Depuis le début du XXème siècle, l’évolution de l’agriculture et l'intensification des pratiques agricoles ont conduit à des modifications profondes du paysage induisant des pertes importantes d’habitats naturels et semi-naturels. Ces changements, entraînant notamment la diminution des ressources végétales et impliquant l'utilisation systématique de pesticides, ont des répercussions sur les colonies d’abeilles. C’est dans ce contexte que, durant deux saisons apicoles, des inventaires botaniques ont été réalisés au sein de l’aire de butinage de deux ruchers situés en paysage de grande culture du nord-ouest de la France et que des échantillons de pelotes de pollen et de miels prélevés dans ces ruchers ont été analysés. L’objectif était de comparer les ressources floristiques disponibles et celles réellement exploitées par les abeilles et d’entrevoir les stratégies de butinage mises en place dans ce cadre paysager. Les relevés floristiques ont permis de distinguer d’une part, de larges surfaces d’espèces cultivées, à floraison ponctuelle et d’autre part, des surfaces non cultivées, de plus petite taille, occupées par de nombreuses espèces sauvages dont la floraison s’étale sur la totalité de la saison apicole. Les analyses palynologiques montrent que ces espèces floristiques sauvages sont exploitées en continu y compris pendant la période de floraison des espèces cultivées. Bien que cette étude ne soit pas en mesure de le démontrer, il est possible que les espèces sauvages procurent aux colonies un apport nutritionnel que la floraison ponctuelle des plantes cultivées ne peut totalement compenser. Une meilleure connaissance de la valeur nutritionnelle des différents pollens d’essences végétales, ainsi que des besoins alimentaires basiques nécessaires au développement et à la pérennisation des colonies devraient aider à éprouver cette hypothèse. / Since the beginning of the XXth century, the evolution of agriculture and the intensification of farming practices have led to landscape changes with the loss of natural and semi-natural habitats. These changes, involving a decrease of plant resources and a use of pesticides, may have noticeable impact on honey bee colonies. In this framework of weakened biodiversity, the initiative was taken of recording botanical species growing in the foraging area of two apiaries in cultivated landscapes of Western France and sampling pollen pellets and honey for pollen species determination during two successive beekeeping seasons. The aim of this study was to compare the available flora resources with those really exploited by the honey bees, to get a glimpse of the foraging strategies developed by the colonies in this landscape context. The floristic readings enabled to distinguish wide areas of cultivated plant species characterized by temporary blossoms from areas of wild species characterized by much smaller superficies and by flowerings spread over the year. Palynological analyses indicate that wild floristic species are exploited throughout the beekeeping season including during blooms of cultivated plant species. Even though not conclusively stated by the present study, it is possible that wild species provide colonies with nutritional intakes that cannot be totally compensated by temporary blooms of cultivated plants. A more extended knowledge of the nutritional values of pollens produced by plant species together with a better understanding of basic food needs for development and perennisation of colonies should help to test this hypothesis.

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are frequently delivered to the patient in the solid-state as part of an approved dosage form (tablets, capsules, etc.). Understanding and controlling the solid-state chemistry of APIs is therefore an important aspect of the drug development process. APIs can exist in a variety of distinct solid forms, including polymorphs, solvates, hydrates, co-crystals and amorphous solids. Each form displays unique physicochemical properties that can profoundly influence the bioavailability, manufacturability, stability and other performance characteristics of the drug. Most APIs are purified and isolated by crystallisation from an appropriate solvent during the final step in synthetic process. The main objective of a crystallisation process is to produce crystals with desired properties such as particle size distribution (PSD), shape and purity. All pharmaceutical dosage forms must be produced in uniform units, and good content of uniformity is only possible when the size of the active component is carefully controlled. For on-line control of crystallisations of Quetiapine Fumarate to achieve desired PSD and no changed physicochemical purity was used the Lasentec Focus Beam Reflectance Measurement (FBRM) system.

