Pollination Agents Research Articles

Evaluation of ChatGPT Visualisation in Characterising Phenotypic Traits of Heterotrigona itama as a Coffee Pollinator Agent

Kopi menjadi salah satu komoditas andalan Indonesia. Salah satu upaya peningkatan produksi kopi adalah dengan mengoptimalkan peran polinator, salah satunya Heterotrigona itama. Pengetahuan akan ciri morfologi sebagai sifat fenotipik H. itama perlu diinternalisasi oleh para petani kopi. ChatGPT sering dijadikan rujukan dalam memahami informasi yang baru, terlepas dari potensi bias yang dimiliki. Penelitian ini telah dilakukan dengan tujuan untuk melakukan evaluasi atas hasil visualisasi oleh ChatGPT terhadap ciri morfologi H. itama. Pelaksanaan visualisasi dilakukan dengan pemberian prompt khusus kepada ChatGPT untuk tiga karakter morfologi. Hasil visualisasi yang ditampilkan selanjutnya dievaluasi berdasarkan pustaka acuan dari dua buah artikel ilmiah tentang ciri morfologi H. itama di Indonesia. Hasil perbandingan antara visualisasi ChatGPT dengan pustaka acuan menunjukkan bahwa ChatGPT mampu melakukan visualisasi pada karakter umum saja, namun untuk hal-hal yang bersifat spesifik dan rinci, hasil visualisasi ChatGPT tidak akurat. Berdasarkan hasil ini perlu dilakukan pengecekan ulang apabila petani menggunakan ChatGPT sebagai referensi dalam mengenali H. itama.

Agents of Pollination on Fruit Set of Piper nigrum L.

The role of agents on pollination and fruit set of Piper nigrum L. was carried out in the Department of Plantation Crops and Spices, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Thiruvantha puram during 2017-2019. The role of wind, gravity, rain and dew were investigated and the data was analyzed on twenty-five inflorescences of field grown black pepper plants and twenty-five inflorescences of pot grown bush pepper plants. The fruit set was superior due to the influence of wind and gravity (95.99%) in pot grown bush pepper and it was 91.98 per cent in field grown black pepper vines. The percentage of fruit set due to wind in field grown black pepper and potted bush pepper was 77.67% and 59.39 % respectively. The role of rain water in the pollination also revealed higher fruit set of 92.76% under natural conditions. Insects which visited black pepper spike were foraging nectar and common visitors were yellow crazy ant, black garden ant and pollu beetle with visit rates of 1.79, 1.41 and 0.45 respectively. The small size of pollen with high pollen availability makes it suitable to be carried away by wind. The pendulous nature of the spike, the shedding of pollen, the pollen carried by the rainwater or dew down the spike can all contributed to pollination. Integration of more factors resulted in more fruit set. Characteristics of black pepper flowers studied revealed their adaptation for wind pollination and the pendulous nature of the spike makes it efficient to carry the pollen due to gravity as well as rain and dew for pollination. The role of insects in pollination in black pepper was precluded.

Effects of heavy metal pollution on population dynamics of another important pollinator insect group: Horseflies (Diptera: Tabanidae)

Horseflies represent important agents of pollination as well as other pollinator insects, like butterflies, bees and wasps. Horseflies belong to the genera Atylotus, Dasyramphis, Glaucops, Pangonius, Philoliche, Chrysops, Hybomitra, and Tabanus species are exclusive nectar feeders. Glucose, fructose and sucrose are major components of plant nectars which are used nourishing for developing eggs. Because of these features horseflies have a significant role in pollination of phanerogams. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of toxic heavy metals on the population dynamics of horsefly species. Monthly changes on the accumulation of heavy metals in the larval habitats of horsefly species were determined with Perkin Elmer Optical Spectrophotometer and also correlations between concentrations of heavy metals and population fluctuations of horse fly species were observed. The results demonstrated that lead, iron and cadmium have statistically important negative effects on the population dynamics of horsefly species.

