The effects of human disturbance on a stingless bee community in a tropical rainforest

2004 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 577-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiromitsu Samejima ◽  
Marfaizal Marzuki ◽  
Teruyoshi Nagamitsu ◽  
Tohru Nakasizuka

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 1934578X2091127
Author(s):  
Enos Tangke Arung ◽  
Whicliffe Fiernaleonardo Pasedan ◽  
Nataniel Tandirogang ◽  
Ahmed E. Allam ◽  
Yhiya Amen ◽  
...  

Propolis from 4 stingless bees ( Homotrigona apicalis, Wallacetrigona incisa, Tetragonula fuscobalteata, and Tetragonula fuscibasis) was investigated in the search for medicinal and cosmetic materials from tropical rainforest resources. Methanol extracts of the propolis were screened using antioxidant and antimelanogenesis assays (tyrosinase enzyme activity and melanin inhibitor in B16 melanoma). The extract of H. apicalis showed the strongest antioxidant activity, both in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assays, with half-maximal inhibitory concentration values of 0.72 ± 0.01 (mg/mL) and 0.26 ± 0.00 (mg/mL), respectively. The H. apicalis extract also displayed the strongest inhibition of tyrosinase (53% at 100 µg/mL). In the B16 melanoma cell assay, the W. incisa extract showed the strongest inhibition of melanin (21%) and was less cytotoxic. The W. incisa extract was fractioned to isolate the compounds with biological activities. Two prenylated flavonoids were obtained, named broussoflavonol F and glyasperin A. Both showed potent antioxidant activities, as well as inhibiting melanin in B16 melanoma, but not tyrosinase activity. These results indicated the potential of methanol extract of W. incisa to be developed for cosmetic material, but further experiments are needed to verify the function.







2012 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Addo-Fordjour ◽  
Zakaria B. Rahmad ◽  
Joycelyn Amui ◽  
Chareles Pinto ◽  
Mavis Dwomoh


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (03) ◽  
pp. 189-197
Author(s):  
Nkoba Kiatoko ◽  
Suresh Kumar Raina ◽  
Frank van Langevelde

AbstractNatural habitat degradation often involves the reduction or disappearance of bee species. In Africa, stingless bees are hunted for honey, which is used as food, for medicinal purposes, and for traditional rituals. Severe habitat degradation due to human settlement is hypothesized to have a negative impact on the species diversity of the African stingless bee species. In this paper, we assess the impact of habitat degradation on the diversity of five stingless bee species across different habitats in the tropical rainforest of Kenya (indigenous forest, mixed indigenous forest) and its neighbouring landscape (grassland, village) in western Kenya. The species fauna, nest occurrence, and species diversity of the stingless bee species varied across the different habitats. The number of nesting habitats of the meliponine species varied between habitats in the tropical rainforest.Meliponula ferruginea(reddish brown) nested in five habitats, whileMeliponula bocandeiandMeliponula ferruginea(black) nested only in two habitat types. The species richness decreased within the different types of habitats and the indigenous and mixed indigenous forest contained more species than other habitats. The fauna composition in both homesteads was exclusively similar, while the indigenous and mixed indigenous forests were mostly similar. Similarity in habitat preferences for nesting was revealed betweenM. bocandeivsPlebeina hildebrandtiandM. ferruginea(reddish brown) vsHypotrigona gribodoi. The natural native indigenous forest had the most diverse community compared to the degraded habitats. There are taxon-specific responses to habitat change; and in our study, there is clear value in conserving the native indigenous forest.



Sociobiology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 976 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karine Munck Vieira ◽  
Paula Netto ◽  
Danielle L.A.S. Amaral ◽  
Sarah Silva Mendes ◽  
Lívia Cabral Castro ◽  
...  

Studies of nesting ecology have proven to be extremely important for stingless bee conservation. These studies have rarely been conducted in urban landscapes, and even fewer have compared species diversity and abundances over time. We surveyed native stingless bee nests at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora campus in Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, from May 2008 to April 2009. We recorded the number of nests, nest height, species diversity, and nest substrate type (i.e., natural or artificial). We compared our results to those of a similar survey carried out in the same location eight years prior (2000/2001) in order to evaluate how urban expansion on campus has influenced the Meliponini bee community. Stingless bee abundance and richness were greater in the second survey. The use of natural substrates decreased, while the use of artificial substrates increased. This suggests that the increase in man-made structures on the UFJF campus has provided favorable sites for establishment of some stingless bee species.



Oikos ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 118 (9) ◽  
pp. 1405-1415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kara L. Lefevre ◽  
F. Helen Rodd


Ecology ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 949-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen P. Hubbell ◽  
Leslie K. Johnson
Keyword(s):  


2017 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 1404-1416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elinor M. Lichtenberg ◽  
Chase D. Mendenhall ◽  
Berry Brosi


Planta Medica ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
PM Kustiawan ◽  
ET Arung ◽  
P Phuwapraisirisan ◽  
S Puthong ◽  
T Palaga ◽  
...  


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