O estudo teve como objetivo contribuir com a caracterização do mel das abelhas sem ferrão, especificamente a caracterização botânica e físico-química de maneira a fornecer subsídios para programas e medidas de incremento da atividade meliponícola. Foram definidos como locais de estudo municípios do Paraná (Bandeirantes, Cornélio Procópio e Guaraqueçaba), Santa Catarina (Saltinho do Canivete/Mafra) e São Paulo (Icém). As amostras, composta por 250 mL de mel, foram obtidas diretamente com os meliponicultores de acordo com o pico de produção melífera de cada região no período compreendido entre abril a dezembro de 2011 e abril a dezembro de 2012. Os parâmetros físico-químicos analisados foram: hidroximetilfurfural, pH, acidez, condutividade elétrica, cinzas, umidade, cor, açúcares redutores, sacarose e atividade diastásica. Para determinação dos elementos-traços foi utilizada a técnica de Voltametria de Redissolução Anódica de Pulso Diferencial. A análise polínica foi realizada seguindo o método padrão de acetólise e em seguida submetidas as análises quantitativas (contagem consecutiva de até 1.000 grãos de pólen/amostra) e qualitativas. Quanto aos parâmetros açúcares redutores, sacarose, hidroximetilfurfural e cinzas as amostras de mel de meliponíneos atendem aos pré-requisitos da legislação vigente. Já os parâmetros umidade e atividade diastásica divergiram. Este fato aponta a necessidade de criação de uma legislação especifica para mel das abelhas nativas levando em consideração o elevado número de espécies e suas características diferenciadas. A determinação dos elementos-traços (Cd, Cu, Pb e Zn) indica que as amostras de mel de abelhas sem ferrão apresentam concentrações não prejudiciais a saúde humana. Com análise polínica verificou-se diversidade de espécies vegetais utilizadas por essas abelhas sendo, a família Fabaceae (Caesalpinioideae, Faboideae e Mimosoideae) a que apresentou maior riqueza de tipos polínicos, seguida de por Asteraceae, Myrtaceae e Solanaceae. / The study aimed to contribute to the characterization of honey from stingless bees, specifically botany and physico-chemical characterization in order to provide support for programs and measures to increase the meliponícola activity. Were defined as study sites municipalities of Paraná (Bandeirantes, Cornélio Procópio e Guaraqueçaba), Santa Catarina (Saltinho do Canivete/Mafra) and São Paulo (Icém). The samples, consisting of 250 mL of honey, were obtained directly from the beekeepers in accordance with the peak honey production in each region for the period April to December 2011 and from April to December 2012. The physicochemical parameters analyzed were: hydroxymethylfurfural, pH, acidity, electrical conductivity, ash, moisture, color, reducing sugars, sucrose and diastase activity. For determination of trace elements technique anodic stripping voltammetry differential pulse was used. Pollen analysis was performed following the standard acetolysis method, and then subjected to quantitative analysis (row count to 1.000 pollen grains/sample) and qualitative. As for the parameters reducing sugars, sucrose, hydroxymethylfurfural and ash samples of honey from stingless bees meet the prerequisites of the current legislation. Have the parameters humidity and diastase activity diverged. This fact points out the need to create specific regulations for honey from native bees taking into account the high number of species and their different characteristics. The determination of trace elements (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) indicates that samples of honey from stingless bees exhibit concentrations not harmful to human health. With pollen analysis it was found diversity of plant species used by these bees being the family Fabaceae (Caesalpinioideae, Faboideae and Mimosoideae) presented the highest richness of pollen types, followed by Asteraceae, Myrtaceae and Solanaceae.