Observations on the Foraging Behaviors of Commercial Bumble Bee Colonies in Prunus avium Orchards

Prunus avium blooming period starts in early spring. The uncertain climatic conditions in this period can cause mis-pollination syndromes. It could be directly because of the frozen days or non-forgeable conditions for the possible pollinators or indirectly the poor quality of surrounding habitat and lack of pollinators. When wild pollinators are scarce owing to one of these reasons, introduction of commercial pollinators can be a solution to ensure pollination. Within this context, commercial bombus colonies were chosen as insurance for the pollination of sweet cherries. In the blooming period of Prunus avium, for two years-with totally 120 transect observations, the daily foraging activities of these bumblebees were investigated in Sultandağı-Afyonkarahisar. Before the settlement of the hives in the field, trees were marked with different colored stripes every 10 meters which makes it possible to follow how far the bumblebees fly and forage in the field. Starting at 7:00, 9:00, 11:00, 14:00, 16:00, and 18:00, six times a day, with transect observations, the number of the foragers on cherries was recorded. The average number of flowers they visit per minute was calculated. The plants blooming simultaneously with cherry trees in the trial area were determined. Pollen preferences of foragers were examined with their cobicular pollen loads. The actual foraging range was found as 10-40 meters away from the hives, the maximum activities were recorded before the noon. The average number of visited flowers per minute for bumblebees was ~ 8 flowers. Taraxacum spp. and Lamium spp. pollen were found, but cherry preference was determined to be almost 90%. It is still an uncommon agricultural practice to use commercial bumble bees in open fields, especially for the plants which have very early blooming periods in early spring, it is thought that they are very good manageable pollinator agents according to their foraging capacities.

Large Old World Fruit Bats on the Brink of Extinction: Causes and Consequences

Large Old World fruit bats (LOWFBs), species of Pteropus, Acerodon, and related genera of large bats in the pteropodid subfamily Pteropodinae, play important roles as agents of dispersal and pollination across the Paleotropics. LOWFBs are also collectively the most threatened group of bats in the world, with 71% of extant species assessed as threatened by International Union for Conservation of Nature. As highlighted here, contrary to other bats, the vast majority of LOWFBs face multiple simultaneous threats. Most importantly, biological and ecological traits, in particular life history characteristics, diet, movement, social ecology, and physiology, intensify threats and accelerate species declines. Furthermore, we demonstrate that LOWFBs are to be considered keystone species and express concern about the erosion of this role and the cascading effects expected on native ecosystems. In response to this alarming situation, we advance general recommendations and identify overarching research and conservation actions.

Flower visits of cockroaches (Insecta: Blattodea) in the Iberian Peninsula: Are they neglected pollinators?

AbstractAlthough several insect orders have been deeply studied in plant–animal interactions (e.g. pollination) cockroaches have traditionally been ignored in taxonomic and ecological studies. However, they could be playing a role in the reproduction of several plants. To date, 8 plant species use cockroaches as a pollination agent. In our study, we have reviewed 2865 records from citizen science platforms and our own data from the Iberian Peninsula to find flower visits made by cockroaches. We have detected 51 interaction records involving at least 8 different cockroach species and 35 plant species. Furthermore, nearly half of the detected cockroaches carried pollen on various parts of their bodies. These insects were found to mainly visit white, yellow and pink flowers from Apiaceae, Asteraceae and Cistaceae plant families (among others) mainly in late spring and early summer. However, for the confirmation of effective pollination, new studies must be carried out. Additionally, although the existence of pollination syndrome is far from being understood, we provide new insights that could help shed some light on this unknown relationship. Here we provide the first approximation of cockroach floral perception and we have detected that white flowers show the best fit and higher conspicousness to cockroach colour vision, as suggested for other neglected pollinator insects.

Floral scent and pollination of the invasive plant Coreopsis lanceolata in Japan

The invasive plant Coreopsis lanceolata threatens ecosystems in Japan by competing for resources with native plants. This species is self-incompatible and requires pollinator agents for seed production; however, it is known to produce many seeds. Here, we document the pollination biology and plant-pollinator interactions that facilitate seed production of C. lanceolata in the introduced range. Results revealed that C. lanceolata attracted a wide array of floral visitors comprising 60 species from 20 families. Although most floral visitors could be potential pollinators, the functional groups of halictid bees appeared to be the most important pollinators of C. lanceolata in terms of visitation frequency and the ability to carry pollen. The floral scent emission of C. lanceolata consists predominantly of monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and benzenoids. Furthermore, the mean seed set was nearly 30% of the ovule mean. Our study confirmed that in the introduced range in Japan, C. lanceolata is integrated into the local pollinator community, especially with the functional group of halictid bees involved in the reproductive success.

