronobiological plasticity. we monitored locomotor activity of bombus terrestris queens at various life cycle stages, and queens f ... | 2011 | 21508036 |
| pathways to immunity: temporal dynamics of the bumblebee (bombus terrestris) immune response against a trypanosomal gut parasite. | immune response dynamics in insects from natural host-parasite associations are poorly understood, despite accumulating evidence of ecological immune phenomena in these systems. using a gene discovery approach, we have identified genes relating to signalling, enzymatic processes and respiration that were up-regulated in the bumblebee, bombus terrestris, during infection with the trypanosomatid parasite, crithidia bombi. in addition, we have mapped dynamic changes in the temporal expression of th ... | 2011 | 21615578 |
| food-environment mediates the outcome of specific interactions between a bumblebee and its trypanosome parasite. | specific host-parasite interactions, where the outcome of exposure to a parasite depends upon the genotypic identity of both parties, have implications for understanding host-parasite coevolution and patterns of genetic diversity. thus, grasping the extent to which these interactions are mediated by environmental changes in a spatially and temporally heterogeneous world is vital. in this study, it is shown that the environment can influence specific host-parasite interactions in the well-studied ... | 2011 | 21967438 |
| photoreceptor processing speed and input resistance changes during light adaptation correlate with spectral class in the bumblebee, bombus impatiens. | colour vision depends on comparison of signals from photoreceptors with different spectral sensitivities. however, response properties of photoreceptor cells may differ in ways other than spectral tuning. in insects, for example, broadband photoreceptors, with a major sensitivity peak in the green region of the spectrum (>500 nm), drive fast visual processes, which are largely blind to chromatic signals from more narrowly-tuned photoreceptors with peak sensitivities in the blue and uv regions of ... | 2011 | 22046251 |
| Purification and inflammatory edema induced by two PLA(2) (Anch TX-I and Anch TX-II) from sea anemone Anthothoe chilensis (Actiniaria: Sagartiidae). | The Anch TX-I and II PLA(2) were purified from Anthothoe chilensis (Lesson, 1830) from the extract of the anemone after only two chromatographic step using molecular exclusion chromatography (Sephadex G-75) and reverse phase HPLC on µ-Bondapak C18 column. Both PLA(2) showed a molecular mass of ~14kDa determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and showed a high catalytic activity (data not showed). Although homologous with mammalian or snake venom group I PLA(2)s, Anch TX-I and II is sufficiently ... | 2012 | 22100907 |
| recognition and avoidance of contaminated flowers by foraging bumblebees (bombus terrestris). | bumblebee colonies are founded by a single-mated queen. due to this life history trait, bumblebees are more susceptible to parasites and diseases than polyandrous and/or polygynous social insects. a greater resistance towards parasites is shown when the genetic variability within a colony is increased. the parasite resistance may be divided into different levels regarding the step of the parasite infection (e.g. parasite uptake, parasite intake, parasite's establishment in the nest, parasite tra ... | 2011 | 22039462 |
| comparative analysis of detection limits and specificity of molecular diagnostic markers for three pathogens (microsporidia, nosema spp.) in the key pollinators apis mellifera and bombus terrestris. | global pollinator decline has recently been discussed in the context of honey and bumble bee infections from various pathogens including viruses, bacteria, microsporidia and mites. the microsporidian pathogens nosema apis, nosema ceranae and nosema bombi may in fact be major candidates contributing to this decline. different molecular and non-molecular detection methods have been developed; however, a comparison, especially of the highly sensitive pcr based methods, is currently lacking. here, w ... | 2011 | 21927870 |
| detoxification and stress response genes expressed in a western north american bumble bee, bombus huntii (hymenoptera: apidae). | the hunt bumble bee (bombus huntii greene, hymenoptera: apidae) is a holometabolous, social insect important as a pollinator in natural and agricultural ecosystems in western north america. bumble bees spend a significant amount of time foraging on a wide variety of flowering plants, and this activity exposes them to both plant toxins and pesticides, posing a threat to individual and colony survival. little is known about what detoxification pathways are active in bumble bees, how the expression ... | 2013 | 24330608 |
