The potential of marginal lands for bees and apiculture: nectar secretion in Mediterranean shrublands

Petanidou, Theodora; Smets, Erik

doi:10.1051/apido:19950106

Cited by 50 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Ecballium nectar volume and sugar concentration were below the averages found for 76 other Mediterranean shrubland species (mean volume 0.76 ml and mean sugar concentration 0.43 g/g) (Petanidou and Smets, 1995). This information combined with the general observation that in matinal flowering cucurbits, the pistillate flowers produce more nectar and receive more forager visitations (Collison and Martin, 1979;Bahadur et al, 1986;Couto et al, 1990;Delesalle and Buchmann, 1991;Nepi and Pacini, 1993;Chen, 1996;Wolf et al, 1999) suggests that pollinators to Ecballium are after pollen and nectar is a secondary reward.…”

Section: Nectar Production and Forager Behaviorcontrasting

confidence: 60%

“…Recently, there has been an increase in pollinator diversity studies in the Mediterranean region on both individual plant species (Herrera, 1989;Bosch, 1992;Affre and Thompson, 1997;Talavera et al, 2001) and regional assemblages of plants (Herrera C.M., 1987(Herrera C.M., , 1988(Herrera C.M., , 1992(Herrera C.M., , 1993(Herrera C.M., , 1996Herrera J., 1988;Petanidou and Vokou, 1990;Dafni et al, 1990;Petanidou and Smets, 1995;PottsSimon et al, 2001). These reports have focused on both the natural history of pollinator systems and analyses of regional floras and the relationship between pollination and floral adaptations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Pollinator biodiversity and floral resource use in Ecballium elaterium (Cucurbitaceae), a Mediterranean endemic

2003

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

-Pollinator biodiversity on Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Richard was studied for 2 years at 2 sites in southern France. Six families, 15 genera, and 43 species of bees were collected from the flowers, and 33 bee species carried Ecballium pollen in their scopae. The numerically dominant species were Lasioglossum malachurum (Kirby), the honey bee, Apis mellifera L., and Ceratina cyanea (Kirby). Few pollinators were observed in 1997 due to a drought. In 1996, mean forager density was slightly over one bee per 100 flowers throughout the flowering period. Most visitors (98%) were female bees which foraged for both pollen and nectar. Most visits (97%) were to staminate flowers and visitation to pistillate flowers was by deceit since these are nectarless. Behavior of nectar foragers on staminate flowers differed according to body size. Large bees foraged for nectar mostly in the afternoon after nectar sugar concentrations reached high values while smaller bees foraged for nectar throughout the day.Ecballium / bee / nectar / pollen / foraging / deceit pollination

show abstract

Section: Nectar Production and Forager Behaviorcontrasting

confidence: 60%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollinator biodiversity and floral resource use in Ecballium elaterium (Cucurbitaceae), a Mediterranean endemic

2003

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This is \-ery important for the apiculture potential of the phrygana, since T. capitatus is widespread and abundant throughout the Mediterranean region. In this area, T. capitatus, a cornucopian species, constitutes the most important food source for wild bees and honeybees (Petanidou & Smets, 1995;Petanidou & Ellis, 1996), whereas B. acetabulosa is visited by a smaller array of wild bees and only \'ery occasionally by honey bees (Petanidou, 1991;Petanidou & Vokou, 1993).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does temperature stress induce nectar secretion in Mediterranean plants?

Petanidou

Smets

1996

New Phytologist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARYWe Studied the effect of temperature on nectar secretion in Thymiis capitatus, a typical labiate of phrygana (i,e, the garrigue of the East Mediterranean Basin). Experiments were carried out at controlled temperatures in a climatic chamber. We measured the nectar standing crop of the flowers at the end of the first day of their anthesis. All nectar values (i,e, volume per flower, sugar content and concentration) increased witb temperature up to 38 °C, as long as the plants were not water stressed. However, in the open and under normal temperate conditions (i,e, at relatively low temperatures) nectar secretion depended more on changes in solar irradiance than on temperature.Under the same conditions, nectar secretion in Ballota acetabulosa, a species that is sympatric and coflowering with T. capitatus, was afTected neither by light nor temperature. Since in the wild these two species are found in different microhabitats (full sun and shade, for T. capitatus and B. acetabulosa, respectively), we attribute the differences we observed to the differential natural adaptation of the plants to these factors. We conclude that T. capitatus is very well adapted to the Mediterranean conditions. By performing optimally as a nectar source at high temperatures, it can support a very large insect fauna that visits its flowers for nectar. It is in fact a temperatureinduced cornucopian species, K ey words: Nectar secretion, temperature effect, Thymus capitatus, Ballota acetabulosa, Mediterranean plants. INTRODrcTIONNectar secretion rate is temperature dependent (

show abstract

“…For example, plant species in a xeric Mediterranean ecosystem (Petanidou and Smets, 1995) differed greatly both in mean nectar amounts and in their variability (Shafir et al, 2003;Weber et al, 2004). Cartar (Cartar, 1991) studied the choice of bumblebees between two co-occurring plants, seabrush (Plectritis congesta) and dwarf huckleberry (Vaccinium caespitosum), which provided similar mean expected rates of net energy intake but that differed in variability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parameters of variable reward distributions that affect risk sensitivity of honey bees

Drezner-Levy

Shafir

2007

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARY We investigated risk sensitivity with harnessed honey bees in a proboscis-extension conditioning paradigm. We conditioned each subject to turn its head and extend its proboscis towards one of two presented odors; one odor was associated with a constant reward and the other with a variable reward that was either low or high, with probabilities P and (1-P),respectively. Reward values and probabilities were set so that the expected value of the variable alternative was equal to that of the constant one. We performed six experimental conditions in which variability was in reward volume and three conditions in which variability was in reward concentration. The experiments were designed to systematically test the effect of various parameters that describe the reward distributions on levels of risk sensitivity. Risk aversion was greatest when variability was in reward volume,and the variable distribution included zero rewards and had a high coefficient of variation (CV=s.d./mean). The variance itself did not affect risk sensitivity. Subjects were risk indifferent when the variable distribution did not include zero rewards, however these distributions were positively skewed. The independent effects of zero rewards and distribution skew remain to be tested. Subjects were risk indifferent in conditions where variability was in reward concentration, but concentration range was limited and these distributions did not include zero rewards and were skewed. We conclude that risk aversion to variability in reward amount is a robust phenomenon for some reward distributions. A systematic evaluation of the effect of various reward distribution parameters on choice behavior should complement functional and mechanistic approaches.

show abstract

The potential of marginal lands for bees and apiculture: nectar secretion in Mediterranean shrublands

Cited by 50 publications

References 26 publications

Pollinator biodiversity and floral resource use in Ecballium elaterium (Cucurbitaceae), a Mediterranean endemic

Pollinator biodiversity and floral resource use in Ecballium elaterium (Cucurbitaceae), a Mediterranean endemic

Does temperature stress induce nectar secretion in Mediterranean plants?

Parameters of variable reward distributions that affect risk sensitivity of honey bees

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About