Farmers’ knowledge and practices on pollination and insecticide use in cocoa farming in Ghana

ABSTRACT Although evidence of the limiting role of pollination in cocoa production is mounting, concern about the potential harm of insecticides to pollinators is also increasing. However, effort at examining farmer knowledge and practices on pollination and insecticide use aimed at promoting cocoa pollination is limited. This study assessed farmers' knowledge and practices on pollination and insecticide usage in four cocoa-growing communities (two organic and two conventional) in the Eastern region of Ghana. Data from interviewing cocoa farmers (200) with a structured questionnaire were analysed using various statistical techniques. Less than 50% of the farmers had knowledge of pollination and its influence on yield. Only 1% of the respondents identified midges as pollinators of cocoa, while 11% and 19.5% identified honey bees and ants as pollinator agents, respectively. Less than 50% of respondents believed insecticide application might impact on beneficial insects, including pollinators. Farmers’ responses were highly influenced by farming system, educational background, farmer groups and extension officers. Our findings show that educating smallholder farmers on pollination and judicious insecticide use is crucial in improving long-term cocoa yields. These findings have implications for pest management policies and farmer sensitization on the impact of indiscriminate insecticide application on the environment and pollinators.

Método potencial para otimização de captura e manejo de abelhas nativas sem ferrão (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) em iscas atrativas

Currently, pollinators are suffering an accelerated decline in their biodiversity due to factors such as pesticides, habitat loss, climate change and competition between exotic species. Bees are among the most important agents of pollination and those of the Meliponini tribe have been gaining prominence due to the spread of rational breeding practices. These practices can positively contribute to recreational, educational and commercial exploitation of the products produced. Despite widespread practices, and the various existing initiatives to regulate the creation and quality of honey, little has been proposed to improve techniques for obtaining colonies. In order to examine the potential use of an optimized technique for handling the removal of nests captured on attractive baits, a sheet of parchment paper was included as a coating inside two baits, in order to verify if this process does not interfere in obtaining the colony. and would facilitate its removal without damaging internal structures, improving handling. In the two attempts carried out, there was success in capturing swarms of the Jataí species (Tetragonisca angustula Latreille, 1811; Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) between three and five days after the installation of the bait. After the establishment of the swarm, the potential for the use of tracing paper was observed, which not only facilitated the handling and avoided the stress of the bees during the transfer but was even used for the construction of the nest by the bees of this species.

Mapping a potential threat to the Mexican agricultural sector: The Asian Giant Hornet Vespa mandarinia (Smith 1852) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

The Asian giant hornet represents a threat to the global agricultural sector, as it is a species with predatory and invasive behavior that directly affects honey bees (Apis melifera), the main pollination agents of fruit trees, vegetables and seed production. The objective of the research was to develop a spatial diagnosis of the health risk associated with Vespa mandarinia Smith due to its possible impact on the Mexican agrifood sector. For this purpose, economically important crops were identified, grouped by pollination percentage and the potential distribution of the Asian giant hornet was identified using the maximum entropy model. The resulting health risk cartographic model allowed the identification of areas with different health risk indices (low, medium, high and very high), as well as the definition of priority areas spatially represented in quadrants and agri-food clusters at risk (clusters). These results are presented as a geotechnological tool that can strengthen the planning of epidemiological surveillance in Mexico, which has the potential to contribute to the establishment of preventive strategies to address the health risk posed by V. mandarinia to the Mexican agricultural sector.

