Nocturnal Bees as Crop Pollinators

Cordeiro, Guaraci Duran; Liporoni, Rodolfo; Caetano, Carolina A.; Krug, C. A.; Martínez-Martínez, Carlos A.; Martins, Herbeson O. J.; Cardoso, Renan K. O. A.; Araújo, Fernanda Figueiredo de; Araújo, Priscila; Oliveira, Reisla; Schlindwein, Clemens; Warrant, Eric J.; Dötterl, Stefan; Alves‐dos‐Santos, Isabel

doi:10.3390/agronomy11051014

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…While resource-dependence of nocturnal foraging in A. dorsata has been reported previously [ 38 ], the role of other factors is not known. Although the nocturnal pollination services of honeybees are yet to be well-characterized, there is considerable evidence for nocturnal crop pollination by bees [ 83 ], in addition to moths (Sphingidae and Noctuidae) and bats (Phyllostomidae) [ 84 ]. Furthermore, the truly nocturnal carpenter bee X. tranquebarica forages mostly on day-blooming flowers that remain open at night and is reported to be less flower-constant at lower light levels.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dim-light colour vision in the facultatively nocturnal Asian giant honeybee, Apis dorsata

et al. 2023

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We discovered nocturnal colour vision in the Asian giant honeybee Apis dorsata— a facultatively nocturnal species — at mesopic light intensities, down to half-moon light levels (approx. 10 −2 cd m −2 ). The visual threshold of nocturnality aligns with their reported nocturnal activity down to the same light levels. Nocturnal colour vision in A. dorsata is interesting because, despite being primarily diurnal, its colour vision capabilities extend into dim light, while the ‘model’ European honeybee Apis mellifera is reported to be colour-blind at twilight. By employing behavioural experiments with naturally nesting A. dorsata colonies, we show discrimination of the trained colour from other stimuli during the day, and significantly, even at night. Nocturnal colour vision in bees has so far only been reported in the obligately nocturnal carpenter bee Xylocopa tranquebarica. The discovery of colour vision in these two bee species, despite differences in the extent of their nocturnality and the limitations of their apposition compound eye optics, opens avenues for future studies on visual adaptations for dim-light colour vision, their role in pollination of flowers at night, and the effect of light pollution on nocturnal activity in A. dorsata, a ubiquitous pollinator in natural, agricultural and urban habitats in the Asian tropics and sub-tropics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dim-light colour vision in the facultatively nocturnal Asian giant honeybee, Apis dorsata

et al. 2023

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“…The crop potential of nocturnal pollinators also remains largely unassessed [120]. Nocturnal moths including hawk moths, are pollinators of four cucurbit species in Asia [121] and nocturnal bees are pollinators of fruit trees such as cambuci ( Campomanesia phaea ), guaraná ( Paullinia cupana ) and cajá ( Spondias mombin ) in Brazil as well as cucurbits in North America [122]. There is an urgent need for widespread assessment of the status of nocturnal pollinators and their global value as pollinators of wild and crop plants.…”

Section: The Role Of Colour Vision In Nocturnal Pollinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colour vision in nocturnal insects

Warrant

Somanathan

2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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The ability to see colour at night is known only from a handful of animals. First discovered in the elephant hawk moth Deilephila elpenor , nocturnal colour vision is now known from two other species of hawk moths, a single species of carpenter bee, a nocturnal gecko and two species of anurans. The reason for this rarity—particularly in vertebrates—is the immense challenge of achieving a sufficient visual signal-to-noise ratio to support colour discrimination in dim light. Although no less challenging for nocturnal insects, unique optical and neural adaptations permit reliable colour vision and colour constancy even in starlight. Using the well-studied Deilephila elpenor , we describe the visual light environment at night, the visual challenges that this environment imposes and the adaptations that have evolved to overcome them. We also explain the advantages of colour vision for nocturnal insects and its usefulness in discriminating night-opening flowers. Colour vision is probably widespread in nocturnal insects, particularly pollinators, where it is likely crucial for nocturnal pollination. This relatively poorly understood but vital ecosystem service is threatened from increasingly abundant and spectrally abnormal sources of anthropogenic light pollution, which can disrupt colour vision and thus the discrimination and pollination of flowers. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Understanding colour vision: molecular, physiological, neuronal and behavioural studies in arthropods’.

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“…Manual pollination is inefficient and is not suitable for large-scale field OSR seed production. Insect, especially honeybee (HB), pollination is vital for high yields of OSR [11][12][13][14][15], and HBs have been considered as the most important insect pollinator [16,17]. In recent years, as the level of agricultural production mechanization has improved, more and more new intelligent agricultural machinery has been used in agriculture, of which the unmanned agricultural aerial system (UAAS) is a typical representative.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Different Pollination Methods on Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus) Plant Growth Traits and Rapeseed Yields

Zhang

Li³

et al. 2022

Plants

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Pollination success is essential for hybrid oilseed rape (OSR, Brassica napus) seed production, and the pollination method has some influences on the OSR plant growth traits. In order to explore the roles of different pollination methods, four pollination methods of “unmanned agricultural aerial system” (UAAS), “natural wind + UAAS” (NW+UAAS), “honeybee” (HB), and “no pollinators” (NP) were set in a hybrid OSR field to investigate their effects on OSR plant traits and rapeseed yields in this study. The control check (CK) area with natural wind (NW) pollination was set as a reference for comparison. The experiments were conducted continuously for 20 days during the OSR plant early to full-bloom stage. The results based on the evaluated OSR plants showed that the growth traits and the rapeseed yields exhibited some differences under different pollination methods. The average plant height under NP pollination was maximum, which was 231.52 cm, while the average plant heights under the other pollination methods exhibited nearly no difference. Except for the HB pollination, the average first-branch heights of the evaluated plants all exceeded 100 cm under the other pollination methods. The average once branch quantity of all the evaluated plants under different pollination methods was 5–7. The average number of effective siliques per plant varied greatly. The average quantity of effective siliques in each OSR plant was about 160 under UAAS, NW+UAAS, and NW pollination, about 100 under HB pollination, and only 2.12 under NP pollination. The thousand-rapeseed weight was 7.32 g under HB pollination, which was the highest of all of the pollination areas. In terms of rapeseed yield, the average rapeseed yields per plant were all more than 10 g, except for the one under NP pollination; the yield per hectare was highest under NW+UAAS pollination, reaching 4741.28 kg, and the yield under NP pollination was lowest, which was only 360.39 kg. The research results provide technical support for supplementary pollination in hybrid OSR seed production.

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Nocturnal Bees as Crop Pollinators

Cited by 9 publications

References 71 publications

Dim-light colour vision in the facultatively nocturnal Asian giant honeybee, Apis dorsata

Dim-light colour vision in the facultatively nocturnal Asian giant honeybee, Apis dorsata

Colour vision in nocturnal insects

Effects of Different Pollination Methods on Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus) Plant Growth Traits and Rapeseed Yields

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