| differential expression pattern of vago in bumblebee (bombus terrestris), induced by virulent and avirulent virus infections. | viruses are one of the main drivers of the decline of domesticated and wild bees but the mechanisms of antiviral immunity in pollinators are poorly understood. recent work has suggested that next to the small interfering rna (sirna) pathway other immune-related pathways play a role in the defense of the bee hosts against viral infection. in addition, vago plays a role in the cross-talk between the innate immune pathways in culex mosquito cells. here we describe the vago orthologue in bumblebees ... | 2016 | 27680717 |
| the effect of oral administration of dsrna on viral replication and mortality in bombus terrestris. | israeli acute paralysis virus (iapv), a single-stranded rna virus, has a worldwide distribution and affects honeybees as well as other important pollinators. iapv infection in honeybees has been successfully repressed by exploiting the rna interference (rnai) pathway of the insect's innate immune response with virus-specific double stranded rna (dsrna). here we investigated the effect of iapv infection in the bumblebee bombus terrestris and its tissue tropism. b. terrestris is a common pollinato ... | 2015 | 26110584 |
| israeli acute paralysis virus infection leads to an enhanced rna interference response and not its suppression in the bumblebee bombus terrestris. | rna interference (rnai) is the primary antiviral defense system in insects and its importance for pollinator health is indisputable. in this work, we examined the effect of israeli acute paralysis virus (iapv) infection on the rnai process in the bumblebee, bombus terrestris, and whether the presence of possible functional viral suppressors could alter the potency of the host's immune response. for this, a two-fold approach was used. through a functional rnai assay, we observed an enhancement of ... | 2016 | 27999371 |
| characterization of neutral lipase bt-1 isolated from the labial gland of bombus terrestris males. | in addition to their general role in the hydrolysis of storage lipids, bumblebee lipases can participate in the biosynthesis of fatty acids that serve as precursors of pheromones used for sexual communication. | 2013 | 24260337 |
| molecular cloning and characterization of the allatotropin precursor and receptor in the desert locust, schistocerca gregaria. | allatotropins (ats) are pleiotropic neuropeptides initially isolated from the tobacco hornworm, manduca sexta. in 2008, the first receptor for at-like peptides (atr) was characterized in bombyx mori. since then, atrs have also been characterized in m. sexta, tribolium castaneum, aedes aegypti and bombus terrestris. these receptors show sequence similarity to vertebrate orexin (orx) receptors. when generating an est-database of the desert locust (schistocerca gregaria) central nervous system, we ... | 2015 | 25814925 |
| differential gene expression and alternative splicing in insect immune specificity. | ecological studies routinely show genotype-genotype interactions between insects and their parasites. the mechanisms behind these interactions are not clearly understood. using the bumblebee bombus terrestris/trypanosome crithidia bombi model system (two bumblebee colonies by two crithidia strains), we have carried out a transcriptome-wide analysis of gene expression and alternative splicing in bees during c. bombi infection. we have performed four analyses, 1) comparing gene expression in infec ... | 2014 | 25431190 |
| polyphenism in social insects: insights from a transcriptome-wide analysis of gene expression in the life stages of the key pollinator, bombus terrestris. | understanding polyphenism, the ability of a single genome to express multiple morphologically and behaviourally distinct phenotypes, is an important goal for evolutionary and developmental biology. polyphenism has been key to the evolution of the hymenoptera, and particularly the social hymenoptera where the genome of a single species regulates distinct larval stages, sexual dimorphism and physical castes within the female sex. transcriptomic analyses of social hymenoptera will therefore provide ... | 2011 | 22185240 |
| immune gene expression in bombus terrestris: signatures of infection despite strong variation among populations, colonies, and sister workers. | ecological immunology relies on variation in resistance to parasites. colonies of the bumblebee bombus terrestris vary in their susceptibility to the trypanosome gut parasite crithidia bombi, which reduces colony fitness. to understand the possible origin of this variation in resistance we assayed the expression of 28 immunologically important genes in foraging workers. we deliberately included natural variation of the host "environment" by using bees from colonies collected in two locations and ... | 2013 | 23869212 |