INSECTS POLLINATORS OF FRUIT AND BERRY CROPS DISTRIBUTED IN UKRAINE (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE ROSACEA FAMILY)

Global pollination crisis for agricultural and natural ecosystems has emerged during the last decades. Man gets a great amount of food from entomophilous plants. That is why preservation and protection of anthophilic species of insects as the main agents of pollination is currently an urgent problem. Rosaceae is among the leading plant families in terms of the number of species in Ukraine. Rosaceae occupies top places in terms of the number of species in the certain regions of the country: the Black Sea region – VI - VII, Buko-vyna - III, the Crimea - V. Rosaceae species are of great national economic importance and are the basis of fruit and berry production in Ukraine. The issue of economic importance has been studied. It has been shown that the fifth part of the family belongs to honey plants. The authors conducted the analysis of literature sources over the past 20 years regarding the forms and ways of pollination of entomophilous species of the Rosaceae family included in the "State Register of Plant Varieties Suitable for Distribution in Ukraine" as of 2022. According to the collected information, we developed a database. We complied the list of insects as pollinating agents for entomophilous species of the Rosaceae family, included in the State Register. The list of 15 species and 2 hybrids belonging to 8 genera and three subfamilies was developed. For them, the predominance of cross-pollination and the presence of a complex combined variant are shown. The analysis of the data on insects which pollinate plant species of the Rosaceae family reflected in the literary made it possible to single out the main groups of pollinating agents: Hymenoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, and Lepidoptera. The melitophily as the predominant way of pollination with honey bee Apis mellifera L. as the universal agent has been proved. However, the species composition of the associated anthophilic complex is fragmentarily reflected in the available literature and requires further research.

Cross-Pollination Produces Arabica Coffee Beans with Higher Caffeine and Lower Fatty Acid

Studies showed that cross-pollination also affect fruits and green bean coffee quantity and quality yet study on this subject in Indonesia rarely found. This study focused on assessing the pollination effect of fruit quality and beans in terms of size, weight, physical defect, and content of caffeine and fatty acid. During this study, Tetragonula laeviceps, indigenous stingless bees, were applied as a pollination agent to be compared to open pollination. The result showed that open pollination produced bigger beans (16.73ab±1.57 X 14.66a±1.48 mm) with higher caffeine (18.22%) and lower fatty acid (41,86%), while application of T. laeviceps produced slightly heavier beans (0.22 gram). Besides producing higher caffeine and lower fatty acid, cross-pollination services mainly required wild pollinators, although T. laeviceps could act as a potential replacement or for the inundation of this service.

Enhances production of coffee (Coffea robusta): The role of pollinator, forages potency, and honey production from Tetragonula sp. (Meliponinae) in Central Lombok, Indonesia

Abstract. Supeno B, Erwan, Agussalim. 2021. Enhances production of coffee (Coffea robusta): The role of pollinator, forages potency, and honey production from Tetragonula sp. (Meliponinae) in Central Lombok, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 4687-4693. The bees role as an agent of pollinators to improve the productivity of plants. This study was purposed to enhance coffee production (Coffea robusta) by roles of stingless bee Tetragonula sp. as pollinator agent, forages potency, and honey production. This study has been conducted in a coffee plantation in Lantan, Central Lombok, Indonesia. Several parameters were measured such as the number of bunches and flowers, production of nectar and pollen, sucrose nectar content, production of coffee, production of honey, honey stomach volume, and pollen weight. The results showed that the different observation time influenced the number of bunches, flowers, production of nectar and pollen, sucrose nectar content (P<0.01). The number of bunches ranged from 58.2 to 144.9 bunches/tree, the number of flowers 36.3 to 58.7 flowers/bunches, and 2,362.5 to 8.250.6 flowers/tree. Furthermore, the nectar production 9.16 to 33.85 g/tree, pollen production 1.72 to 5.95 g/tree, sucrose nectar content 20.6 to 35.0%. Estimation of coffee production before pollinated by Tetragonula sp. was 1,230.8 kg/ha, but after pollination by Tetragonula was increased it became 3,605.7 kg/ha (49.1%). Fruit production before pollinated by Tetragonula sp. was 2,127.2 fruit/tree, but after pollination by Tetragonula sp. increased to 8,309.2 fruit/tree (59.2%). Production of honey from Tetragonula sp. was 3.74 g/hive/5 months and in Apis cerana was 301.35 g/hive/5 months. It can be concluded that the Tetragonula sp. as an agent of pollinators can enhance the production of coffee and increase the biodiversity of coffee.