Bees provide a vital pollination service to many important crops and wildflowers yet are experiencing population declines across European and North American agricultural landscapes. The conservation of bee communities on farmland is a priority of the UK agri-environment schemes, which support pollinators through the provision of natural and semi-natural habitat, foraging resources and nesting sites. Data are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions in supporting bee communities and to allow the refinement of effective, evidence-based policy. This thesis examines the effectiveness of agri-environment management, though the provision of natural habitat, foraging resources and nesting sites, in supporting solitary bees, an important group of pollinators of which there are 250 species in the UK. Cavity nesting solitary bees and wasps were surveyed on 19 farms situated across central southern England, ranging from farms under no agri-environment scheme, to farms showcasing higher-level agri-environment management. Data on bee and wasp communities was collected by deploying solitary bee nest boxes. These nest boxes are marketed widely as nesting resources for solitary bees and are provided to farmers as part of Higher Level agri-environment schemes. Over the course of the study, 4002 solitary bees and wasps, comprising 10 species, were recorded. Natural Habitat: A positive relationship was identified between the abundance and species richness of bees and wasps and the proportion of natural habitat across farms. The availability of natural habitat also had a positive influence on the structural stability of bee and wasp parasitism networks; a positive association was identified with network link density. Link density measures the mean number of links per species within a network. Higher measures of link density are believed to confer greater resilience to species loss as individuals have more flexibility to switch interaction partner, limiting the risk of a cascade of secondary species extinctions. This set of results is encouraging, suggesting that the natural habitat types being promoted are effective in supporting solitary bee and wasp communities. Foraging resources: Examination of bee foraging preferences, through next generation sequencing of brood cell pollen DNA, demonstrated that the agri-environment scheme sown wildflower mixes do not support the foraging requirements of solitary bees effectively. Of the 15 plants included currently in the wildflower mixes that were recorded as present on the study farms, pollen from only one species, Ranunculus acris, was used by the bees. Rosa canina was identified as the most popular forage plant. The leaves of this species are also a preferred nesting material for Megachile leafcutter bees, providing strong justification for the inclusion of R. canina within the selection of hedgerow plants encouraged by agri-environment schemes. Tripleurospermum inodorum and Trifolium repens were also identified as good candidates for inclusion in wildflower seed mixtures. Nesting sites: A strong positive relationship between the density of solitary bee nest boxes and the rate of brood cell parasitism was identified, indicating that a high local density of nest boxes may expose bee larvae to a higher risk of parasitism. An enhanced risk of larval mortality could counteract the benefit of additional nest site provision. No significant effect of nest box provision on nest box colonization was identified across these study sites, suggesting that their placement across landscapes to encourage more pollinators may be counter-productive. It would be prudent to advise, given the results of this study, for the provision of a small number of dispersed nest boxes, this might more accurately mimic the availability of nesting resources in nature and reduce the risk of enhanced parasitism rates.

Orientador: Elza Maria Guimarâes Santos / Coorientador: Silvia Rodrigues Machado / Banca: Juliana Hanna leite El Ottra / Banca: Tatiane Maria Rodrigues / Resumo: A família Bignoniaceae é um bom modelo dos tipos de diversificação evolutiva que deram origem à diversidade de comunidades de plantas tropicais, sendo sua interação com os polinizadores um fator determinante para tal. Zeyheria tuberculosa é uma espécie ameaçada de extinção e apresenta características relacionadas à síndrome de melitofilia. Informações sobre a reprodução desta espécie poderão auxiliar na compreensão dos processos ecológicos que podem ter levado esta espécie a ser incluída na lista vermelha das espécies ameaçadas de extinção. Assim, este estudo teve como objetivo central investigar a biologia floral de Z. tuberculosa, enfocando o padrão de secreção de néctar e as características funcionais e estruturais do nectário floral, responsável pela produção do recurso essencial à manutenção da interação com os visitantes florais. Os resultados obtidos foram divididos em dois capítulos que abordam questões específicas e complementares. O primeiro contempla informações sobre os eventos ocorridos durante a antese floral, a ecologia da polinização e o padrão de secreção de néctar em plantas de Z. tuberculosa situadas em fragmentos de floresta estacional semidecídua, imersos em uma paisagem alterada. O segundo aborda a estrutura e o funcionamento do nectário floral desta espécie, com enfoque nas características relacionadas ao tipo de secreção. Para o Capítulo 1, monitoramos flores durante todo o período de antese; fizemos observações focais dos visitantes e os capturamos para examinar a área de deposição de pólen; registramos a porcentagem de grãos de pólen viáveis e verificamos o período de receptividade do estigma; obtivemos dados relativos à morfometria das flores e das abelhas polinizadoras; fizemos testes de autoincompatibilidade para avaliar a dependência de vetores de pólen para a fecundação cruzada; avaliamos a dinâmica de secreção de néctar através dos... / Abstract: The Bignoniaceae family is a good model for studies about evolutionary diversification that gave rise to the diversity of tropical plant communities, and the interaction with pollinators is a determining factor. Zeyheria tuberculosa is an endangered species and has characteristics related to melittophily syndrome. Information on the reproduction of this species may help to understand the ecological processes that may have led this species to be included in the Red List of endangered species. This goal of this study was to investigate the floral biology of Z. tuberculosa, focusing on the pattern of nectar secretion and the functional and structural characteristics of the floral nectary, which is the responsible for producing the essential resource for maintaining the interaction with pollinators. The results were divided into two sections that deal with specific and complementary issues. The first includes information about the events of floral anthesis, the pollination ecology and the pattern of nectar secretion in plants of Z. tuberculosa located in semi-deciduous forest fragments, immersed in a modified landscape. The second deals with the structure and functioning of the floral nectary of this species, focusing on the characteristics related to the type of secretion. For Chapter 1, we monitored flowers throughout anthesis; we performed focal observations of floral visitors and captured them to examine the pollen deposition area; recorded the percentage of viable pollen grains and the period of stigma receptivity; obtained data on the morphometry of flowers and pollinator bees; made self-incompatibility tests to assess the dependence of pollen vectors for cross-fertilization; evaluated the dynamics of nectar secretion through the volume, concentration and total milligrams of sugars parameters, using the latter parameter to calculate the caloric supply available to pollinators by flower and plant, and we carried out analyzes on the ... / Mestre

