Value of Insect Pollinators to Himalayan Agricultural Economies

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Partap ◽  
T. Partap ◽  
H. K. Sharma ◽  
P. Phartiyal ◽  
A. Marma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insect Pollinators ◽  
Agricultural Economies

Averting robo-bees: why free-flying robotic bees are a bad idea

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 723-729
Author(s):  
Roslyn Gleadow ◽  
Jim Hanan ◽  
Alan Dorin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Food Security ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Plant Interactions ◽  
Plant Insect Interactions ◽  
Native Habitat ◽  
Insect Pollinators ◽  
Insect Interactions

Food security and the sustainability of native ecosystems depends on plant-insect interactions in countless ways. Recently reported rapid and immense declines in insect numbers due to climate change, the use of pesticides and herbicides, the introduction of agricultural monocultures, and the destruction of insect native habitat, are all potential contributors to this grave situation. Some researchers are working towards a future where natural insect pollinators might be replaced with free-flying robotic bees, an ecologically problematic proposal. We argue instead that creating environments that are friendly to bees and exploring the use of other species for pollination and bio-control, particularly in non-European countries, are more ecologically sound approaches. The computer simulation of insect-plant interactions is a far more measured application of technology that may assist in managing, or averting, ‘Insect Armageddon' from both practical and ethical viewpoints.

scholarly journals The role of insect pollinators in avocado production: A global review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keira Dymond ◽  
Juan L. Celis‐Diez ◽  
Simon G. Potts ◽  
Brad G. Howlett ◽  
Bryony K. Willcox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insect Pollinators

Flower cold hardiness: a potential determinant of the flowering sequence exhibited by bog ericads

1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 997-999 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Reader
Keyword(s):  
Low Temperatures ◽  
Cold Hardiness ◽  
Vaccinium Macrocarpon ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Insect Pollinators ◽  
Cold Hardy ◽  
Vaccinium Myrtilloides ◽  
Potential Determinant ◽  
Ledum Groenlandicum

In laboratory freezing trials, cold hardiness of six types of bog ericad flowers differed significantly (i.e., Chamaedaphne calyculata > Andromeda glaucophylla > Kalmia polifolia > Vaccinium myrtilloides > Ledum groenlandicum > Vaccinium macrocarpon) at air temperatures between −4 and −10 °C but not at temperatures above −2 °C. At the Luther Marsh bog in southern Ontario, low temperatures (−3 to −7 °C) would select against May flowering by the least cold hardy ericads. Availability of pollinators, on the other hand, would encourage May flowering by the most cold hardy species. Presumably, competition for insect pollinators has promoted the diversification of bog ericad flowering peaks, while air temperature, in conjunction with flower cold hardiness, determined the order in which flowering peaks were reached.

scholarly journals INSECT POLLINATORS OF THREE RARE PLANTS IN A FLORIDA LONGLEAF PINE FOREST

2002 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 308-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa L. Pitts-Singer ◽  
James L. Hanula ◽  
Joan L. Walker
Keyword(s):  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Rare Plants ◽  
Pine Forest ◽  
Insect Pollinators

scholarly journals Geographical matching of volatile signals and pollinator olfactory responses in a cycad brood-site mutualism

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1816) ◽  
pp. 20152053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terence N. Suinyuy ◽  
John S. Donaldson ◽  
Steven D. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Choice Experiments ◽  
Local Region ◽  
The Other ◽  
Beetle Species ◽  
Olfactory Preference ◽  
Olfactory Responses ◽  
Volatile Emissions ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Insect Pollinators ◽  
Almost All

Brood-site mutualisms represent extreme levels of reciprocal specialization between plants and insect pollinators, raising questions about whether these mutualisms are mediated by volatile signals and whether these signals and insect responses to them covary geographically in a manner expected from coevolution. Cycads are an ancient plant lineage in which almost all extant species are pollinated through brood-site mutualisms with insects. We investigated whether volatile emissions and insect olfactory responses are matched across the distribution range of the African cycad Encephalartos villosus . This cycad species is pollinated by the same beetle species across its distribution, but cone volatile emissions are dominated by alkenes in northern populations, and by monoterpenes and a pyrazine compound in southern populations. In reciprocal choice experiments, insects chose the scent of cones from the local region over that of cones from the other region. Antennae of beetles from northern populations responded mainly to alkenes, while those of beetles from southern populations responded mainly to pyrazine. In bioassay experiments, beetles were most strongly attracted to alkenes in northern populations and to the pyrazine compound in southern populations. Geographical matching of cone volatiles and pollinator olfactory preference is consistent with coevolution in this specialized mutualism.