Capturing community behavior towards fruit bats conservation in South Sulawesi

Fruit bats have important roles in the ecosystem serving not only as pollinator agents for various high economic values plants but also acting as seed disperser for many plants in the forests. Ecosystem services provided by the bats are still overlooked while the animals also experienced intensive hunting. Lack of knowledge on the importance of the fruit bats in the ecological chain combined with poor public perception of the animals have contributed to the decline of the bats. This research is aimed to examine knowledge, experiences, perceptions, and awareness of community on fruit bats and analyze the relationship of the four aspects towards the conservation behavior of community towards fruit bats in three different regencies of South Sulawesi (Maros, Sinjai and Soppeng). In-depth interviews using questionnaires to community living nearby the roosting habitats of fruit bats were carried out to collect data on knowledge, experience, perception, awareness and conservation behavior. Correlation analysis of Spearman rank was employed to determine the relationships between variables measured with the conservation behavior of community towards fruit bats. The results showed that on total of 90 respondents interviewed in the three regencies, there were differences on the level of knowledge, experience, perception, awareness, and behavior. It was found that Maros had the highest percentage related with conservation behaviour (78%) followed by Soppeng (76%) while Sinjai had the lowest (64%). Meanwhile, the analysis between all variables towards the conservation behavior had also shown that there were differences between variables tested on conservation behavior occurred in the three regencies. In Maros, better knowledge had positive influenced towards conservation behavior while in Sinjai low level of awareness had driven the behavior. In contrary, for Soppeng none of variables can be found influencing the variables tested and this can be due to the existence of local regulation and cultural norms which were enacted by the local government of Soppeng Regency on fruit bat’s protection.

Preliminary Study of Insect Diversity and Its Economic Importance in Agulu-Nanka Gully Sites

The study was designed to investigate the insect diversity and its economic importance in Agulu and Nanka gully sites using standard procedures. A total of 1,609 insects belonging to 15 species were identified from the study sites, which comprised of 1026 individuals belonging to 15 species from Agulu and 583 specimens belonging to 8 species from Nanka. The diversity of the insect species highlighted the dominance, diversity index, species richness and species evenness. Blattodea were the most dominant order in both Agulu site (43.27%), and Nanka site (56.60%). The order Blattodea was the most diverse (0.725) in Nanka site, whereas the order Coleoptera was the most diverse (0.740) in Agulu site. Results from the economic importance revealed 8 insect species as harmful, 3 species as beneficial, while 4 insect species were considered as both beneficial and harmful. Beneficial insects are edible and good agents of pollination while the harmful insects devour agricultural produce and stored food. The result of this study shows that gully erosion site is dominated by insect diversity, probably due to the flora regeneration.

Peripheral taste detection in honey bees: What do taste receptors respond to?

Understanding the neural principles governing taste perception in species that bear economic importance or serve as research models for other sensory modalities constitutes a strategic goal. Such is the case of the honey bee (Apis mellifera), which is environmentally and socioeconomically important, given its crucial role as pollinator agent in agricultural landscapes and which has served as a traditional model for visual and olfactory neurosciences and for research on communication, navigation, and learning and memory. Here we review the current knowledge on honey bee gustatory receptors to provide an integrative view of peripheral taste detection in this insect, highlighting specificities and commonalities with other insect species. We describe behavioral and electrophysiological responses to several tastant categories and relate these responses, whenever possible, to known molecular receptor mechanisms. Overall, we adopted an evolutionary and comparative perspective to understand the neural principles of honey bee taste and define key questions that should be answered in future gustatory research centered on this insect.

The Diversity of Insect Visitors on Indonesian Salacca (Salacca Spp.) in Mekarsari Fruits Garden, Bogor, Indonesia

