The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor is a major global threat to the Western honeybee Apis mellifera. This mite was originally a parasite of A. cerana in Asia but managed to spill over into colonies of A. mellifera which had been introduced to this continent for honey production. To date, only two almost clonal types of V. destructor from Korea and Japan have been detected in A. mellifera colonies. However, since both A. mellifera and A. cerana colonies are kept in close proximity throughout Asia, not only new spill overs but also spill backs of highly virulent types may be possible, with unpredictable consequences for both honeybee species. We studied the dispersal and hybridisation potential of Varroa from sympatric colonies of the two hosts in Northern Vietnam and the Philippines using mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA markers. We found a very distinct mtDNA haplotype equally invading both A. mellifera and A. cerana in the Philippines. In contrast, we observed a complete reproductive isolation of various Vietnamese Varroa populations in A. mellifera and A. cerana colonies even if kept in the same apiaries. In light of this variance in host specificity, the adaptation of the mite to its hosts seems to have generated much more genetic diversity than previously recognised and the Varroa species complex may include substantial cryptic speciation.
Many of the most troublesome weeds in agricultural systems are C4 plants. As atmospheric CO2 increases it is conceivable that competitive ability of these weeds could be reduced relative to C3 crops such as rice. At the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines, rice (IR72) and one of its associated C4 weeds, Echinochloa glabrescens, were grown from seeding to maturity using replacement series mixtures (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100, % rice:%weed) at two different CO2 concentrations (393 and 594 μL L-1) in naturally sunlit glasshouses. Since increasing CO2 may also result in elevated growth temperatures, the response of rice to each CO2 concentration was also examined at daylnight temperatures of 27/21 and 37/29�C. At 27/21�C, increasing the CO2 concentration resulted in a significant increase in above ground biomass (+47%) and seed yield (+55%) of rice when averaged over all mixtures. For E. glabrescens, the C4 species, no significant effect of CO2 concentration on biomass or yield was observed. When grown in mixture, the proportion of rice biomass increased significantly relative to that of the C4 weed at all mixtures at elevated CO2. Evaluation of changes in competitiveness (by calculation of plant relative yield (PRY) and replacement series diagrams) of the two species demonstrated that, at elevated CO2, the competitiveness of rice was increased relative to that of E. glabrescens. However, at the higher growth temperature (37/29�C), growth and reproductive stimulation of rice by elevated CO2 was reduced compared to the lower growth temperature. This resulted in a reduction in the proportion of rice:weed biomass present in all mixtures relative to 27/21�C and a greater reduction in PRY in rice relative to E. glabrescens. Data from this experiment suggest that competitiveness could be enhanced in a C3 crop (rice) relative to a C4 weed (E. glabrescens) with elevated CO2 alone, but that simultaneous increases in CO2 and temperature could still favour a C4 species.
The protective property of propolis across a wide spectrum of diseases has long been realized, yet the anti-tumor efficacy of this bioactive substance from Philippine stingless bees has remained poorly understood. Here, we showed the tumor-suppressing potential of crude ethanolic extract of Philippine stingless bee propolis (EEP) in in vitro models of gastric cancer highlighting the first indication of remarkable subtype specificity towards differentiated-type human gastric cancer cell lines but not the diffuse-type. Mechanistically, this involved the profound modulation of several cell cycle related gene transcripts, which correlated with the prominent cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. To reinforce our data, a unique differentiated-type gastric cancer model, A4gnt KO mice, together with age-matched 60 week-old C57BL/6 J mice were randomly assigned to treatment groups receiving distilled water or EEP for 30 consecutive days. EEP treatment induced significant regression of gross and histological lesions of gastric pyloric tumors that consistently corresponded with specific transcriptional regulation of cell cycle components. Also, the considerable p21 protein expression coupled with a marked reduction in rapidly dividing BrdU-labeled S-phase cells unequivocally supported our observation. Altogether, these findings support the role of Philippine stingless bee propolis as a promising adjunct treatment option in differentiated-type gastric cancer.
counterpart, A. mellifera L., the understanding of its taxonomy and biology is only in the beginning. Early taxonomists like Maa [11] had split up the eastern cavitynesting bees into 11 species and several subspecies. Based on groups generated by Abstract -The diversity of Apis cerana Fabr. in the Philippines was studied using morphometric methods. A total of 101 samples of A. cerana from feral and hived colonies, and foragers were collected throughout the Philippine archipelago. The 39 morphometric characters recommended by Ruttner and Ruttner et al. were measured. The data were statistically analyzed by means of factor analysis, discriminant analysis, and cluster analysis. The bees from Palawan were unequivocally distinct and separate from the other Philippine samples. The bees from the other Philippine islands still showed a high degree of variation. The bees of Luzon differed clearly from those of Visayas and Mindanao. Within Luzon, the bees from the highland differed clearly from those in the lowland and were regarded as separate groups. Bees from Visayas and Mindanao were still very variable and showed potential for further sub-structuring. The present analysis could not distinguish whether the difference between Luzon and Visayas-Mindanao was based on a north-south clinal structure, or on distinct groups. INTRODUCTION Apis ceranaApis cerana / Philippines / morphometry / biogeography
In June 2014, the small hive beetle (SHB), Aethina tumida Murray was first detected in Asia specifically in Lupon, Davao Oriental, Philippines infesting Apis mellifera colonies. It is not known how the beetles were introduced into the country. However, queen shipment from other countries is thought to be the likely route. Between June 2014 and November 2014, several beekeepers had lost all of their A. mellifera colonies (687) from SHB infestations in Davao Oriental. Monitoring of the remaining apiary sites was conducted from 26 November 2014 to 22 December 2015 in Davao (Lupon, Tagum, Panabo) (34 colonies), General Santos (6 colonies), Bukidnon (500 colonies), and Cagayan de Oro (26 colonies). All the apiary sites except Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro were positive for SHB. Infested colonies were managed using modified beetle blaster traps, physical removal of adult beetles, and apiary and hive hygiene practices.When SHB-free colonies of Apis cerana and stingless bee (Tetragonula biroi) were transferred to SHB-infested apiary, the A. cerana colonies were invaded immediately a day after and absconded after a week. Stingless bee colonies were not at all infested by SHB and remained strong. All the apiary sites in Visayas (312 colonies) and Luzon (989 colonies) were SHB free. Further studies on the biology and host range of SHB in Asia are deemed necessary to contain their spread and preserve the diversity of native bees in the region.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.