Article
Biology
Sinan Kaya-Zeeb, Lorenz Engelmayer, Mara Strassburger, Jasmin Bayer, Heike Baehre, Roland Seifert, Oliver Scherf-Clavel, Markus Thamm
Summary: A study revealed that octopamine signaling is necessary for honeybee thermogenesis, and the beta octopamine receptors undergo enormous selective pressure due to adaptation to cold climates. The octopamine signaling might be a key strategy for survival in a changing environment.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Jhonatha Mota Teixeira-Cruz, Marcelo Abrahao Strauch, Marcos Monteiro-Machado, Matheus Silva Tavares-Henriques, Joao Alfredo de Moraes, Luis Eduardo Ribeiro da Cunha, Rui Seabra Ferreira Jr., Benedito Barraviera, Luis Eduardo M. Quintas, Paulo A. Melo
Summary: The study evaluated the neutralization ability of a new Apilic antivenom against honeybee venom and melittin, showing its effectiveness in inhibiting the toxic effects of the venom. This novel antivenom emerges as a promising immunobiological product for the treatment of massive, Africanized honeybee attacks.
Article
Ecology
Eduardo L. Almeida, Celine Ribiere, Werner Frei, Denis Kenny, Mary F. Coffey, Paul W. O'Toole
Summary: In this study, the microbiome of honeybees from different time points in various apiaries across Ireland was analyzed. It was found that the microbiome composition showed stronger clustering by time point rather than by apiary site. The study also revealed certain bacteria in the honeybee microbiome that were correlated with hive health, highlighting the importance of the global honeybee microbiome in supporting thriving hives.
Article
Biology
Jacob M. Peters, Orit Peleg, L. Mahadevan
Summary: During reproductive swarming, honeybee clusters can modulate their morphology in response to temperature changes, maintaining internal temperature and preserving energy. The shape and size changes of the clusters exhibit faster response to cooling than heating, and fluctuate even at a constant temperature.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marta Burzynska, Dorota Piasecka-Kwiatkowska
Summary: Honeybee venom contains allergenic proteins that can cause severe allergic reactions, with potential therapeutic value.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Laura Bulson, Matthias A. Becher, Trevelyan J. McKinley, Lena Wilfert
Summary: The study on the impact of antibiotic treatment on honey bee colonies showed that an increase in individual worker bee mortality can lead to colony mortality, affecting colony health. It is recommended to limit prophylactic use of antibiotics and not exceed recommended treatment strategies for domesticated insects.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joseph L. Woodgate, James C. Makinson, Natacha Rossi, Ka S. Lim, Andrew M. Reynolds, Christopher J. Rawlings, Lars Chittka
Summary: Male honeybees gather in specific areas to mate, displaying familiar flight paths and behavior as they navigate multiple potential lekking sites. This behavior suggests collective behavior in congregation areas.
Article
Agronomy
Despina Popovska Stojanov, Lazo Dimitrov, Jiri Danihlik, Aleksandar Uzunov, Miroljub Golubovski, Sreten Andonov, Robert Brodschneider
Summary: Honeybees play a crucial role in pollination and hive products, but the loss of managed colonies due to factors like parasites, viruses, pesticides, and climate change has significant economic implications. A pioneer methodology was developed to estimate the economic impact of winter colony losses in Austria, Czechia, and Macedonia, highlighting the importance of honeybees for the agricultural sector beyond subsidies.