| the genomes of two key bumblebee species with primitive eusocial organization. | the shift from solitary to social behavior is one of the major evolutionary transitions. primitively eusocial bumblebees are uniquely placed to illuminate the evolution of highly eusocial insect societies. bumblebees are also invaluable natural and agricultural pollinators, and there is widespread concern over recent population declines in some species. high-quality genomic data will inform key aspects of bumblebee biology, including susceptibility to implicated population viability threats. | 2015 | 25908251 |
| a depauperate immune repertoire precedes evolution of sociality in bees. | sociality has many rewards, but can also be dangerous, as high population density and low genetic diversity, common in social insects, is ideal for parasite transmission. despite this risk, honeybees and other sequenced social insects have far fewer canonical immune genes relative to solitary insects. social protection from infection, including behavioral responses, may explain this depauperate immune repertoire. here, based on full genome sequences, we describe the immune repertoire of two ecol ... | 2015 | 25908406 |
| bumblebees are not deterred by ecologically relevant concentrations of nectar toxins. | bees visit flowers to collect nectar and pollen that contain nutrients and simultaneously facilitate plant sexual reproduction. paradoxically, nectar produced to attract pollinators often contains deterrent or toxic plant compounds associated with herbivore defence. the functional significance of these nectar toxins is not fully understood, but they may have a negative impact on pollinator behaviour and health, and, ultimately, plant pollination. this study investigates whether a generalist bumb ... | 2014 | 24526720 |
| bee pathogens found in bombus atratus from colombia: a case study. | bombus atratus bumblebees from colombia that were caught in the wild and from breeding programs were screened for a broad set of bee pathogens. we discovered for the first time lake sinai virus and confirmed the infection by other common viruses. the prevalence of apicystis bombi, crithidia bombi and nosema ceranae was remarkably high. according to other studies the former two could have been co-introduced in south america with exotic bumble bees as bombus terrestris or bombus ruderatus. given t ... | 2015 | 26031564 |
| effect of oral infection with kashmir bee virus and israeli acute paralysis virus on bumblebee (bombus terrestris) reproductive success. | israeli acute paralysis virus (iapv) together with acute bee paralysis virus (abpv) and kashmir bee virus (kbv) constitute a complex of closely related dicistroviruses. they are infamous for their high mortality after injection in honeybees. these viruses have also been reported in non-apis hymenopteran pollinators such as bumblebees, which got infected with iapv when placed in the same greenhouse with iapv infected honeybee hives. here we orally infected bombus terrestris workers with different ... | 2014 | 25004171 |
| long-term prevalence of the protists crithidia bombi and apicystis bombi and detection of the microsporidium nosema bombi in invasive bumble bees. | an initial survey in 2009 carried out at a site in northwestern patagonia region, argentina, revealed for the first time in south america the presence of the flagellate crithidia bombi and the neogregarine apicystis bombi, two pathogens associated with the palaearctic invasive bumble bee bombus terrestris. in order to determine the long-term persistence and dynamics of this microparasite complex, four additional collections at the same site (san carlos de bariloche) were conducted along the foll ... | 2017 | 28085231 |
| unbiased rna shotgun metagenomics in social and solitary wild bees detects associations with eukaryote parasites and new viruses. | the diversity of eukaryote organisms and viruses associated with wild bees remains poorly characterized in contrast to the well-documented pathosphere of the western honey bee, apis mellifera. using a deliberate rna shotgun metagenomic sequencing strategy in combination with a dedicated bioinformatics workflow, we identified the (micro-)organisms and viruses associated with two bumble bee hosts, bombus terrestris and bombus pascuorum, and two solitary bee hosts, osmia cornuta and andrena vaga. i ... | 2016 | 28006002 |
