Insights into the biochemical defence and methylation of the solitary bee Osmia rufa L: A foundation for examining eusociality development

Strachecka, Aneta; Chobotow, Jacek; Paleolog, Jerzy; Łoś, Aleksandra; Schulz, Michał; Teper, Dariusz; Kucharczyk, Halina; Grzybek, Maciej

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0176539

Cited by 32 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 85 publications

(115 reference statements)

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“…The reason for the failure of the supply to reflect sex differences in demand for K, Na and Mn can only be speculated and might be either inadequate floral composition or weaker negative effects imposed on bee fitness by K, Na and Mn scarcity in larval food than by P, Zn and Cu scarcity. The sex-related differences in the biochemistry and chemical physiology of O. bicornis were reported previously (Strachecka et al, 2017). Further studies are needed to determine whether this mechanism occurs in various bee populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Key pollen host plants provide balanced diets for wild bee larvae: A lesson for planting flower strips and hedgerows

Filipiak

2019

Journal of Applied Ecology

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1. Bee-friendly plants are defined by the quantity of food they produce and the visitation rates of adult insects foraging for nectar. However, it is pollen nutritional quality that enables proper larval development of bees, affecting their populations. Not all plants produce pollen that satisfies the nutritional requirements of bee larvae, and we lack an understanding of how different plant pollens impact bee nutritional demands. This study examined whether nutritionally desirable key plant species may promote wild bee larval development, which is essential if the population is to thrive.2. The generalist solitary mason bee Osmia bicornis L. was used as a model species to examine differences between bee larva nutritional demand and host plant nutrient supply; an ecological stoichiometry framework was applied. The stoichiometric ratios of 12 elements were investigated in bee bodies and cocoons (reflecting nutritional demand) and in the pollen supplied by the mother (nutritional supply; N = 15 × 2 sexes). Similarly, the stoichiometry of 62 pollen taxa, including native, alien, and garden plants and crops, was compared with the bee demand based on the literature.3. Compared to males, females had higher demands for P, Cu and Zn and were supplied with pollen richer in these elements. Therefore, when collecting pollen for their progeny, Osmia provides daughters and sons with different pollen mixtures, reflecting sex-specific nutritional demand. 4. Bees may be limited by the availability of P, Na, Mn, Mg, K, Fe, Ca, Zn and Cu, with high taxonomic variability in their concentrations in pollen. Female fitness may be particularly related to a high proportion of P in the diet. Synthesis and applications.Access to key plant species that allow nutritionally balanced larval diets may be essential for bee development, whether food is gathered intentionally or randomly. Such plant species-and not only those rich in nectar and pollen-should be promoted in wild bee conservation efforts, including planting flower strips and hedgerows. Bee-friendly plants should not be defined and planted solely based on the quantities of food they produce and on the visitation rates of adult insects foraging for energy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Key pollen host plants provide balanced diets for wild bee larvae: A lesson for planting flower strips and hedgerows

Filipiak

2019

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…Większość białek krążących w hemolimfie pszczół jest syntetyzowana w ciele tłuszczowym, będącym tkanką analogiczną do wątroby i ciała tłuszczowego ssaków. Tkanki te odgrywają rolę w magazynowaniu oraz metabolizmie wysokoenergetycznych cząsteczek, detoksykacji, odpowiadają za magnetorecepcję i odpowiedź immunologiczną (28,64,121).…”

