Thorax Weight Research Articles

Enhancing Honey Bee Health: Evaluating Pollen Substitute Diets in Field and Cage Experiments.

Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) play vital roles as agricultural pollinators and honey producers. However, global colony losses are increasing due to multiple stressors, including malnutrition. Our study evaluated the effects of four pollen substitute diets (Diet 1, Diet 2, Diet 3, and Control) through field and cage experiments, analyzing 11 parameters and 21 amino acids. Notably, Diet 1 demonstrated significantly superior performance in the field experiment, including the number of honey bees, brood area, consumption, preference, colony weight, and honey production. In the cage experiment, Diet 1 also showed superior performance in dried head and thorax weight and vitellogenin (vg) gene expression levels. Canonical discriminant and principle component analyses highlighted Diet 1's distinctiveness, with histidine, diet digestibility, consumption, vg gene expression levels, and isoleucine identified as key factors. Arginine showed significant correlations with a wide range of parameters, including the number of honey bees, brood area, and consumption, with Diet 1 exhibiting higher levels. Diet 1, containing apple juice, soytide, and Chlorella as additive components, outperformed the other diets, suggesting an enhanced formulation for pollen substitute diets. These findings hold promise for the development of more effective diets, potentially contributing to honey bee health.

Honey bee maternal effects improve worker performance and reproductive ability in offspring.

Maternal effects are an evolutionary strategy used to improve offspring quality. In an example of maternal effects in honey bees (Apis mellifera), mother queens produce larger eggs in queen cells than in worker cells in order to breed better daughter queens. In our current study, morphological indexes, reproductive tissues, and the egg-laying ability of newly reared queens reared with eggs laid in queen cells (QE), eggs laid in worker cells (WE), and 2-day-old larvae in worker cells (2L) were evaluated. In addition, morphological indexes of offspring queens and working performance of offspring workers were examined. The thorax weight, number of ovarioles, egg length, and number of laid eggs and capped broods of QE were significantly higher than those of WE and 2L, indicating that the reproductive capacity of QE group was better than that of other groups. Furthermore, offspring queens from QE had larger thorax weights and sizes than those from the other two groups. Offspring worker bees from QE also had larger body sizes and greater pollen-collecting and royal jelly-producing abilities than those of other two groups. These results demonstrate that honey bees display profound maternal effects on queen quality that can be transmitted across generations. These findings provide a basis for improving queen quality, with implications in apicultural and agricultural production.

In pursuit of the ultimate pollen substitute (insect larvae) for honey bee (Apis mellifera) feed

Finding a pollen substitute for honey bees that is nutritionally adequate and affordable is a scientific and practical challenge. We attempted a new rational approach and tried to exploit honey bees’ natural cannibalistic behavior. We tested processed insect larvae as a food source that is nutritionally similar to bee brood, and which can easily be produced on a large scale. In cage experiments, monitoring bee mortality, food consumption and changes in bee body parts’ weights showed that flour obtained by grinding dried yellow mealworm larvae has the potential to become an excellent component for pollen substitution. Bees from the cage group fed Tenebrio molitor patties (TG) demonstrated overall best results in comparison to sugar patties fed bee group (CG), yeast patties fed bee group (YG) and pollen patties fed bee group (PG). They did not lose weight as rapidly as the CG, did not defecate inside cages as the YG, nor show increased mortality as the PG. At the same time, TG consumed less food (mean 13.7 g/cage) than CG (16.8 g/cage), YG (20.4 g/cage) and PG (23.9 g/cage) within the period of 28 days. Bees’ gut increase in weight was lowest in the CG, followed by TG and PG and was the highest in the YG which resulted in diarrhea after 14 days. Bees from TG did not lag behind other bees in head, thorax and abdomen weight after 28 days. We demonstrated that processed yellow mealworm larvae (T. molitor) can be used as an ingredient for honey bee feed.