| the effects of single and mixed infections of apicystis bombi and deformed wing virus in bombus terrestris. | many pollinators are currently suffering from declines, diminishing their gene pool and increasing their vulnerability to parasites. recently, an increasing diversity of parasites has been recorded in bumblebees, yet for many, knowledge of their virulence and hence the risk their presence poses, is lacking. the deformed wing virus (dwv), known to be ubiquitous in honey bees, has now been detected in bumblebees. in addition, the neogregarine apicystis bombi has been discovered to be more prevalen ... | 2016 | 26646676 |
| genetic variability of the neogregarine apicystis bombi, an etiological agent of an emergent bumblebee disease. | the worldwide spread of diseases is considered a major threat to biodiversity and a possible driver of the decline of pollinator populations, particularly when novel species or strains of parasites emerge. previous studies have suggested that populations of introduced european honeybee (apis mellifera) and bumblebee species (bombus terrestris and bombus ruderatus) in argentina share the neogregarine parasite apicystis bombi with the native bumblebee (bombus dahlbomii). in this study we investiga ... | 2013 | 24324696 |
| apicystis bombi (apicomplexa: neogregarinorida) parasitizing apis mellifera and bombus terrestris (hymenoptera: apidae) in argentina. | the neogregarine apicystis bombi is considered a low prevalence parasite of bombus spp. before our work it has only once been detected in one single specimen of the western honeybee apis mellifera. this contribution reports the presence of a. bombi parasitizing both a. mellifera and bombus terrestris at a site in northwestern argentine patagonia (bariloche, close to the border with chile) and analyses its possible absence in the pampas region, the most important beekeeping region of the country. ... | 2011 | 23761336 |
| reliability of the entomovector technology using prestop-mix and bombus terrestris l. as a fungal disease biocontrol method in open field. | botrytis cinerea pers.:fr. is a major plant pathogen, and a new approach is needed for its control in strawberry to minimise the increasing use of synthetic fungicides. the biofungicide prestop-mix, which contains gliocladium catenulatum, is effective against botrytis infections; however, the need for frequent applications increases the costs for farmers. here, we demonstrate that bumble bees, bombus terrestris l., effectively disseminate the preparation onto flowers in open field conditions. ov ... | 2016 | 27530075 |
| immune response and gut microbial community structure in bumblebees after microbiota transplants. | microbial communities are a key component of host health. as the microbiota is initially 'foreign' to a host, the host's immune system should respond to its acquisition. such variation in the response should relate not only to host genetic background, but also to differences in the beneficial properties of the microbiota. however, little is known about such interactions. here, we investigate the gut microbiota of the bumblebee, bombus terrestris, which has a protective function against the bee's ... | 2016 | 27226466 |
| insect antimicrobial peptides act synergistically to inhibit a trypanosome parasite. | the innate immune system provides protection from infection by producing essential effector molecules, such as antimicrobial peptides (amps) that possess broad-spectrum activity. this is also the case for bumblebees, bombus terrestris, when infected by the trypanosome, crithidia bombi furthermore, the expressed mixture of amps varies with host genetic background and infecting parasite strain (genotype). here, we used the fact that clones of c. bombi can be cultivated and kept as strains in mediu ... | 2016 | 27160603 |
| colony pace: a life-history trait affecting social insect epidemiology. | among colonies of social insects, the worker turnover rate (colony 'pace') typically shows considerable variation. this has epidemiological consequences for parasites, because in 'fast-paced' colonies, with short-lived workers, the time of parasite residence in a given host will be reduced, and further transmission may thus get less likely. here, we test this idea and ask whether pace is a life-history strategy against infectious parasites. we infected bumblebees (bombus terrestris) with the inf ... | 2016 | 26763696 |
| behavioural evidence for self-medication in bumblebees? | the presence of antimicrobial secondary metabolites in nectar suggests that pollinators, which are threatened globally by emergent disease, may benefit from the consumption of nectars rich in these metabolites. we tested whether nicotine, a nectar secondary metabolite common in solanaceae and tilia species, is used by parasitized bumblebees as a source of self-medication , using a series of toxicological, microbiological and behavioural experiments. caged bees infected with crithidia bombi had a ... | 2015 | 25949807 |