Article
Environmental Sciences
D. Alberoni, R. Favaro, L. Baffoni, S. Angeli, D. Di Gioia
Summary: The study reveals that neonicotinoid insecticides have a long-term impact on the gut microbial community of honeybees, leading to dysbiosis and affecting various microbial genera and species. Microbial diversity is significantly reduced, potentially compromising the ecosystemic functionality of honeybees.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Abdulrahim T. Alkassab, Hannes Beims, Martina Janke, Jens Pistorius
Summary: The study evaluated the exposure level of bees to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spores under realistic field conditions and analyzed the distributions and persistence of the spores in different matrices. The results showed high levels of Bt spores in honey sac and pollen pellets, with reduction over time, but no reduction in stored matrices within the colony. This study is important for assessing the potential exposure and risks for pollinators.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Pol Nadal-Jimenez, Stefanos Siozios, Crystal L. Frost, Rebecca Court, Ewa Chrostek, Georgia C. Drew, Jay D. Evans, David J. Hawthorne, James B. Burritt, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: This study reports a microbe related to Arsenophonus nasoniae, traditionally considered heritable bacterial symbionts of arthropods, infecting honey bees (Apis mellifera). The microbe was cultured in vitro and its genome was sequenced. This finding suggests a different mode of transmission for this microbe compared to other Arsenophonus bacteria that are typically found only in arthropods.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Simona Sagona, Chiara D'Onofrio, Vincenzo Miragliotta, Antonio Felicioli
Summary: This study investigated the expression profile of water-soluble proteases during the ontogenesis of honeybee worker-fate larvae and discovered a protease named PS4 with the highest activity at 72 hours after hatching, which is likely a serine-proteinase. Furthermore, the study found that only royal jelly can inhibit PS4 in worker-fate larvae.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Bo-Yeon Kim, Yun-Hui Kim, Yong-Soo Choi, Man-Young Lee, Kwang-Sik Lee, Byung-Rae Jin
Summary: The study demonstrates that the honeybee Apidermin 2 (APD 2) exhibits antibacterial and antifungal activities by inducing structural damage to bacterial and fungal cell walls. The expression of AmAPD 2 in honeybee workers is induced upon microbial ingestion, especially showing high expression in the epidermis and strong response to microbial challenges. The recombinant AmAPD 2 peptide is heat-stable and binds to live bacteria and fungi, ultimately leading to microbial cell wall damage and microbicidal activity.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Fay Kahane, Juliet Osborne, Sarah Crowley, Rosalind Shaw
Summary: Beekeepers play a crucial role in the health of pollinators. Understanding their motivations is essential to develop sustainable strategies for honeybee and wild pollinator populations. A Q methodology study in Cornwall, UK, revealed five different beekeeping perspectives, with some practices contradicting official advice and potentially impacting pollinator health. Honeybee conservation emerged as a key motivator for non-conventional practices, while wild pollinator conservation was not prioritized by most beekeepers.
Article
Microbiology
Dae Yoon Kim, Soohyun Maeng, Sung-Jin Cho, Hui Jin Park, Kyungsu Kim, Jae Kwon Lee, Sathiyaraj Srinivasan
Summary: The declining honeybee populations pose a significant risk to global agriculture, and parasites are a major contributing factor. In recent years, there has been increasing attention to honeybee diseases, with annual losses of 30% to 40% of managed colonies in the USA. This study aims to compare the bacterial community in the gut of honeybees infected with Nosema ceranae and Ascosphaera apis, and compare it to that of weakly active honeybees.
Editorial Material
Entomology
Jeffrey T. Morisette, Stanley W. Burgiel, Keith D. Gaddis
ANNALS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bin Tan, John J. Dellomo, Christopher N. Folley, Thomas J. Grycewicz, Scott Houchin, Peter J. Isaacson, Patrick D. Johnson, Brian C. Porter, Alan D. Reth, Pradeep Thiyanaratnam, Robert E. Wolfe
JOURNAL OF APPLIED REMOTE SENSING
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Niall Origo, Javier Gorrono, James Ryder, Joanne Nightingale, Agnieszka Bialek
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Luke A. Brown, Fernando Camacho, Vicente Garcia-Santos, Niall Origo, Beatriz Fuster, Harry Morris, Julio Pastor-Guzman, Jorge Sanchez-Zapero, Rosalinda Morrone, James Ryder, Joanne Nightingale, Valentina Boccia, Jadunandan Dash
Summary: With a wide range of satellite-derived vegetation bio-geophysical products now available, validation efforts are required to assess accuracy. The FRM4VEG project initiated by the European Space Agency aims to apply metrological principles to vegetation and surface reflectance product validation. This project describes an end-to-end uncertainty evaluation framework for key vegetation bio-geophysical variables.
Article
Ecology
Nathan S. Gill, Adam L. Mahood, Courtney L. Meier, Ranjan Muthukrishnan, R. Chelsea Nagy, Eva Stricker, Katharyn A. Duffy, Lais Petri, Jeffrey T. Morisette
Summary: Biological invasions are a significant cause of rapid ecological change and financial burden. Invasion biology has made progress in identifying and managing invasions, but questions remain about the mechanisms of invasive species spread and impacts they bring. Utilizing NEON data can help address some of these questions and support users in solving invasion biology problems.