Salacca (Salacca spp.) is a dioecious plant with male and female flowers existing on a different plant, therefore requires agents of pollination. More than thirty cultivars of salacca are found in Indonesia. This research aimed to study the diversity of visiting insects on the three varieties of salacca, i.e., Pondoh, Mawar and Kalimantan in Indonesia, as well measuring the pollen load on the pollinators. The visiting insects were observed on the male flowers using the fix sample method in ten minutes for fifteen days. Results showed that nine insect species visited the flowers and three species were potential pollinators, i.e., Nodocnemis sp., Apis cerana and Tetragonula laeviceps. The highest diversity of visiting insects was found in Kalimantan salacca (H' = 1.31, E = 0.74) followed by Pondoh salacca (H' = 0.72, E = 0.23) and Mawar salacca (H' = 0.51, E = 0.19). There was no dominant species found in Kalimantan salacca. The high similarity of visiting insects was found in Pondoh-Mawar salacca (SN = 0.59). Furthermore, the pollen load on Nodocnemis sp., A. cerana and T. laeviceps were about 127, 7893, and 4228 pollen grains, respectively.

Floral and reproductive biology of Matisia cordata (fam: malvaceae)

Abstract In Colombia there is a large diversity of promising fruit trees, one of them is Matisia cordata. Sapoti species is appreciated by the consumers, although it is produced in small volumes by traditional productors. The objective of this research is to describe the floral and reproductive biology of sapoti, including floral visitors that act as biotic pollination agents. The study was conducted in two farms, between February/2016 and July/2017. In the first farm, floral buds were marked to follow the stages until fruit formation, pollination mechanism was studied, and floral visitors were collected for identification. In the second farm, flowers were marked to measure the floral nectar production. The duration from floral bud to ripe fruit was 269 days, the 2.7% of the flowers reached the fruit stage. Twenty-five floral visitors were registered, seven of which contacted the sexual whorls, specially Meliponini bees, hummingbirds and bats from Artibeus and Glossophaga genus. M. cordata is a prevalently allogamous species, it attracts diurnal and nocturnal animals, which can contribute to the pollination process. The flowers produced 1.6 ml of nectar with a sugar content from 6.2 to 11 °Brix. The sapoti flowers constitute an abundant and valuable resource for animals from the region.

Impact of Wild Bees (Apis cerana) and Stingless Bees (Tetragonula laeviceps) to Some Crops of Small-Scale Farm in West Java

One of the essential ecosystem services which profoundly affect the human population is pollination. Studies in subtropical countries which applies modern and expansive agricultural systems showed the significant impact of pollinator agent. However, the study on pollination service impact on the productivity of farms in Indonesia is quite rare. This research was conducted to determine pollination efficiency both open pollination by wild bees (Apis cerana) and stingless bees (Tetragonula laeviceps) to the quality and quantity of green beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes in a monocropping system of a local small-scale farm. This research was conducted from January to April 2018 in Sukawangi Village, Pamulihan, Sumedang, West Java. The observation was started at 08.00-16.00 every five minutes during the flowering period. In these experiments, ten flowers that still not bloomed, in each of 10 plants per treatment were randomly selected. The effects of the pollinator were assessed by the visitation pattern of visits and plant reproductive success. This study showed that each of the pollination treatments did not affect the weight and the average length of all tested fruits. However, the application of stingless bees as pollinator revealed a significant difference in the average diameter (p=0.013) and fruit shape of the cucumbers.

Aplikasi Trigona (Tetragonula) laeviceps sebagai Agen Penyerbuk pada Sistem Tumpang Sari Buncis dan Tomat di dalam Rumah Kaca

Greenhouse is widely applied to provide protection against pest and harsh environment condition and most farmers usually planted mixed crops inside. However, this system creates an isolation to pollination which responsible for fruit production. In this study, local domesticated stingless bees, Trigona (Tetragonula) laeviceps, was applied as pollinator for two crops, beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) planted as mixed crops inside greenhouse. The benefit of the bees was measured as pollination success and quality of the crops produced (size and weight). Tomato flowers received no visit from both wild pollinators (all was Apis cerana) and stingless bees while in bean flowers, A. cerana exhibited more and longer visits to flower than T. laeviceps albeit lower number of flowers visited. The pollination efficiency between wild pollinator and T. laeviceps for beans (both at 41%) while self pollination produced better pollination efficiency for tomatoes planted at open field (84% compared to 71%). Beans planted at open field produced better products (bigger size and heavier) while tomatoes produced lesser quality although the differences were not significant. Based on this study, T. laeviceps may applied as pollinator agent in greenhouse and for mixed crops of beans and tomatoes.