scholarly journals Foraging behavior, environmental parameters and nests development of Melipona colimana Ayala (Hymenoptera: Meliponini) in temperate climate of Jalisco, México

2016 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. O. Macías-Macías ◽  
J. M. Tapia-Gonzalez ◽  
F. Contreras-Escareño
Keyword(s):  
Critical Period ◽  
Stingless Bees ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Major Activity ◽  
Tropical Weather ◽  
Activity Season ◽  
Minor Activity

Abstract Melipona colimana Ayala is an endemic species inhabiting temperate forests of pine and oak of south of Jalisco in Mexico. During a year, it was recorded every 15 days foraging activity, environmental parameters and the development of colonies of M. colimana in its wild habitat. For five minutes every hour from 7:00 to 21:00, the bees that entered and left the hive and bringing pollen and resin were registered. Every hour the relative humidity, temperature, wind speed and light intensity was recorded and related to foraging activity. Additionally, the weight of the colonies recently transferred to wooden boxes, the number of brood combs, honey pots and pollen were registered. The time of beginning and ending of the foraging activity differs from the reports of stingless bees of tropical weather and the same happens with the pollen collection. The environmental parameters that affect other tropical stingless bees in the foraging activity also affect M. colimana in temperate climate. It was determined that the major activity season and the presence of more pollen pots in the colony is from November through February, for what it could be the best time of the year for the division and obtainance of new colonies, while the critical period of minor activity and pollen flow was during rainy season. These data may be useful for the future sustainable use of this species in temperate climate.

Spectral assessment of organic matter with different composition using reflectance spectroscopy 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Francos ◽  
Yaron Ogen ◽  
Eyal Ben-Dor
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Dune Sand ◽  
Spectral Detection ◽  
Soil Surveys ◽  
Different Origins ◽  
Limited Accuracy ◽  
Spectral Assessment

<p>Soil surveys are critical for maintaining sustainable use of natural resources while minimizing harmful impacts to the ecosystem. A key soil attribute for many environmental parameters, such as CO2 budget, soil fertility and sustainability, is soil organic matter (SOM), and its sequestration. Soil spectroscopy is a popular method to assess SOM content rapidly in both field and laboratory domains. However, the SOM source composition differs from soil to soil and the use of spectral-based models for quantifying SOM may present limited accuracy when applying a generic approach for SOM assessment. We therefore examined the extent to which the generic approach can assess SOM contents of different origin using spectral-based models. We created an artificial big dataset composed of pure dune sand as a SOM-free background which was artificially mixed with increasing amounts of different organic matter (OM) sources obtained from commercial compost of different origins. Dune sand has high albedo and yields optimal conditions for SOM detection. This study combined two methods: partial least squares regression for the prediction of SOM content from reflectance values across the 400–2500 nm region, and soil spectral detection limit (SSDL) to judge the prediction accuracy. Spectral-based models to assess SOM content were evaluated with each OM source as well as with a merged dataset that contained all of the generated samples (generic approach). The latter was concluded to have limitations for assessing low amounts of SOM (<0.6%), even under controlled conditions. Moreover, some of the OM sources were more difficult to monitor than others; accordingly, caution is advised when different SOM sources are present in the examined population.</p>

scholarly journals Foraging Activity inPlebeia remota, a Stingless Bees Species, Is Influenced by the Reproductive State of a Colony

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrícia Nunes-Silva ◽  
Sergio Dias Hilário ◽  
Pérsio de Souza Santos Filho ◽  
Vera Lucia Imperatriz-Fonseca
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Stingless Bees ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Reproductive Diapause ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Reproductive State ◽  
Reproductive Phase ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Autumn And Winter

Colonies of the Brazilian stingless beePlebeia remotashow a reproductive diapause in autumn and winter. Therefore, they present two distinct reproductive states, during which colony needs are putatively different. Consequently, foraging should be adapted to the different needs. We recorded the foraging activity of two colonies for 30 days in both phases. Indeed, it presented different patterns during the two phases. In the reproductive diapause, the resource predominantly collected by the foragers was nectar. The majority of the bees were nectar foragers, and the peak of collecting activity occurred around noon. Instead, in the reproductive phase, the predominantly collected resource was pollen, and the peak of activity occurred around 10:00 am. Although the majority of the foragers were not specialized in this phase, there were a larger number of pollen foragers compared to the phase of reproductive diapause. The temperature and relative humidity also influenced the foraging activity.