| protein-poor diet reduces host-specific immune gene expression in bombus terrestris. | parasites infect hosts non-randomly as genotypes of hosts vary in susceptibility to the same genotypes of parasites, but this specificity may be modulated by environmental factors such as nutrition. nutrition plays an important role for any physiological investment. as immune responses are costly, resource limitation should negatively affect immunity through trade-offs with other physiological requirements. consequently, nutritional limitation should diminish immune capacity in general, but does ... | 2014 | 24850921 |
| gene expression differences underlying genotype-by-genotype specificity in a host-parasite system. | in many systems, host-parasite evolutionary dynamics have led to the emergence and maintenance of diverse parasite and host genotypes within the same population. genotypes vary in key attributes: parasite genotypes vary in ability to infect, host genotypes vary in susceptibility, and infection outcome is frequently the result of both parties' genotypic identities. these host-parasite genotype-by-genotype (gh × gp) interactions influence evolutionary and ecological dynamics in important ways. int ... | 2014 | 24550506 |
| few colonies of the host bombus terrestris disproportionately affect the genetic diversity of its parasite, crithidia bombi. | sex and recombination have long been considered as necessary means for hosts to keep up with and resist to their faster reproducing parasites. on the other hand, comparatively little attention has been paid to potential benefits of recombination for the parasites. using as model organisms the bumblebee bombus terrestris and its genetically highly variable trypanosomatid parasite crithidia bombi we analysed the infection dynamics as well as the relative frequency of parasite recombinants over tim ... | 2014 | 24263111 |
| the invasion of southern south america by imported bumblebees and associated parasites. | the palaearctic bombus ruderatus (in 1982/1983) and bombus terrestris (1998) have both been introduced into south america (chile) for pollination purposes. we here report on the results of sampling campaigns in 2004, and 2010-2012 showing that both species have established and massively expanded their range. bombus terrestris, in particular, has spread by some 200 km year(-1) and had reached the atlantic coast in argentina by the end of 2011. both species, and especially b. terrestris, are infec ... | 2014 | 24256429 |
| qualitatively different immune response of the bumblebee host, bombus terrestris, to infection by different genotypes of the trypanosome gut parasite, crithidia bombi. | insects have a complex and highly successful immune system that responds specifically to different types of parasites. different genotypes of a parasite species can differ in infectivity and virulence; which is important for host-parasite co-evolutionary processes, such as antagonistic, fluctuating selection. such coevolution obviously requires a genetic basis, but little is known about how hosts immunologically respond to different genotypes. the common european bumblebee bombus terrestris is i ... | 2013 | 24055962 |
| gut microbiota instead of host genotype drive the specificity in the interaction of a natural host-parasite system. | specific interactions between parasite genotypes and host genotypes (g(p) × g(h)) are commonly found in invertebrate systems, but are largely lacking a mechanistic explanation. the genotype of invertebrate hosts can be complemented by the genomes of microorganisms living on or within the host ('microbiota'). we investigated whether the bacterial gut microbiota of bumble bees (bombus terrestris) can account for the specificity of interactions between individuals from different colonies (previousl ... | 2012 | 22765311 |
| ecological effects on gut bacterial communities in wild bumblebee colonies. | 1. animal hosts harbour diverse and often specific bacterial communities (microbiota) in their gut. these microbiota can provide crucial services to the host such as aiding in digestion of food and immune defence. however, the ecological factors correlating with and eventually shaping these microbiota under natural conditions are poorly understood. 2. bumblebees have recently been shown to possess simple and highly specific microbiota. we here examine the dynamics of these microbiota in field co ... | 2012 | 22708631 |
| robustness of the outcome of adult bumblebee infection with a trypanosome parasite after varied parasite exposures during larval development. | the outcome of defence by the invertebrate immunity has recently been shown to be more complex than previously thought. in particular, the outcome is affected by biotic and abiotic environmental variation, host genotype, parasite genotype and their interaction. knowledge of conditions under which environmental variation affects the outcome of an infection is one important question that relates to this complexity. we here use the model system of the bumblebee, bombus terrestris, infected by the t ... | 2012 | 22487556 |