Article
Ecology
Jeffrey T. Morisette, Katharyn A. Duffy, Jake F. Weltzin, Dawn M. Browning, R. Lee Marsh, Aaron M. Friesz, Luke J. Zachmann, Kyle D. Enns, Vincent A. Landau, Katharine L. Gerst, Theresa M. Crimmins, Katherine D. Jones, Tony Chang, Brian W. Miller, Thomas K. Maiersperger, Andrew D. Richardson
Summary: Phenology is the study of recurring plant and animal life-cycle stages across different scales, with varied methods and programs for data collection. The integration and analysis of cross-scale, multi-platform phenological data is currently limited, hindering the interpretation and application of such data. The Pheno-Synthesis Software Suite (PS3) is introduced to enable investigation of phenological processes at different scales and platforms, with potential applications in phenological modeling and ecosystem management.
ECOLOGICAL INFORMATICS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa, Iain Sharp, Paul D. Green, Joanne Nightingale
Summary: This study analyzes the variability and uncertainties related to in-situ 2-flux fPAR estimation in a tropical dry forest. It identifies factors that reduce variability in fPAR and examines the impact of soil moisture on fPAR prediction. The findings highlight the importance of recalibration and the role of soil moisture in fPAR distribution.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
C. Liu, K. Calders, F. Meunier, J. P. Gastellu-Etchegorry, J. Nightingale, M. Disney, N. Origo, W. Woodgate, H. Verbeeck
Summary: This study investigated the implications of different assumptions of 3D forest stand reconstructions on the accuracy and efficiency of radiative transfer modeling. The results showed that voxel-based simulations were more computationally efficient but less accurate than 3D-explicit simulations under certain conditions.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Guoqing Lin, Robert E. Wolfe, Ping Zhang, John J. Dellomo, Bin Tan
Summary: This paper summarizes the on-orbit geolocation calibration and validation (Cal/Val) activities for the VIIRS sensors aboard the SNPP and NOAA-20 satellites in the past 10 years. It includes nominal geolocation Cal/Val activities, risk reduction activities, and improvements for the on-orbit VIIRS sensor operations. The activities have achieved sub-pixel geolocation accuracy and improved the overall performance of the sensors.
Article
Ecology
Kim Calders, Hans Verbeeck, Andrew Burt, Niall Origo, Joanne Nightingale, Yadvinder Malhi, Phil Wilkes, Pasi Raumonen, Robert G. H. Bunce, Mathias Disney
Summary: Accurate assessment of forest above-ground biomass is crucial for quantifying climate mitigation benefits. However, the current allometric models used for estimation are biased and result in substantial errors. Testing the underlying assumptions of these models and improving measurement methods are urgent priorities to address this issue.
ECOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS AND EVIDENCE
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Felicien Meunier, Sruthi M. Krishna Moorthy, Marc Peaucelle, Kim Calders, Louise Terryn, Wim Verbruggen, Chang Liu, Ninni Saarinen, Niall Origo, Joanne Nightingale, Mathias Disney, Yadvinder Malhi, Hans Verbeeck
Summary: Terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs) are important for studying plant-atmosphere interactions and the impact of global change on ecosystems. However, these models often suffer from large uncertainties. This study shows that integrating terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data into TBMs can improve their accuracy. It also highlights the sensitivity of model results to initial conditions, model parameters, and model structure. The study concludes that simultaneous observations of plant traits, structure, and state variables are needed to reduce uncertainties in TBMs.
GEOSCIENTIFIC MODEL DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jeffrey Morisette, Stanley Burgiel, Kelsey Brantley, Wesley M. Daniel, John Darling, Jeanette Davis, Thomas Franklin, Keith Gaddis, Margaret Hunter, Richard Lance, Tracy Leskey, Yale Passamaneck, Antoinette Piaggio, Brian Rector, Adam Sepulveda, Melissa Smith, Carol A. Stepien, Taylor Wilcox
Summary: This paper explores the use of environmental DNA sampling and analysis in providing information on invasive species presence, and suggests wider utilization of eDNA techniques for invasive species surveillance. It aims to assist invasive species managers in deciding if, when, and how to use eDNA for surveillance effectively.
MANAGEMENT OF BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2021)
Proceedings Paper
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Bin Tan, Robert E. Wolfe, Alan D. Reth, John Dellomo
IGARSS 2020 - 2020 IEEE INTERNATIONAL GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING SYMPOSIUM
(2020)
Proceedings Paper
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Ping Zhang, Robert Wolfe, Lahouari Bounoua
IGARSS 2020 - 2020 IEEE INTERNATIONAL GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING SYMPOSIUM
(2020)
Proceedings Paper
Remote Sensing
Guoqing (Gary) Lin, Robert E. Wolfe, John J. Dellomo, Bin Tan, Ping Zhang
EARTH OBSERVING SYSTEMS XXV
(2020)