scholarly journals Balancing Bees and Livestock: Pastoralist Knowledge, Perceptions and Implications for Pollinator Conservation in Rangelands, Northern Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 194008292110281
Author(s):  
Faith Thomas Mpondo ◽  
Patrick A. Ndakidemi ◽  
Anna C. Treydte
Keyword(s):  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Community Outreach ◽  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Livelihood Diversification ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Northern Tanzania ◽  
Insect Pollinators ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
And Function ◽  
Rangeland Health

Insect pollinators provide numerous ecosystem services that support other living organisms. While pollinators play a large role in cropping systems, little is known about their presence and function in rangeland ecosystems, which have recently become fragmented and overexploited at an extraordinary rate. We assessed local Maasai knowledge on insect pollinators and how pollinators affect livelihood diversification in Simanjiro rangelands, Tanzania. Through questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations, we found varied insect knowledge among Maasai herders. Lasioglossum of sub genus Ipomalictus and Syriphidae were the least commonly recognized pollinators as only 24%, and 7% of participants could identify them, respectively. Responses varied significantly between men and women (F = 7.397, p = .007). Commiphora africana, Acacia mellifera and Albizia anthelmintica were noted as most important bee forage plants while observations showed Aspilia mossambicensis, Justicia debile and Acacia tortilis. Most (77%) of Maasai herders showed limited ability to link pollinators and rangeland wellbeing. Beekeeping contributed to livelihood diversification for 61% of respondents, with women participating more frequently than men (χ2 = 46.962, p = .0001). Beekeeping was positively influenced by education level ( R = .421, p < .0001) and occupation ( R = .194, p = .009). Pollinator declines were attributed to climate change (47%), agriculture (37%), and habitat destruction (8%). We conclude that Maasai have limited knowledge of common pollinator groups and their roles. Community outreach and training should bridge the knowledge gap in pastoralist communities to fully realize pollinator benefits and highlight the importance of rangeland health.

Exotic insect pollinators and native pollination systems

Plant Ecology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Debnam ◽  
Agustin Saez ◽  
Marcelo A. Aizen ◽  
Ragan M. Callaway
Keyword(s):  
Insect Pollinators ◽  
Pollination Systems

FERTILITY COMPONENTS IN A FABA BEAN LINE NEAR-ISOGENIC FOR MALE STERILITY

1986 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. DUC ◽  
G. G. ROWLAND ◽  
J. PICARD
Keyword(s):  
Male Sterility ◽  
Vicia Faba ◽  
Seed Yield ◽  
Faba Bean ◽  
Yield Components ◽  
Male Sterile ◽  
Potential Yield ◽  
Insect Pollinator ◽  
Insect Pollinators ◽  
Vicia Faba L

A near-isogenic faba bean (Vicia faba L.) line, segregating in a 1:1 ratio of male-fertile to male-sterile plants, was used to study the importance of insect pollinators on ovule fertilization and yield components of the first five flowering nodes. The fertilization of ovules from open-pollinated plants at the higher insect pollinator site of Dijon, France was 83%, as compared with 50% at the lower insect pollinator activity site of Saskatoon, Canada. No significant differences in total fertilized ovules were found between male-fertile and male-sterile plants at Dijon, but male-fertile plants at Saskatoon had significantly more fertilized ovules than male-sterile plants. Seed production on the first five flowering nodes was significantly greater at Saskatoon. Thus, while insect pollinators are important in determining the potential yield of a faba bean plant, other factors, such as environment, determine the ultimate yield.Key words: Vicia faba, ovule fertilization, seed yield, faba bean, male sterility

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