| virus infection of plants alters pollinator preference: a payback for susceptible hosts? | plant volatiles play important roles in attraction of certain pollinators and in host location by herbivorous insects. virus infection induces changes in plant volatile emission profiles, and this can make plants more attractive to insect herbivores, such as aphids, that act as viral vectors. however, it is unknown if virus-induced alterations in volatile production affect plant-pollinator interactions. we found that volatiles emitted by cucumber mosaic virus (cmv)-infected tomato (solanum lycop ... | 2016 | 27513727 |
| pervasiveness of parasites in pollinators. | many pollinator populations are declining, with large economic and ecological implications. parasites are known to be an important factor in the some of the population declines of honey bees and bumblebees, but little is known about the parasites afflicting most other pollinators, or the extent of interspecific transmission or vectoring of parasites. here we carry out a preliminary screening of pollinators (honey bees, five species of bumblebee, three species of wasp, four species of hoverfly an ... | 2012 | 22347356 |
| safety and acquisition potential of metarhizium anisopliae in entomovectoring with bumble bees, bombus terrestris. | in the context of integrated pest management with biological control and reduced pesticide use, dissemination of entomopathogenic fungi with insects has the potency to protect crops and specifically their flowers against pests and diseases. but before implementation of such entomovectoring system, a measurement of risks of the microbial biocontrol agent toward the vectoring insect is crucial. the essential contributions of this project are that 1) exposure of bumble bees, bombus terrestris (l.) ... | 2013 | 23448041 |
| factors influencing nosema bombi infections in natural populations of bombus terrestris (hymenoptera: apidae). | bumblebees are of profound ecological importance because of the pollination services they provide in natural and agricultural ecosystems. any decline of these pollinators is therefore of great concern for ecosystem functioning. increased parasite pressures have been discussed as a major factor for the loss of pollinators. one of the main parasites of bumblebees is nosema bombi, an intracellular microsporidian parasite with considerable impact on the vitality of the host. here we study the effect ... | 2012 | 22349145 |
| chronic neonicotinoid pesticide exposure and parasite stress differentially affects learning in honeybees and bumblebees. | learning and memory are crucial functions which enable insect pollinators to efficiently locate and extract floral rewards. exposure to pesticides or infection by parasites may cause subtle but ecologically important changes in cognitive functions of pollinators. the potential interactive effects of these stressors on learning and memory have not yet been explored. furthermore, sensitivity to stressors may differ between species, but few studies have compared responses in different species. here ... | 2016 | 27053744 |
| no effect of low-level chronic neonicotinoid exposure on bumblebee learning and fecundity. | in recent years, many pollinators have declined in abundance and diversity worldwide, presenting a potential threat to agricultural productivity, biodiversity and the functioning of natural ecosystems. one of the most debated factors proposed to be contributing to pollinator declines is exposure to pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids, a widely used class of systemic insecticide. also, newly emerging parasites and diseases, thought to be spread via contact with managed honeybees, may pose thr ... | 2016 | 27014515 |
| emerging dangers: deadly effects of an emergent parasite in a new pollinator host. | there is growing concern about the threats facing many pollinator populations. emergent diseases are one of the major threats to biodiversity and a microsporidian parasite, nosema ceranae, has recently jumped host from the asian to the western honeybee, spreading rapidly worldwide, and contributing to dramatic colony losses. bumblebees are ecologically and economically important pollinators of conservation concern, which are likely exposed to n. ceranae by sharing flowers with honeybees. whilst ... | 2013 | 23816821 |