BACKGROUND:Widely considered probiotic organisms, Bifidobacteria are common inhabitants of the alimentary tract of animals including insects. Bifidobacteria identified from the honey bee are found in larval guts and throughout the alimentary tract, but attain their greatest abundance in the adult hind gut. To further understand the role of Bifidobacteria in honey bees, we sequenced two strains of Bifidobacterium cultured from different alimentary tract environments and life stages.RESULTS:Reflecting an oxygen-rich niche, both strains possessed catalase, peroxidase, superoxide-dismutase and respiratory chain enzymes indicative of oxidative metabolism. The strains show markedly different carbohydrate processing capabilities, with one possessing auxiliary and key enzymes of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway.CONCLUSIONS:As a result of long term co-evolution, honey bee associated Bifidobacterium may harbor considerable strain diversity reflecting adaptation to a variety of different honey bee microenvironments and hive-mediated vertical transmission between generations.

BACKGROUND: The honey bee is an important model system for increasing understanding of molecular and neural mechanisms underlying social behaviors relevant to the agricultural industry and basic science. The western honey bee, Apis mellifera, has served as a model species, and its genome sequence has been published. In contrast, the genome of the Asian honey bee, Apis cerana, has not yet been sequenced. A. cerana has been raised in Asian countries for thousands of years and has brought considerable economic benefits to the apicultural industry. A cerana has divergent biological traits compared to A. mellifera and it has played a key role in maintaining biodiversity in eastern and southern Asia. Here we report the first whole genome sequence of A. cerana. RESULTS: Using de novo assembly methods, we produced a 238 Mbp draft of the A. cerana genome and generated 10,651 genes. A.cerana-specific genes were analyzed to better understand the novel characteristics of this honey bee species. Seventy-two percent of the A. cerana-specific genes had more than one GO term, and 1,696 enzymes were categorized into 125 pathways. Genes involved in chemoreception and immunity were carefully identified and compared to those from other sequenced insect models. These included 10 gustatory receptors, 119 odorant receptors, 10 ionotropic receptors, and 160 immune-related genes. CONCLUSIONS: This first report of the whole genome sequence of A. cerana provides resources for comparative sociogenomics, especially in the field of social insect communication. These important tools will contribute to a better understanding of the complex behaviors and natural biology of the Asian honey bee and to anticipate its future evolutionary trajectory.

Thesis (PhD (Botany and Zoology))--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Insect societies utilize advanced chemical communication systems to organize many aspects of their social life, which among others, include reproduction, thus maintaining colony homeostasis. The queen pheromone complex (QMP), dominated by (E)-9-keto-2-decenoic acid (9ODA) is of integral importance in regulating worker reproductive development. Unique characteristics, associated with reproductive dominance, enabled the successful establishment of Apis mellifera capensis workers as social parasites (or pseudoqueens) in colonies of the neighbouring A. m. scutellata. This suggested that producing a queenlike pheromonal bouquet is one of the proximate factors in their success. In this study we attempted to address the pheromone communication dilemma by investigating whether the phenotypic expression of mandibular gland signals in honeybee workers are under genetic and/or environmental influence. It was hypothesized that the mandibular gland profiles of queens and workers may be closely correlated to specific genotypes in the colony. However, different ageing and rearing environments (social context) can ultimately influence gene expression with respect to mandibular gland signals, highlighting the fact that environmental influences are not necessarily non-significant. In our experiments, both environmental/social conditions and genotypes of our test individuals were manipulated. The capensis workers used in our experiment from their native range (Western Cape area are refered to as