Possibility to change the body size in worker bees by a combination of small-cell and standard-cell combs in the same nest

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of the combination of the colony type (kept on small-cell or standard-cell combs) and the width of worker comb cells (small-cell or standard-cell combs) on the body weight and morphometric traits of worker bees. The values of morphometric parameters of worker bees changed within a substantially lower range than the width of their rearing cells. This indicates that the worker body size is relatively constant, and manipulation with the cell width is not a good method for modeling the body size of workers. The reduction in the thorax weight was proportional to the decrease in the comb cell width, and this part of the body proved to be most susceptible to weight reduction caused by the use of small-cell combs. The rearing of workers in small-cell combs in the colony kept on standard-cell combs resulted in an increase in the value of the fill factor (thorax width to cell width ratio). The relatively constant body size of workers in combination with the use of small-cell combs resulting in an increase in the fill factor may be one of the determinants of increased resistance of the insects to Varroa destructor. The values of the morphometric traits commonly used for identification of honeybee subspecies, i.e., the length of the fore wing, the sum of the widths of 3rd and 4thth tergites, and the proboscis length, were inconsiderably altered vs. the changes in the comb cell width, which confirms their high suitability for identification of honeybee subspecies.

Nutritional and prebiotic efficacy of the microalga Arthrospira platensis (spirulina) in honey bees

We evaluated the microalga Arthrospira platensis (commonly called spirulina), as a pollen substitute for honey bees. Nutritional analyses indicated that spirulina is rich in essential amino acids and a wide variety of functional lipids (i.e., phospholipids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and sterols) common in pollen. Feeding bioassays were used to compare dry and fresh laboratory-grown spirulina with bee-collected pollen and a commercial pollen substitute using sucrose syrup as a control. Diets were fed ad libitum as a paste to newly emerged bees in cages (10–13 cage replicates) and bees were sampled at days 5 and 10 for physiological and molecular measurements. Spirulina diets produced biomarker profiles (thorax weight, head protein content, and beneficial gut bacteria abundance) that were indicative of elevated nutritional states, meeting or exceeding the other diets in some metrics despite reduced consumption. Furthermore, spirulina diets led to significantly increased fat body lipid content and mRNA levels of the central storage lipoprotein vitellogenin. We conclude that spirulina has significant potential as a pollen substitute or prebiotic diet additive to improve honey bee health.

Prenatal diagnosis and fetal outcome of 57 cases of congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Objective To explore the prenatal diagnosis and factors influencing prognosis of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).Methods Fifty seven cases of CDH prenatally diagnosed by ultrasound in the Department of Obstetrics,Xinhua Hospital from January 1,2006 to March 31,2013 were retrospectively reviewed.Prognosis and risk factors were analyzed by ultrasound characteristics and newborn status.Statistical analysis was performed using t test,x2 test and Logistic regression.Results Forty-five (79％)of all cases were left-side CDH and the rest 12 (21％)were right-side.Fourteen fetuses were aborted.Thirty three were delivered and treated surgically,twenty-three infants survived after surgery and ten died,with an overall survival rate of 40％ (23/57).The other ten cases were delivered,but died of no treated surgically.The birth weight of the surviving neonates was heavier than that of those who died [(3 173 ±348) vs (2 846±568)g,t=2.238,P=0.033].The gcstational age at diagnosis of the aborted fetuses was younger than that of the surviving neonates [(24.0 ± 4.1) vs (30.0± 6.0) weeks,t=3.181,P=0.003].Twenty-one (91％,21/23) of the surviving neonates had a lung-to-head ratio (LHR) ≥ 1.4.A linear trend test showed a negative correlation between LHR and adverse outcome (x2=9.223,P=0.002) with a correlation coefficient-0.730 (P=0.000).LHR＜1.4 (OR=35.867,95％CI:1.861-691.341,P=0.018) and polyhydramnios (OR=9.285,95％CI:1.102-78.212,P=0.040) were risk factors for neonatal death.Right-side CDH (OR=0.158,95％CI:0.009-2.824,P=0.210),liver herniation into the thorax (OR=1.730,95％CI:0.144 20.707,P=0.665) and birth weight (OR=l.002,95％CI:0.999-1.005,P=0.135) were not risk factors.Conclusions The survival rate of CDH is still low.Gestational age on diagnosis,presence of polyhydramnios and LHR＜ 1.4 predict an adverse outcome. Key words: Hernia, diaphragmatic; Ultrasonography, prenatal; Prognosis

Contrasting patterns of macroptery in Roesel’s bush cricketMetrioptera roeselii(Orthoptera, Ensifera)

We studied the wing dimorphism in Roesel's bush cricket populations. A total of 410 individuals (77 macropterous and 333 brachypterous) were sampled in seven sites. We found a high frequency (≤ 53%) of macropterous individuals in some meadows surrounded by forests. We measured the body weight, thorax weight, and abdomen weight in connection with macroptery vs brachyptery. We could find a positive correlation between macroptery and thorax weight. The abdomen weight of females showed high individual variation; thus the supposed trade-off between macroptery and lower fertility of females was not supported.

