Review
Plant Sciences
Mario Vallejo-Marin
Summary: Bees produce different types of vibrations, including buzz pollination, through vibrations. Bees can control the characteristics of buzz pollination by adjusting the biomechanical properties of their thorax, in order to optimize energy use and pollen collection.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Erin B. Lowe, Russell Groves, Claudio Gratton
Summary: Planting flowers along crop field edges effectively increases pollinator richness and abundance, with plantings becoming more effective as they mature. However, the impact on crop pollination and yield is inconsistent, and planting size and richness do not change these results. Critical knowledge gaps remain regarding how plantings can improve ecosystem service provision and delivery.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Entomology
Hazel Cooley, Mario Vallejo-Marin
Summary: Buzz-pollinated plants rely on vibration-producing bee species for successful pollen release, including important crops like tomato and blueberry. Studies on tomato cultivation show that pollination by buzz-pollinating bees significantly increases fruit weight, while other pollination methods do not have the same effect.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
T. Bochorny, L. F. Bacci, A. S. Dellinger, F. A. Michelangeli, R. Goldenberg, V. L. G. Brito
Summary: Research has shown that stamen appendages play a crucial role in transmitting vibrations and ensuring optimal pollen release in buzz-pollinated flowers, while their absence does not alter bee pollination behavior. This highlights the importance of connective appendages in the reproductive success of plants that rely on buzz-pollination.
Article
Plant Sciences
Rodrigo Taveira, William E. Magnusson, Juliana Hipolito
Summary: This study investigated the transfer and deposition of heterospecific pollen in a Central Amazon forest. It found that plants with larger flowers, more flowers per individual, and solitary flowers were more likely to receive heterospecific pollen. Despite the diversity of floral types in the Adolpho Ducke Reserve, there was a low percentage of heterospecific pollen deposition, likely due to specialized plant-pollinator interactions.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Wei Hao, Xinting Ding, Zhi He, Kai Li, Weixin Gong, Zixu Li, Zhen Yang, Yongjie Cui
Summary: This study developed a precision liquid pollinator for kiwifruit robotic pollination, which improved pollination efficiency while saving pollen usage. By optimizing the pollinator, a working range of air pressure and liquid pressure was established, and it was found that reducing droplet size enhanced pollen deposition rate. The developed pollinator achieved a pollen deposition efficiency of 21.15% under specific air and liquid pressure conditions.
COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS IN AGRICULTURE
(2023)
Review
Agronomy
Alieta Eyles, Dugald C. Close, Steve R. Quarrell, Geoff R. Allen, Cameron J. Spurr, Kara M. Barry, Matthew D. Whiting, Alistair J. Gracie
Summary: Mechanical pollination is crucial for the production of fruit and nut crops, but faces challenges due to knowledge gaps and access to proprietary information.
Article
Ecology
Mario Vallejo-Marin, Carlos Eduardo Pereira Nunes, Avery Leigh Russell
Summary: The joined anther cones in buzz-pollinated species have been found to cause increased vibrations and pollen release. The development of anther fusion is independent across different species and genetic mechanisms, and the functional significance of joined anther cones needs further investigation.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jose N. Mesquita-Neto, Ana Luisa C. Vieira, Clemens Schlindwein
Summary: The study found that larger and fit-size bees were the most efficient pollinators, while small bees showed lower stigma-touching rates, indicating a minimum size threshold for efficient pollinators.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Bo Zhang, Shu-Fan Sun, Wang-Long Luo, Jia-Xin Li, Qiang-En Fang, De-Gang Zhang, Gui-Xin Hu
Summary: The adult thrips of Frankliniella intonsa and the host Stellera chamaejasme interact mutually to contribute to each other's fitness, with the thrips pollinating host plants and the plants providing the insects with breeding sites and food. The thrips preferentially forage in half-flowering inflorescences and oviposit in floral tubes, and the floral longevity precisely accommodates the thrips life cycle. Excluding adult thrips from foraging flowers results in a significant decrease in host plant fitness and thrips fecundity in the flowers.
Article
Horticulture
Shih-Kai Lo, Chih-Yi Hu, Su-Fen Roan, Tsung-Chen Su, Iou-Zen Chen
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between flower morphology and fruit yields in tea plants and analyzed 106 tea varieties. The results showed that flower traits within the same tea plant variety were highly homogeneous. The main flower trait affecting fruit yield was stamen bundle outer width, while the secondary trait was stigma width. These traits have the potential to be used as reference indicators for early selection in future breeding programs.