native workers, while capensis parasitic workers, from the clonal parasitic lineage, were obtained from the Gauteng area. A. m. scutellata workers were obtained from their native range, north of the hybrid zone. Both native and parasitic workers showed the potential to become reproductively active, but the rapid pheromonal development of parasitic workers placed them at a reproductive advantage. Parasitic workers started producing low levels of 9HDA, the precursor to the queen substance 9ODA, between 12-24 hrs, while native workers only did so after 24 hrs. Despite this, rapid signal development did not culminate in the parasitic clones always pheromonally out-competing native workers. Withinin groups of native workers and a single clonal parasitic worker, the mandibular gland profiles of most workers were dominated by 9ODA and 9HDA (> 80% of extracts) with only 43% of the single parasitic workers producing higher amounts of 9ODA than native workers. Mandibular gland pheromone profiles converged in groups of workers sharing a greater proportion of genes, providing support for a link to genotypic affects. Workers that were 75 – 99% related diverged significantly from groups with lower levels of relatedness was largely due to the presences of 9ODA (Spearman’s rank correlation r = 0.66, p < 0.0001). Despite the tendency for signal to convergence in groups of closer relatedness a considerable amount of signal variability was also observed under varying social conditions. Workers originating from a single capensis queen but aged under queenright and queenless conditions had very distinct mandibular gland profiles (Wilks’ lambda λ = 0.118, χ2 = 331.002, p < 0.0001). This variability was thus a result of the social environment that the workers were exposed to. The physiological traits, namely mandibular gland pheromone production, linked to reproductive potential in honeybee workers seem to be determined by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Queen mandibular gland pheromone biosynthesis is genetically predisposed in certain workers however the final oxidation step to 9ODA is strongly influenced by the social environment. The signal plasticity observed in this study is adaptive and assists workers to realize their reproductive potential. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Insek gemeenskappe gebruik gevorderde chemiese kommunikasie sisteme om verskeie aspekte van sosiale lewe, onder andere reproduksie, te organiseer en sodoende word korf homeostasis handhaaf. Die feromoon kompleks van die koninginby, wat hoofsaaklik uit (E)-9-keto-2-decenoic acid (9ODA) bestaan speel ʼn belangrike rol in die regulering van reproduksie in heuningby werkers. Die suksesvolle vestiging van Apis mellifera capensis werkers as sosiale parasiete (pseudo koninginne) in die korwe van die naburige A. m. scutellata, is bewerkstellig deur hul unieke kenmerke, wat met reproduktiewe oorheersing verband hou. Dit suggereer dat die produksie van ʼn tipiese koningin feromoon sein een van verskeie beduidende faktore is in capensis werkers se sukses. In hierdie studie het ons die dilemma van feromoon kommunikasie probeer aanspreek deur te ondersoek of die fenotipiese uitdrukking van seine van die mandibulêre kliere deur genetiese en/of omgewings faktore beïnvloed word. Die hipotese was dat die mandibulêre klier profiele van koninginne en werkers korreleer met spesifieke genotipes in die korf. Die verskillende omgewings waarin werkers groot gemaak word en verouder (sosiale konteks), kan uiteindelik die uitdrukking van gene, raakende mandibulêre kliere, beïnvloed. Dit beklemtoon die feit dat omgewings faktore nie noodwendig onbeduidend is nie. Beide omgewings/sosiale toestande and genotipes van toets individue is in ons eksperimente gemanipuleer. Die capensis werkers afkomstig uit hul natuurlike habitat (Weskaap area) wat in ons eksperimente gebruik is word na verwys as inboorling werkers, terwyl parasitiese capensis werkers, van klonies parasitiese afkoms, vanuit die Gauteng area verkry is. A. m. scutellata werkers was vanuit hul natuurlike habitat, noord van die, hybried sone, verkry. Beide inboorling en parasitise werkers het die potensiaal getoon om reproduktief aktief te word, maar versnelde feromoon ontwikkeling van parasite werkers het hulle ʼn reproduktiewe voordeel gegee. Parasiet werkers het reeds lae hoeveelhede 9HDA, die voorganger van 9ODA, begin produseer tussen 