Sistemas de atendimento emergencial estão presentes nos grandes centros urbanos de todo o mundo. Sua finalidade é fornecer socorro a indivíduos acidentados, catástrofes e pessoas com problemas de saúde de maneira ágil e eficaz. Assim, uma característica importante desses sistemas é a prontidão dos recursos e o planejamento da malha de atendimento, definida pelas localizações das bases de veículos e pelas viaturas de atendimento. A operação desses sistemas é ainda mais crítica em grandes centros urbanos, nos quais as condições de trânsito e os padrões de variação da demanda por atendimento emergencial inserem um grau de complexidade extra ao problema. Desta forma, um mapa de localização de bases e viaturas eficientemente elaborado é crítico para o desempenho do sistema como um todo. Como no Brasil existe uma lacuna entre os mecanismos de planejamento dessas malhas de atendimento e as teorias de localização de instalações, observa-se que os métodos atualmente utilizados para a localização das bases e veículos, bem como para o dimensionamento desses serviços, dependem da percepção e da experiência dos gestores responsáveis. Este trabalho visa tratar esse problema de estruturação das malhas de atendimento quanto à localização e alocação dos recursos chave (bases e viaturas) utilizando ferramentas e modelos matemáticos, de modo a propor uma formalização de todo o processo de planejamento. São revisados diversos modelos de localização de instalações e veículos de emergência e com base nas características dos grandes centros urbanos, propõe-se uma formulação matemática para o problema. Uma vez que esse modelo recai num problema de complexidade não polinomial, também é proposto um método de solução baseado no comportamento de colônias de abelhas na busca de alimentos. O método de soluções proposto é aplicado ao Serviço de Atendimento Móvel Pré-hospitalar de Urgência do Município de São Paulo em um estudo de caso. / Emergency systems are present in most of the large urban centers around the world. Its main goal is to provide assistance to victims of accidents, catastrophic events and general health issues in a quick and effective way. Therefore, a major characteristic of such systems is their resources readiness and a well-structured service network consisted basically by their emergency sites and ambulances. Operation of these systems is even more critical in large cities, in which the traffic conditions and the shifting pattern of demand along the day impose an extra complexity to the problem. Thus, an efficiently defined location/allocation map is crucial for the systems performance. In Brazil however, there is a gap between the processes, by which these maps are obtained and the facility location theories. Besides that, the methods currently applied to achieve a location/allocation map strongly depend on the perception and experience of decision makers. This work aims to deal with this planning problem by tackling the question with mathematical tools and models, resulting in a formal procedure for future emergency service network planning. A review of theories and mathematical models regarding emergency siting models is presented, and based on the large cities main characteristics, a model is proposed. Also, once this problem leads to a problem with non-polynomial complexity, a meta-heuristic was developed based on the behavior of foraging bees. This proposed solution method is also applied in a case study in São Paulo\'s Ambulance Service System (Serviço de Atendimento Móvel Pré-hospitalar de Urgência do Município de São Paulo).