Section: Analizy Leków Suplementów Diety I Preparatów Medycznych Lubunclassified

Honey bee as an alternative model invertebrate organism

Łoś¹,

Bieńkowska²,

Strachecka³

2025

Medycyna Weterynaryjna

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Insects perfectly fit the flagship principle of animal research – 3R: to reduce (the number of animals), to replace (animals with alternative models) and to refine (methods). Bees have the most important advantages of a model organism: they cause minimal ethical controversy, they have a small and fully known genome, and they permit the use of many experimental techniques. Bees have a fully functional DNMT toolkit. Therefore, they are used as models in biomedical/genetic research, e.g. in research on the development of cancer or in the diagnostics of mental and neuroleptic diseases in humans. The reversion of aging processes in bees offers hope for progress in gerontology research. The cellular mechanisms of learning and memory coding, as well as the indicators of biochemical immunity parameters, are similar or analogous to those in humans, so bees may become useful in monitoring changes in behavior and metabolism. Bees are very well suited for studies on the dose of the substance applied to determine the lethal dose or the effect of a formula on life expectancy. Honeybees have proven to be an effective tool for studying the effects of a long-term consumption of stimulants, as well as for observing behavioral changes and developing addictions at the individual and social levels, as well as for investigating the effects of continuously delivering the same dose of a substance. The genomic and physiological flexibility of bees in dividing tasks among workers in a colony makes it possible to create a Single- Cohort Colony (SCC) in which peers compared perform different tasks. Moreover behavioral methods (e.g. Proboscis Extension Reflex – PER, Sting Extension Reflex – SER, free flying target discrimination tasks or the cap pushing response) make it possible to analyse changes occurring in honeybee brains during learning and remembering. Algorithms of actions are created based on the behavior of a colony or individual, e.g. Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm (ABCA). Honeybees are also model organisms for profiling the so-called intelligence of a swarm or collective intelligence. Additionally, they serve as models for guidance systems and aviation technologies. Bees have inspired important projects in robotics, such as B-droid, Robobee and The Green Brain Project. It has also been confirmed that the apian sense of smell can be used to detect explosive devices, such as TNT, or drugs (including heroin, cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis). This inconspicuous little insect can revolutionize the world of science and contribute to the solution of many scientific problems as a versatile model.

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“…This time corresponds to a post-diapause quiescence (February-April), during which different metabolic rates are observed depending on tissue (generally high of fat body and low activity of biochemical compounds of haemolymph) Strachecka at al., 2017). During post-diapause in O. rufa, the protein concentrations rapidly changes with a decrease in fat body and increase in haemolymph and ovary (Wasielewski et al, 2011a;Strachecka et al, 2017). The application of higher temperature at the end of diapause and post-diapause may cause bees to emerge.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Methoprene and Temperature Stimulation of Emergence and Longevity in Adults of Osmia Rufa L. (Megachilidae; Apoidea) During Wintering Period

Giejdasz

Wasielewski

2017

Journal of Apicultural Science

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A b s t r a c t In this study methoprene, a juvenile hormone analogues, was tested as a factor that stimulates the end of diapause, bee activation and emergence. In addition, the survival of bees was checked when combined with an application of methoprene. The experimental activation of wintering bees was carried out once a month between December and March, Three groups of bee cocoons were selected for each activation term: treated with either methoprene or acetone as vehicle control and untreated as controls. After the applications were finished the cocoons were incubated at temperature 26˚C. The emerged adult males and females were then kept in the laboratory and fed sucrose solution to evaluate the longevity of bees. The application of juvenile hormone analogue reduced the emergence time of adult bees in December, February and March. The rate of emergence presented in the form of cumulative percentage of emerged adult bees indicated that the bees treated with methoprene started to emerge 1-2 days earlier than bees from acetone and control groups and finished emergence 2-5 days earlier too. Methopren application did not reduce the longevity of the bees after emergence. Moreover, the median longevity of these females was higher than untreated in December and February.

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Insights into the biochemical defence and methylation of the solitary bee Osmia rufa L: A foundation for examining eusociality development

Cited by 32 publications

References 85 publications

Key pollen host plants provide balanced diets for wild bee larvae: A lesson for planting flower strips and hedgerows

Key pollen host plants provide balanced diets for wild bee larvae: A lesson for planting flower strips and hedgerows

Honey bee as an alternative model invertebrate organism

Methoprene and Temperature Stimulation of Emergence and Longevity in Adults of Osmia Rufa L. (Megachilidae; Apoidea) During Wintering Period

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