Nectar secretion dynamics of Ziziphus nummularia : A melliferous species of dry land ecosystems

Abstract

Nectar is used as raw material for the production of honey and as significant reward in the relationship between bees and plants during pollination. Therefore, it is important to investigate its abundance, dynamics and associated governing factors. Weather conditions are known to influence nectar production, and predicted climate changes may be responsible for future declining in total yield from beekeeping activities. We investigated nectar production as total soluble solids (TSS) of well-known species for honey production, in a hot-arid environment of Saudi Arabia. Data on nectar samples from bagged flowers of different stages during two blooming seasons, 2013 and 2015 were collected on weekly bases, and the data were correlated with weather conditions (temperature, relative humidity, and wind). A significant difference in TSS amount has been obtained, with 1-day old flowers displaying the higher content. TSS production was varied along the different day intervals, for both years, with a peak of production in the afternoon. In our results, nectar production was not correlated to temperature and wind, but was significantly negatively correlated with relative humidity. According to the current and future weather forecasting conditions, understanding of the relationship between weather conditions and nectar availability turned out to be important predictive information that may be interpreted into an economic projection of incomes from beekeeping activities.

Ziziphus nummularia Attenuates the Malignant Phenotype of Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells: Role of ROS

“…Ziziphus nummularia , commonly known as Sidr, is a branched thorny shrub belonging to the family Rhamnaceae [ 8 ]. It grows largely in arid and dry areas [ 9 ], and it has been used in folk medicine [ 10 , 11 ]. Since it is bountiful in bioactive molecules such as tannins, flavonoids, steroids, glycosides, and alkaloids, Ziziphus nummularia has been used to treat a wide spectrum of pathological conditions including cold, diarrhea, anemia, bronchitis, indigestion, and inflammation [ 12 ].…”

Dance-communicated distances support nectar foraging as a supply-driven system

“…Therefore, honeybees adjust their foraging efforts according to the supply of resources in their environment [ 22 ] and the demand for resources by their colony [ 3 , 8 , 9 , 17 ]. The supply of both nectar and pollen varies according to biotic and abiotic factors, such as season [ 22 , 32 ], competition [ 33 ], weather [ 34 , 35 ] and time of day [ 36 ].…”

“…resources in their environment [22] and the demand for resources by their colony [3,8,9,17]. The supply of both nectar and pollen varies according to biotic and abiotic factors, such as season [22,32], competition [33], weather [34,35] and time of day [36]. However, the demand for nectar and pollen differs: honeybees keep modest stores of pollen [3,37] and increase pollen collection intermittently during periods of high brood production [8,9,17,38], while honeybees collect nectar continuously to meet their metabolic needs and to build large honey stores to buffer against nectar gaps and provide overwintering food [3,16].…”

Differential Foraging of Indigenous and Exotic Honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) Races on Nectar-Rich Flow in a Subtropical Ecosystem

“…This study is one element of a major research project investigating how subtropical weather conditions reflect on different key points related to bee colony performance, e.g., nectar secretion dynamics, flowering phenology, pollination ecology, the honey potential of major bee plants [20,21,25,26], the antimicrobial potential of honeys [17], associative learning and heat shock protein expression [27,28], insecticidal-induced changes in the learning of honeybees [29], and the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing technologies to determine the optimal forage capacity [30]. The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the rates of outgoing and pollen-gathering foragers during a period of rich nectar flow.…”