As abelhas são importantes polinizadores, mas a diversidade de espécies está ameaçada, razão pela qual é ainda mais urgente aumentar o conhecimento sobre elas. Visando auxiliar o estudo do comportamento das abelhas neste trabalho foi desenvolvido um sistema de vídeo e rede de alta velocidade para monitoração em tempo real de abelhas sem ferrão. Ele permite a monitoração da área de recrutamento de uma colônia automatizando o registro do número de abelhas presente e fornecendo um índice de agitação das abelhas através da captura, do processamento e análise de imagens digitais. Foram utilizada técnicas de subtração e limiarização para obter uma imagem binária que permitisse fazer a contagem, através da detecção de regiões fechadas na imagem. A agitação das abelhas é calculada através da análise de imagens seqüenciais que permitem identificar o deslocamento de cada abelha. O sistema foi testado em uma colônia de Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides (mandaçaia) e mostrou bom potencial para uso em estudos de comportamento em abelhas. O sistema pode ser acessado pela internet convencional, mas também se destina a ser usado pela rede de alta velocidade KyaTera (FAPESP) como parte de um weblab em polinizadores. / Bees are important pollinators, but the diversity of species is threatened, which makes it even more urgent to increase the knowledge about them. Aiming to help study the behavior of bees, this project was conducted using a video system and high-speed network for real-time monitoring of stingless bees. It allows monitoring the recruitment area of a colony by automating the count of bees present and providing an agitation index of the bees through the capture, processing and analysis of digital images. Subtraction and thresholding techniques were used to obtain a binary image that allows the count of bees by detecting closed regions in the image. The agitation of the bees is performed through the analysis of sequential images that allow identifying each bee displacement. The system was tested in a colony of Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides (mandaçaia) and presents good potential for use in studies of bees´ behavior. The system can be accessed through the Internet, but it is intended to be used by the high-speed network KyaTera (FAPESP) as part of a pollinators weblab.

In 2011, several wild North American bumble bee pollinator species were reported to have declined by up to 96% in relative abundance in comparison to historic estimates, and one species was speculated to be extinct. None of these species have yet been documented to have recovered from these declines and additional species are now suggested to be at risk. Imperiled species in particular show increased specificity to narrow climatic envelopes, as opposed to putatively stable species. My dissertation describes patterns of population genetic diversity, structure, and gene flow pathways associated with climate variation and historical biogeography of bumble bees distributed in western North America. The results of my dissertation research suggests that (1) historic climate variability predicts contemporary patterns of population genetic structure and divergence in an economically important species, (2) color variability in bumble bees is likely associated with lineage diversification and phylogeography, (3) bumble bee community structure across evolutionary time is likely driven by Müllerian mimicry at narrow spatial scales, and (4) bumble bees inhabiting specialized ecological niches are associated with high levels of genetic fixation at regional spatial scales in the Pacific Northwest. The results of my research directly contribute to current efforts to effectively manage, conserve, and advocate for wild bumble bee pollinators in the context of global change.

Orientador: Leonardo Fernandes Fraceto / Resumo: O extenso crescimento da agricultura combinado com o uso intensivo de agrotóxicos tem causado preocupação com a manutenção dos ecossistemas e a produção de alimentos realmente saudáveis. Atualmente, têm-se buscado alternativas sustentáveis para produção agrícola como os inseticidas botânicos e nanopesticidas. Os inseticidas botânicos são extraídos de plantas e utilizados no controle de pragas, sendo estes considerados biodegradáveis, seguros e menos tóxicos para a biodiversidade. Eles podem ser encapsulados em nanocarreadores que aumentam sua estabilidade e otimizem o seu uso agrícola. Os nanopesticidas trazem benefícios para o ambiente e a produtividade agrícola, dos quais destacam-se a liberação modificada dos ingredientes ativos nos campos agrícolas, maior estabilidade do sistema, menor toxicidade aos seres vivos e redução do impacto ambiental. No entanto, percebe-se a necessidade de estudos de toxicidade dos inseticidas botânicos e dos nanopesticidas em organismos não-alvos, como abelhas e anfíbios que estão declinando rapidamente no mundo inteiro. O objetivo desse estudo foi preparar e caracterizar os sistemas carreadores do extrato de piretro e avaliar o efeito destes compostos em girinos de rã-touro (Lithobates catesbeianus) e abelhas (Apis mellifera Africanizada), utilizando biomarcadores de diferentes tipologias em nível subindividual e de indivíduo. O extrato de piretro encapsulado em nanopartículas (NLS+PIR) evidenciaram uma boa estabilidade físico-química em funçã... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Doutor