12 – 24 uur, terwyl inboorling werkers produksie eers na 24 uur begin het. Ten spyte van die versnelde ontwikkeling in parasiet werkers het dit nie gelei daartoe dat kloniese parasiete altyd feromonies die oorhand oor inboorling werkers gekry het nie. In groepe bestaande uit inboorling werkers en ʼn enkele parasite werker, was die mandibulêre klier profiele altyd deur 9ODA en 9HDA (> 80% van ekstrakte) gedomineer. Slegs 43% van parasite werkers het groter hoeveelhede 9ODA as inboorling werkers geproduseer. In groepe werkers, wat ʼn groter proporsie gene in gemeen gehad het, het mandibulêre klier profiele konvergeer. Dit ondersteun die bestaan van ʼn verband met genotipiese invloed. Werkers van 75 – 99% verwantskap het beduidend verskil van groepe met laer verwantskapsvlakke, hoofsaaklik as gevolg van die teenwoordigheid van 9ODA (Spearman’s rank korrelasie r = 0.66, p < 0.0001). Ten spyte van die konvergerende neiging van profiele, van meer verwante groepe, was aansienlike veranderlikheid onder verskillende sosiale toestande waargeneem. Werkers, afkomstig vanaf ʼn enkele capensis koninginby, maar òf in die teenwoordigheid òf afwesigheid van ʼn koningin verouder is, het baie kenmerkende mandibulêre klier profiele getoon (Wilks’ lambda λ = 0.118, χ2 = 331.002, p < 0.0001). Die veranderlikheid was dus ʼn gevolg van die sosiale omgewing waaraan die werkers blootgestel was. Dit blyk asof die fisiologiese kenmerke wat met reproduksie potensiaal in heuningbye verband hou, naamlik mandibulêre klier feromoon produksie, deur ʼn kombinasie van genetiese – en omgewings faktore beïnvloed word. Sekere werkers is meer geneig tot die biosintese van koningin mandibulêre klier feromoon as gevolg van hul genetika, terwyl die finale oksidasie na 9ODA onder sterk omgewings invloed is. Die plastisiteit in mandibulêre seine waargeneem in hierdie studie, is aanpasbaar en help werkers om hul reproduksie potensiaal te bereik.

Thesis (MScConsEcol (Conservation Ecology and Entomology)--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Apiculture in the Western Cape is a well-developed industry based on honey production and pollination services to agriculture. Apart from Eucalyptus trees, fynbos vegetation serves well as bee forage to managed honeybee colonies outside the agricultural pollination season. Eucalyptus trees are cleared as invasive plant species while fynbos are rigorously protected as one of the 34 Biodiversity Hotspots identified worldwide. Thus, bee forage is in short supply and is most probably the only limitation to the number of honeybee colonies that beekeepers can feasibly maintain. The impact of a collection of commercially managed honeybee colonies on other floral resource-dependent species in the Cape Floristic Region is unknown. This is one of the first studies on the topic in South Africa and specifically in the Western Cape. Managed hives were introduced to near pristine fynbos habitat in De Hoop Nature Reserve and Marine Protected Area during July. The aim was to induce stronger competition for floral resources through greater resource exploitation by managed honeybee colonies and record the change in foraging behaviour for several insect guilds on specific plant species. The results suggest that eight hives per site proved insufficient to increase honeybee density above the natural density of honeybees. Honeybee abundance did not increase during the presence of the managed hives, while honeybee visitation frequency was significantly greater during the presence of the managed hives. Neither the abundance nor the visitation frequency of non-Apis bees and wasps differed significantly between treatments. Honeybees were the most abundant foragers on the three focal plant species during all three treatments and also made the most visits to flowers. Honeybee abundance and visitation frequency increased with distance from the managed hives. The significant increase in honeybee visitation frequency during hive presence, coupled with a significant decrease in the time honeybees spent per flower extracting nectar, were an indication of a lower standing crop of nectar during that treatment. Nevertheless, no competition for floral resources was obvious, as the number of honeybees did not increase the abundance and visitation frequency of all other insect guilds (except for a significant decrease in Muscidae, which could be ascribed to changes in weather conditions).