Article
Plant Sciences
Gabriella da Silva Saab, Vidal de Freitas Mansano, Anselmo Nogueira, Isabele Carvalho Maia, Pedro Joaquim Bergamo, Juliana Villela Paulino
Summary: The study on buzz-pollinated flowers reveals a division of labor among different stamen morphs, with large bees mainly exploiting pollen from central anthers, and intermediate stamens attracting both pollinators and providing pollen resources. This division of labor in large pollen flowers is associated with the evolution of trimorphic androecium, representing an effective strategy for overcoming the pollen dilemma and optimizing feeding function.
Article
Horticulture
Ramon Silva da Santos, Liedson Tavares Carneiro, Jose Peroba de Oliveira Santos, Mairon Moura da Silva, Marcelo de Oliveira Milfont, Cibele Cardoso Castro
Summary: Insect pollination, particularly by honeybees, significantly enhances fruit production of 'Tee' and 'Nova' tangelos in northeastern Brazil. The differences in fruit traits between cultivars may not be due to floral characteristics divergence.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Charlotte Descamps, Anne Jambrek, Muriel Quinet, Anne-Laure Jacquemart
Summary: In the context of climate warming, alterations in plant pollination and reproductive success due to increased air temperatures constitute a significant issue. Higher temperatures negatively affect floral traits and rewards, leading to reduced flower visitation by pollinators, which could in turn decrease plant pollination rates and reproductive success under global temperature increases caused by climate change.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Abigail Lowe, Laura Jones, Georgina Brennan, Simon Creer, Natasha de Vere
Summary: By using an innovative DNA metabarcoding approach, researchers investigated the foraging preferences of four groups of pollinators in a diverse horticultural and agricultural landscape. They found differences in plant utilization between different pollinators and observed that seasonal changes significantly influenced floral resource use by pollinators. The study also highlighted the varying value of native and non-native plants for pollinators.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Milagros Dalmazzo, Favio Gerardo Vossler
ARTHROPOD-PLANT INTERACTIONS
(2015)
Article
Entomology
Favio Gerardo Vossler
Article
Entomology
Milagros Dalmazzo, Favio Gerardo Vossler
Article
Plant Sciences
Favio Gerardo Vossler, Maria Cristina Telleria, Monica Cunningham
Article
Plant Sciences
Favio Gerardo Vossler
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Favio Gerardo Vossler
ORGANISMS DIVERSITY & EVOLUTION
(2013)
Article
Entomology
F. G. Vossler
Article
Plant Sciences
Favio Gerardo Vossler
Article
Plant Sciences
Favio Gerardo Vossler
Summary: This study analyzed the pollen and honey resources consumed by Tetragonisca angustula fiebrigi Schwarz in two types of native dry forests in the Chaco region. The most important pollen resources were identified as Prosopis, Schinopsis type, Trithrinax schizophylla, and Capparicordis/Sarcotoxicum, while the honey resources were mainly composed of Schinopsis type, Maytenus type, Prosopis, and Ziziphus mistol. Foraging was most uniform during spring and summer, with higher diversity indices, while foraging was less diverse during winter and autumn.
Article
Plant Sciences
Favio G. Vossler, Gustavo Delucchi
Summary: This study updates the record of Leucaena leucocephala populations in Argentina and provides information on its naturalization and invasion processes. Through field observations and examination of herbarium material, the invasive condition of the species in Argentina is confirmed and two introduction pathways are identified. Leucaena leucocephala is considered a transformer species in Argentina, impacting regional biodiversity.
BOLETIN DE LA SOCIEDAD ARGENTINA DE BOTANICA
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Favio Gerardo Vossler
Summary: Cities provide habitat for diverse groups of bees and contribute to their conservation. However, the diet composition of urban bees in South America is poorly studied, leaving the characteristics of urban flora needed for their survival unknown.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Favio G. Vossler
ANAIS DA ACADEMIA BRASILEIRA DE CIENCIAS
(2019)
Article
Entomology
F. G. Vossler, G. A. Fagundez, D. C. Blettler