"Why have separate sexes?" is a fundamental question in biology and has been investigated intensively since Darwin first proposed two hypotheses: Separate sexes evolve 1) to avoid detrimental effects of self-fertilization or 2) to improve allocation of scarce resources to each sex's reproductive function. In animal-pollinated plants dioecy is hypothesized to be favored when small, generalized pollinators predominate because they increase self-fertilization rates of plants. I concurrently tested Darwin's hypotheses using Echinocereus coccineus (Cactaceae). I found, as predicted, when specialized pollinators (hummingbirds) were excluded from plants and only generalized pollinators (bees) visited, selfing rates of plants increased 238%. High selfing rates produced by bees, along with high levels of inbreeding depression in E. coccineus populations, were sufficient to select for dioecy, even in absence of any reallocation of resources by the plants. Hummingbirds may also maintain high levels of gene flow among E. coccineus populations: populations blooming synchronously with the hummingbird migration had lower FST values (i.e. less genetic divergence) than asynchronously blooming populations. Population genetic data also suggest frequency of dioecious populations should be negatively correlated with both hummingbird abundance and elevation. Structural equation models of effects of hummingbird abundance, elevation and annual rainfall (resources) on dioecy across the range of E. coccineus supported this hypothesis. All predictor variables were either directly or indirectly negatively correlated with dioecy. Only models with hummingbird abundance as a direct predictor of dioecy significantly fit the data. Darwin's first hypothesis was again supported: as hummingbird abundance declines (and selfing rates increase), the incidence of dioecious populations increases. Finally, to determine how changes in pollinator type may be globally influencing the evolution of dioecy, I conducted a literature survey of studies noting changes in pollinator types along elevation gradients and compared these to studies of dioecy along elevation gradients. The abundance of specialized insect pollinators declines with elevation, often leaving only generalized pollinators at the highest elevations: Proportion of dioecious species in communities increases accordingly with elevation. I propose elevation may be useful as a worldwide predictor of dioecy because it effects pollinator community composition and amount of inbreeding depression expressed in plant populations.

Hedgerow fruits provide a food resource for several UK farmland bird species from late summer, through winter and into spring. This project aims to develop the understanding of the interactions between fruit-bearing hedgerow flowers, their pollinators, hedgerow fruits and frugivorous birds. Experiments revealed that flowers of blackthorn, hawthorn and ivy all benefited from insect visits in order to develop fruit. The flowers of bramble and dog rose showed little requirement for insect pollination, and produced fruit when insects were excluded. There was evidence that for the hedges under study, the pollination service provided by insects to blackthorn and hawthorn flowers was inadequate since the flowers of these plants were pollen limited. The relative abundance of different insect groups foraging on blackthorn flowers was highly variable between hedges, suggesting that the contribution of a particular insect group to blackthorn pollination may vary according to their local density. Bumblebees, bristly flies and solitary bees were considered to have the greatest value for pollinating blackthorn flowers, based on foraging attributes (bumblebees and solitary bees), and abundance (bristly flies), but their activity did not correlate with the proportion of flowers that set fruit. Solitary bee activity correlated with hawthorn pollination, and there was strong evidence that social wasps were the best pollinators of ivy flowers on the hedges studied. Environmental factors such as hedge aspect did not significantly affect the activity of most pollinators (with the exception of solitary bees) or the proportion of blackthorn flowers that set fruit. Equally, the presence of the mass-flowering, attractive forage source, oilseed rape in fields adjacent to hedgerows, did not significantly influence the activity of most pollinators or the proportion of hawthorn flowers that set fruit. The abundance of some frugivorous birds, in particular the migratory thrushes (redwings and fieldfares) was positively related to the yield of fruits, including sloes and haws in hedges. So the evidence suggests that on these farms, pollinator communities are important for ensuring some hedgerow shrubs provide copious fruit, which may be vital for birds during winter months when invertebrate food is scarce. These links between flowers, pollinators, fruits and birds are discussed, alongside suggestions for safeguarding the fruit supply for farmland birds in the future.

Bees interested people because of honey and wax from ancient times. They were called God’s beetles, God’s workers. Bee products were used for food and medicine. It is advisable for people to eat about 1,8 kg of honey a year. Lately bee farms have been growing stronger. The owners of some apiaries are increasing and modernizing their farms. At the moment 83 thousand families are bred in Lithuania. AIM OF RESEARCH. To establish the dependence of bee mass on the springs of comb, comparing the used discs of the springs of the bee family natural wax combs an artificial combs. METHODS AND CONDITIONS OF RESEARCH. The data for research were collected during the summer of 2006 from bee families bred in Kaunas. In individual variants hives were expanded by discs of springs of natural wax comb and plastic discs of springs of combs. After 8 days after making of cells they were put into well warmed hives or a thermostat for breeding. After 24-36 hours after breeding of bees they were weighed. This experiment will negate the widely spread groundless statements that plastic combs influence the mass of bees. Apirians may safely use plastic wax discs for making combs for bee families. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Artificial discs are more accurate that natural wax discs in all directions of the cells of the comb. 2. Wax discs and artificial comb discs do not influence the mass of bees, as bees bred on such discs during the research showed no significant differences.