Thesis (MScConsEcol)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Apis mellifera, the honeybee, is regarded as the most crucial insect pollinator to South African agriculture as it is the only managed pollinator used in the pollination of commercial agricultural crops. Essential to sustaining managed honeybees is the supply of adequate and sustainable forage resources upon which managed honeybee colonies can forage throughout the year. In most instances agricultural pollination services are only required for a brief period of the year, and consequently managed honeybee colonies need to be sustained on a variety of alternate forage resources for the remaining months of the year. As an essential resource in maintaining managed honeybee colonies, honeybee forage can subsequently be linked to the maintenance of agricultural crop pollination. Exotic honeybee forage species have always been an important part of managed honeybee foraging patterns, however recent pressure to control exotic plant species in South Africa has put this type of honeybee forage under threat. This studies’ first aim was focused on identifying the historic honeybee forage use pattern in South Africa, thereby identifying which forage species have maintained managed beekeeping up until this point. A comprehensive literature review of the South African Bee Journal, dating back to the journals first publication in the 1910’s documented both the exotic and indigenous forage species that have sustained the beekeeper industry in the past. Significance ratings of individual species were determined according to the number of times a species was cited in the literature throughout the review period. Although indigenous species where cited in the literature, the predominately used forage species was found to be exotic, highlighting the role these species played in the development of South African beekeeping. Secondly, this study identifies and highlights the current honeybee forage usage pattern in South Africa. By means of a country wide honeybee forage questionnaire, honeybee forage usage patterns were determined based on forage species usage by beekeepers in different provincial regions. Important forage species were highlighted in each region on the basis of number of colonies using individual forage species. In addition to identifying current forage usage, this questionnaire was able to help estimate the number of managed honeybee colonies in South Africa at present, given that census data is not yet available. Even though there is currently a greater awareness and usage of indigenous forage species, it remains that the predominantly used forage source are exotic forage species. Whilst there appears to be a movement and awareness towards the use of indigenous forage species across South Africa, forage species usage patterns have not shift dramatically in the last century. In order to fulfill their foraging requirements, managed honeybee colonies remain heavily dependent on exotic species, especially that of Eucalyptus and certain agricultural crop species. The removal of Eucalyptus should thus just be done in sensitive environments, while all woodlots should be demarcated and managed to ensure continued forage availability. In turn growers of forage crops should be made aware of their contribution to provincial honeybee forage resources. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Apis mellifera, die heuningby, word beskou as die belangrikste insek bestuiwer vir kommersiële boerdery in Suid Afrika, aangesien dit die enigste bestuurde bestuiwer is wat vir kommersiële landbou-gewasse gebruik word. Die beskikbaarheid van voldoende en volhoubare voedselbronne vir bestuurde heuningby kolonies is noodsaaklik vir hul voortbestaan. Bestuiwing deur hierdie insekte is in die meeste gevalle net nodig vir ʼn kort tydperk elke jaar, dus benodig bestuurde heuningby kolonies ʼn verskeidenheid van alternatiewe voedselbronne vir die oorblywende maande. Heuningby voedselbronne is noodsaaklik vir die handhawing van heuningby kolonies, en dus kan die beskikbaarheid van hierdie bronne gekoppel word aan die onderhouding van landbougewas bestuiwing. Uitheemse heuningby voedsel spesies is belangrik vir die voortbestaan van die heuningby, maar ’n toename in uitheemse plant spesies bestuur bedreig hierdie heuningby voedselbronne. Die eerste doel van hierdie studie was om die historiese heuningby voer gebruik patrone