Biogeography and Taxonomy of Honeybees

Biogeography and Taxonomy of Honeybees
Author: Friedrich Ruttner
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2013-03-09
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3642726496

Honeybees are as small as flies or as large as hornets, nesting in nar row cavities of trees and rocks or in the open on large limbs of trees 30 m above ground. They occur in tropical zones and in the forests of the Ural mountains, they survive seven months of winter and even longer periods of drought and heat. Historically, they lived through a extended time of stagnation in the tropics from the mid-Tertiary, but then experienced an explosive evolution during the Pleistocene, re sulting in the conquest of huge new territories and the origin of two dozen subspecies in Apis mellifera. This vast geographic and ecologic diversification of the genus Apis was accompanied by a rich morphological variation, less on the level of species than at the lowest rank, the subspecies level. Variation being exclusively of a quantitative kind at this first step of speciation, tradi tional descriptive methods of systematics proved to be unsatisfactory, and honeybee taxonomy finally ended up in a confusing multitude of inadequately described units. Effective methods of morphometric-sta tistical analysis of honeybee popUlations, centered on limited areas, have been developed during the last decades. Only the numerical characterization of the populations, together with the description of behavior, shows the true geographic variability and will end current generalizations and convenient stereotypes.

Honeybees of Asia

Honeybees of Asia
Author: H. Randall Hepburn
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 672
Release: 2011-01-04
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3642164226

A multi-authored work on the basic biology of Asian honeybees, written by expert specialists in the field, this book highlights phylogeny, classification, mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, biogeography, genetics, physiology, pheromones, nesting, self-assembly processes, swarming, migration and absconding, reproduction, ecology, foraging and flight, dance languages, pollination, diseases/pests, colony defensiveness and natural enemies, honeybee mites, and interspecific interactions. Comprehensively covering the widely dispersed literature published in European as well as Asian-language journals and books, "Honeybees of Asia" provides an essential foundation for future research.

Neurobiology of Chemical Communication

Neurobiology of Chemical Communication
Author: Carla Mucignat-Caretta
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 614
Release: 2014-02-14
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1466553413

Intraspecific communication involves the activation of chemoreceptors and subsequent activation of different central areas that coordinate the responses of the entire organism—ranging from behavioral modification to modulation of hormones release. Animals emit intraspecific chemical signals, often referred to as pheromones, to advertise their presence to members of the same species and to regulate interactions aimed at establishing and regulating social and reproductive bonds. In the last two decades, scientists have developed a greater understanding of the neural processing of these chemical signals. Neurobiology of Chemical Communication explores the role of the chemical senses in mediating intraspecific communication. Providing an up-to-date outline of the most recent advances in the field, it presents data from laboratory and wild species, ranging from invertebrates to vertebrates, from insects to humans. The book examines the structure, anatomy, electrophysiology, and molecular biology of pheromones. It discusses how chemical signals work on different mammalian and non-mammalian species and includes chapters on insects, Drosophila, honey bees, amphibians, mice, tigers, and cattle. It also explores the controversial topic of human pheromones. An essential reference for students and researchers in the field of pheromones, this is also an ideal resource for those working on behavioral phenotyping of animal models and persons interested in the biology/ecology of wild and domestic species.

Honey Bee Colony Health

Honey Bee Colony Health
Author: Diana Sammataro
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2011-11-17
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1439879419

This book summarizes the current progress of bee researchers investigating the status of honey bees and possible reasons for their decline, providing a basis for establishing management methods that maintain colony health. Integrating discussion of Colony Collapse Disorder, the chapters provide information on the new microsporidian Nosema ceranae pathogens, the current status of the parasitic bee mites, updates on bee viruses, and the effects these problems are having on our important bee pollinators. The text also presents methods for diagnosing diseases and includes color illustrations and tables.

Status of Pollinators in North America

Status of Pollinators in North America
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 327
Release: 2007-05-13
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0309102898

Pollinators-insects, birds, bats, and other animals that carry pollen from the male to the female parts of flowers for plant reproduction-are an essential part of natural and agricultural ecosystems throughout North America. For example, most fruit, vegetable, and seed crops and some crops that provide fiber, drugs, and fuel depend on animals for pollination. This report provides evidence for the decline of some pollinator species in North America, including America's most important managed pollinator, the honey bee, as well as some butterflies, bats, and hummingbirds. For most managed and wild pollinator species, however, population trends have not been assessed because populations have not been monitored over time. In addition, for wild species with demonstrated declines, it is often difficult to determine the causes or consequences of their decline. This report outlines priorities for research and monitoring that are needed to improve information on the status of pollinators and establishes a framework for conservation and restoration of pollinator species and communities.

Honeybees of Africa

Honeybees of Africa
Author: H. Randall Hepburn
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2013-03-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3662036045

A comprehensive review of the honeybees of Africa on a subspecies as well as by country basis. Includes an updated multivariate analysis of the subspecies based on the merger of the Ruttner database (Oberursel) and that of Hepburn & Radloff (Grahamstown) for nearly 20,000 bees. Special emphasis is placed on natural zones of hybridisation and introgression of different populations; seasonal cycles of development in different ecological-climatological zones of the continent; swarming, migration and absconding; and an analysis of the bee flora of the continent. The text is supplemented by tables containing quantitative data on all aspects of honeybee biology, and by continental and regional maps.

The Buzz about Bees

The Buzz about Bees
Author: Jürgen Tautz
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 295
Release: 2008-04-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3540787291

Tis book, already translated into ten languages, may at frst sight appear to be just about honeybees and their biology. It c- tains, however, a number of deeper messages related to some of the most basic and important principles of modern biology. Te bees are merely the actors that take us into the realm of phys- ology, genetics, reproduction, biophysics and learning, and that introduce us to the principles of natural selection underlying the evolution of simple to complex life forms. Te book destroys the cute notion of bees as anthropomorphic icons of busy self-sacr -i fcing individuals and presents us with the reality of the colony as an integrated and independent being—a “superorganism”—with its own, almost eerie, emergent group intelligence. We are s- prised to learn that no single bee, from queen through drone to sterile worker, has the oversight or control over the colony. - stead, through a network of integrated control systems and fee- backs, and communication between individuals, the colony - rives at consensus decisions from the bottom up through a type of “swarm intelligence”. Indeed, there are remarkable parallels between the functional organization of a swarming honeybee colony and vertebrate brains.

The Dark European Honeybee

The Dark European Honeybee
Author: Friedrich Ruttner
Publisher: WritersPrintShop
Total Pages: 60
Release: 2004
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9781904623175

The only book dealing with subject of the dark Eurpean bee and it covers the behavioural characteristics of this bee which is native to the British Isles. It is a practical guide which includes the morphometric standards for its identification.