The behaviour of <i>Bombus impatiens</i> (Apidae, Bombini) on tomato (<i>Lycopersicon esculentum</i> Mill., Solanaceae) flowers: pollination and reward perception

The foraging behaviour of pollinators can influence their efficiency in pollinating certain plant species. Improving our understanding of this behaviour can contribute to an improvement of management techniques to avoid pollination deficits. We investigated the relationship between the number of visits of bumble bees (Bombus impatiens) to tomato flowers (Lycopersicon esculentum) and two variables related to the quality of the resulting fruits (weight, number of seeds), as well as the relationship between foragers’ thoracic weights, physical characteristics of thoracic vibrations (main frequency, velocity amplitude), amount of pollen removed from flowers, and the quality-related variables. In addition, we studied the capability of foragers to assess the availability of pollen in flowers. Tomato weight and seed number did not increase with the number of bee visits, neither were they correlated with the foragers’ thorax weight. Thorax weight also did not correlate with the amount of pollen removed from the flowers nor with the physical characteristics of vibration. Vibration characteristics did not change in response to the amount of pollen available on tomato flowers. Instead, foragers adjusted the time spent visiting the flowers, spending fewer time on flowers from which some pollen had already been removed on previous visits. The quantity and the production-related variables of tomatoes are not dependent on the number of bee visits (usually one visit suffices for full pollination); bigger foragers are not more efficient in pollinating tomato flowers than smaller ones; and B. impatiens foragers are capable of evaluating the amount of pollen on a flower while foraging and during pollination.

The influence of drone physical condition on the likelihood of receiving vibration signals from worker honey bees, Apis mellifera

Honey bee workers will perform vibration sig- nals on adult drones, which respond by increasing the time spent receiving trophallaxis. Because trophallaxis provides the proteins for sexual maturation, workers could direct vibration signals towards drones showing certain physical characteristics, potentially influencing drone development and colony reproductive output. We examined the influence of drone condition on the likelihood of receiving vibration signals by comparing body weight, protein concentrations, and hemolymph juvenile hormone (JH) titers between drones that received the vibration signal and same-age, non- vibrated controls. Vibrated and control drones did not differ in total body weight, abdomen weight, abdomen-to-body weight ratio, total protein concentrations, or hemolymph JH titers. In contrast, vibrated drones had significantly lower thorax weight and smaller thorax-to-body weight ratios compared with controls. Because relative thorax weight may affect flight ability and mating success, workers could use the vibration signal to increase the care received by less developed drones, potentially contributing to the production of greater numbers of competitive males. However, the differences in thorax weights, while significant, were very small, and it is unknown how such slight differences might be assessed by workers or affect drone performance. Nev- ertheless, vibration signals performed on drones may pro- vide opportunities for exploring the effect of the quality of reproductive individuals on caste interactions in honey bees.

Nutrition- and sex-dependent utilization of body resources in relation to reproduction in a scorpionfly

Reproduction often comes at a cost of a reduction in body functions. In order to enhance their reproductive output, some insect species degenerate their thoracic muscles, typically resulting in reduced flight ability. From a life-history trade-off perspective, we expect the importance of body resource utilization to be amplified both with increased reproductive expenditure and with increased resource limitation. In this study, we measured age-related changes in thorax weight, as a measure of flight muscle size, during a major part of the adult lifespan in males and females of the scorpionfly Panorpa vulgaris. The aim of the study was twofold: first to investigate whether scorpionflies have the potential to degenerate their flight muscles; second, and more importantly, to determine whether the magnitude of flight muscle degeneration is a plastic response in relation to resource availability, and if it differs between the sexes. The results clearly demonstrate that food availability does influence investment in flight muscle development. The build-up of the thoracic muscles was strongly influenced by nutrient availability. Furthermore, the age-related decrease in thorax weight was significantly different for males and females. Only females showed a strong age-dependent decrease in thorax weight, indicative of muscle degeneration, yet no difference between food treatments was detected. For males, there was no significant directional change in thorax weight. Nevertheless, with increasing age, the difference in thorax weight between food treatments increased significantly.