in Suid Afrika te identifiseer, om vas te stel watter plant spesies tot nou toe belangrik was vir byboerdery. ʼn Omvattende literatuuroorsig van die South African Bee Journal, vanaf die eerste publikasie in die 1910’s, het bevestig watter inheemse en uitheemse spesies belangrik was vir die voortbestaan van byboerdery in die verlede. Betekenis gradering van individuele spesies was bepaal volgens die aantal kere wat ʼn spesies aangehaal is in die literatuur binne die oorsigtydperk. Alhoewel inheemse plant spesies aangehaal was in die literatuur, was die meerderheid van die spesies uitheems. Dit dui dus die belangrikheid van uitheemse spesies aan vir die ontwikkeling en voortbestaan van Suid Afrikaanse byboerdery. Die tweede doel van hierdie studie was om die huidige kos soek patrone van die heuningby in Suid Afrika aan te wys. Die heuningby voer gebruik patrone is bepaal deur ʼn landwye vraelys, wat die voedselbron spesies van byeboere in die verskillende provinsies ondersoek het. Belangrike voedselbron spesies in elke streek was uitgelig in terme van die aantal by kolonies wat daardie spesie gebruik. Hierdie vraelys was ook gebruik om vas te stel hoeveel bestuurde heuningby kolonies daar tans in Suid Afrika is, aangesien sensus data nog nie beskikbaar is nie. Alhoewel daar tans ʼn groter bewustheid is van die gebruik van inheemse spesies as ʼn voedselbron, word uitheemse spesies steeds die meeste gebruik. In die laaste eeu was daar nie ʼn dramatiese verskuiwing vanaf uitheemse na inheemse spesies nie, ten spyte van die toeneemde bewustheid. Ten einde hul voedsel vereistes te voldoen, bly bestuurde heuningby kolonies afhanklik van uitheemse spesies, veral Eucalyptus spesies en sekere landbou-gewasse. Eucalyptus moet net in sensitiewe omgewings verwyder word, en bebosde gebiede moet afgebaken en bestuur word om te verseker dat hul as volhoubare voedselbronne beskikbaar bly. Verder moet produsente van gewasse wat byeboere kan gebruik bewus gemaak word van hul bydrae tot die voedselbronne van bestuurde heuningbye in hul streek.

Gut microbial communities exist in the vast majority of animals, and often form complex symbioses with their hosts that affect their host's biology in numerous ways. To date, the majority of studies of these complex interactions have focused on the nutritional benefits provided by the microbiota; however, the natural microbiota can also influence development, immunity, and the metabolism of its host. Apis mellifera, the honey bee, harbors a distinctive bacterial community that is present in individuals from distant locations around the world; however, the basis of the bee-microbiota association is unknown. This dissertation explores properties of the bacterial microbiota within bees, including its persistence of this association, mechanisms of transmission, localization through host ontogeny, and basic metabolic capabilities that define and maintain the symbiotic relationship. Apis and Bombus species (honey and bumble bees) share a distinct bacterial microbiota that is not present in other bees and wasps. Close analysis of the A. mellifera microbiota revealed consistent communities in adult worker gut organs and a general lack of bacteria in larvae. Contact between workers and with hive materials were identified as major routes of transmission for bacterial communities, showing the importance of social behavior in this association. Genomic analysis of a gut bacterium co-sequenced with the Bombus impatiens genome revealed it as a divergent lineage of Gammaproteobacteria, and deletions of conserved metabolic pathways, reduction in genome size, and its low GC content all suggest that the bacterial species has had a long association with its host.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

A partir de uma ampla documentação que abrange diversas categorias de suportes materiais e imagens datadas do período faraônico, este trabalho tem como objetivo compreender as mudanças na representação, concepção e simbolismo do touro Ápis e sua significância em rituais da realeza e enquanto divindade para a sociedade egípcia como um todo. / Based on a large documentation that compreend many kinds of material supports and images dated from the Pharaonic Period, this work aims to understand the changes on the representation, conception and symbolism of the Apis bull and its significance in kingship rituals and as a deity to the Egyptian society as a whole.