| bifidobacterium commune sp. nov. isolated from the bumble bee gut. | bifidobacteria were isolated from the gut of bombus lapidarius, bombus terrestris and bombus hypnorum bumble bees by direct isolation on modified trypticase phytone yeast extract agar. the maldi-tof ms profiles of four isolates (lmg 28292(t), r-53560, r-53124, lmg 28626) were found to be identical and did not cluster with the profiles of established bifidobacterium species. analysis of the 16s rrna gene sequence of strain lmg 28292(t) revealed that lmg 28292(t) is most closely related to the bif ... | 2015 | 25753540 |
| the role of desaturases in the biosynthesis of marking pheromones in bumblebee males. | bumblebee males (hymenoptera) produce species-specific labial gland secretions called marking pheromones (mps). mps generally consist of terpenoids and fatty-acid-derived aliphatic compounds with various chain lengths predominantly containing one or no double bonds. the unsaturated fatty-acid-derived mp components were hypothesized to be produced by fatty acid desaturases (fads) that exhibit diverse substrate specificities. to address this hypothesis, we isolated and functionally characterized f ... | 2013 | 23727612 |
| yeasts in nectar of an early-blooming herb: sought by bumble bees, detrimental to plant fecundity. | through their effects on physicochemical features of floral nectar, nectar-dwelling yeasts can alter pollinator behavior, but the effect of such changes on pollination success and plant reproduction is unknown. we present results of experiments testing the effects of nectar yeasts on foraging patterns of captive and free-ranging bumble bees, and also on pollination success and fecundity of the early-blooming, bumble bee-pollinated helleborus foetidus (ranunculaceae). under controlled experimenta ... | 2013 | 23691645 |
| host manipulation of bumble bee queens by sphaerularia nematodes indirectly affects foraging of non-host workers. | sphaerularia bombi dufour is a major parasite of bumble bee queens that manipulates its host's behavior: parasitized queens do not breed and found nests but continue to fly into the early summer months. we examined the indirect consequences of this host manipulation on non-host workers in central hokkaido island, japan. in this area, parasitism of bombus terrestris by s. bombi is common but does not affect every queen; therefore, as summer begins, b. terrestris queens continue to dominate some f ... | 2015 | 26236849 |
| growth rate of bumblebee larvae is related to pollen amino acids. | the use of bombus terrestris l. commercial colonies for outdoor and greenhouse crop pollination is currently widespread. colony breeding includes bumblebee feeding, mostly by using the honeybee pollen loads of diverse palynological composition. because the chemical content of pollen is highly variable, the choice of commercial blend should not be random but has to be carefully selected to ensure the optimal development of workers and then pollination efficacy. in this work, we compared the impac ... | 2016 | 26385047 |
| evolution of gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone receptor and its ligand. | gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (gnih) is a neuropeptide inhibitor of gonadotropin secretion, which was first identified in the japanese quail hypothalamus. gnih peptides share a c-terminal lpxrfamide (x=l or q) motif in most vertebrates. the receptor for gnih (gnihr) is the seven-transmembrane g protein-coupled receptor 147 (gpr147) that inhibits camp production. gpr147 is also named neuropeptide ff (npff) receptor 1 (npffr1), because it also binds npff that has a c-terminal pqrfamide motif. to ... | 2014 | 25220854 |
| pollination ecology of anthyllis vulneraria subsp. vulgaris (fabaceae): nectar robbers as pollinators. | this paper examines the hypothesis that nectar robbing can affect plant reproductive success either positively or negatively. to this end, i investigated various aspects of the pollination ecology of a population of the herb anthyllis vulneraria subsp. vulgaris in northwest spain over 5 yr. by observing floral visitors, i found that the most important pollinator species was the long-tongued bee anthophora acervorum, which accounted for ∼45% of recorded insect visits. however, just over 45% of vi ... | 2000 | 10898775 |
| a new method for quick and easy hemolymph collection from apidae adults. | bio-analysis of insects is increasingly dependent on highly sensitive methods that require high quality biological material, such as hemolymph. however, it is difficult to collect fresh and uncontaminated hemolymph from adult bees since they are very active and have the potential to sting, and because hemolymph is rapidly melanized. here we aimed to develop and test a quick and easy method for sterile and contamination-free hemolymph sampling from adult apidae. our novel antennae method for hemo ... | 2017 | 28125668 |