EFEITOS DA INCLUSÃO DA LEVEDURA SECA ( SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE) SOBRE A CARCAÇA E NA COMPOSIÇÃO DA CARNE DE COELHOS

The present trial was accomplished in the Rabbit Section from Animal Production Department at Federal University of Paraiba. The aim of this work was to observe the effects of dry yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) inclusion on the quality of rabbit carcass and on rabbit meat composition. The animals were fed increasing levels of (0; 6; 12 e18%) of dry yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The experimental design was completely randomized with four treatments and eight replications. At the end of the experiment, the animals were weighed and killed in order to evaluate the following characteristics: Carcass Weight (CW), Skin Weight (SW), Head Weight (HW), Thigh Weight (TW), Loin Weight (LW), Thorax Weight (TW), Palettes. The viscera were weighed (stomach, intestine, lung, heart, liver, kidneys and spleen), as a Organ Weight (PW) and Carcass Yield (CY). No significant effect (P>0.05) was observed among variables in variance analysis. So, dry yeast inclusion did not affect the studied carcass characteristics, but resulted in difference on lung, intestine, heart and liver. Samples were taken of meat from rabbits thigh to evaluate its centesimal composition: protein, fat, ash and humidity. Significant effects were observed (P < 0.05) on dry yeast inclusion in rabbit diet to all variables, studied. Dry yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) inclusion in ration did not affect carcass and meat yields. By adding 18% of dry yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in rabbits diet, the meat composition was improved, mainly due to the enhancement of protein. KEY WORDS: Feeding, nutrition, rabbits.

Variation in size and sperm content of sexuals in the leafcutter ant Atta colombica

We studied a population of the Panamanian leafcutter ant Atta colombica and found significant between-colony variation for several male and gyne size parameters. Male sperm complement size was highly variable between individuals and was negatively correlated with head width and thorax weight, the latter itself positively correlated with wing length. This suggests a negative covariance between two likely fitness traits of males: flight ability and insemination potential. Young queens on average stored only slightly more than one male's worth of sperm. We discuss our results in the context of reproductive strategies and mating systems.

Glucose utilization during flight of honeybee ( Apis mellifera) workers, drones and queens

Glucose utilization by honeybee workers, drones and queens ( Apis mellifera L.) during tethered flight in a roundabout was measured by loss of [ 14C]glucose. Glucose levels in the haemolymph of drones and workers increased rapidly when the bees fed on [ 14C]glucose after an exhaustive flight. These levels were always higher in workers than in drones. Labelled glucose was incorporated into trehalose within 2 min of feeding. Flight speed was positively correlated with food concentration (1–4 molar glucose) for workers and drones, and the speed attained by queens was similar to that of workers. Only the speed of drones was temperature dependent and was significantly higher than that of workers and queens. Independent of glucose concentration, workers require more sugar per metre flown and gram body weight, and per gram thorax weight, than the much heavier drones and queens. Queens have the most economical flight.

BODY TEMPERATURE AND SINGING IN THE KATYDID,NEOCONOCEPHALUS ROBUSTUS(ORTHOPTERA, TETTIGONIIDAE)

1. The katydid, Neoconocephalus robustus, produces a continuous song by rubbing its forewings together at frequencies of 150-200 per second. During singing the thoracic temperature is 5-15° C higher that that of the environment, the temperature gradient being greater the lower the ambient temperature.2. Singing is preceded by a warm-up period during which normally antagonistic forewing muscles contract synchronously. The result is heat production and a rising thoracic temperature (1.5° C/min) with little overt movement.3. The thoracic temperature at the onset of singing averages 33.5° C at ambient temperatures at 23.5°-29° C.4. The rate of heat loss at the cessation of singing indicates that the animal must produce 0.5 cal/min (3.6 cal/min/g thorax weight) to maintain a 15° C temperature gradient.5. This insect is immobilized by cooling to 11° C, but regains mobility when rewarmed to 21.5° C. It is reversibly immobilized at thoracic temperatures above 43.9° C.6. N. robustus basks readily, but moves to sha...