scholarly journals Diurnal feeding strategies of the Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) in Lake Tonga (Northeastern Algeria)

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalil Draidi ◽  
Badis Bakhouche ◽  
Naouel Lahlah ◽  
Imed Djemadi ◽  
Mourad Bensouilah
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Time Budget ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Feeding Strategies ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Northeastern Algeria ◽  
Foraging Time ◽  
Minor Activity

Abstract Although the Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) has thoroughly been studied, the foraging behaviour of this species is still not completely known. In the present paper we studied the diurnal feeding behaviour of ducks. We monitored the annual cycle of birds through two fieldtrips per month. The instantaneous behaviour of birds was recorded in regular 30-minute intervals from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., amounting a total of 456 observation hours. Food searching activity corresponds to a quarter of the total diurnal time budget of the Ferruginous Duck. Foraging behaviour was classified into five categories dominated by the “diving”, which is almost 45.61% of the total search time. Foraging activities at the water surface considered to be secondary activities, including feeding by “bill”, “neck and head”, and “beak and head” in a rate of 19.86%, 14.53%, and 13.98%, respectively. The “toggle” remains a minor activity and represents only 5.99% of foraging time. The feeding behaviour of this species correlated to several environmental parameters (rainfall, temperature and wind velocity), and linked to the group size of ducks visiting the lake. Regarding the food intensity, our results show the highest values for “bill and head” behaviour. “Diving” has the longest feeding interval (16.16±14.1 minutes), while foraging by “bill” has the shortest (0.69 ± 0.48 minutes).

Zoning Based on Climate and Soil for Planting Eucalyptus in Southern Region of Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil

2011 ◽  
pp. 127-143
Author(s):  
José Alba ◽  
Marcos Wrege ◽  
Marilice Garrastazu
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Eucalyptus Grandis ◽  
Rio Grande ◽  
Southern Region ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
Eucalyptus Species ◽  
Rio Grande Do Sul ◽  
Eucalyptus Dunnii ◽  
Legal Restrictions ◽  
Positive Step

Zoning based on climate and soil characteristics does not represent a full ecological-economic zoning procedure, as the Brazilian law establishes, but it is a positive step forward toward a sustainable use of natural resources. The Embrapa Temperate Climate Research Center has developed, with the collaboration of several entities from Brazil and Uruguay, a zoning procedure based on climate and soil for planting eucalyptus in southern region of Rio Grande do Sul State covering a total area greater than 3,5 million hectares. Three eucalyptus species were considered: Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden, Eucalyptus dunnii Maiden and Eucalyptus globulus Labill. Data were processed and integrated through statistical procedures and by using a GIS. The potential surface area for forestry surpasses 900,000 hectares, but a homogeneous exploitation of that territory is limited by legal restrictions.

scholarly journals The influence of age and development temperature on the temperature-related foraging risk of Formica cinerea ants

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Ślipiński ◽  
Gema Trigos-Peral ◽  
István Maák ◽  
Iga Wojciechowska ◽  
Magdalena Witek
Keyword(s):  
High Temperatures ◽  
High Surface ◽  
Foraging Strategy ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Subsequent Increase ◽  
Higher Temperature ◽  
Lower Temperature ◽  
Development Temperature ◽  
Formica Cinerea

Abstract Climate change and the subsequent increase of global temperature are the most current and important threats to biodiversity. Despite the importance of temperature, our knowledge about the level of behavioural and physiological adaptations of ant species from temperate regions to cope with high temperatures is limited compared to the broad knowledge of typical thermal specialists from warmer regions. In the current study, we investigated the temperature-related foraging risk of xerothermic ant species from the temperate climate in Europe, Formica cinerea. Our aims were to check how an increase in external soil temperature affects the foraging activity of workers and how the temperature during development and worker age affects foraging activity in high temperatures. Based on our results, we can draw the following conclusions: (1) the majority of workers utilize a risk-aversive strategy in relation to foraging in high surface temperatures; (2) pupal development temperature affects the risk taken by adult workers: workers that developed in a higher temperature forage more often but for shorter intervals compared to workers that developed in a lower temperature; (3) age is an important factor in temperature-related foraging activity, as with increasing age, workers forage significantly longer at the highest temperatures. Our study is one of the first to assess the potential factors that can affect the foraging risk of ants from a temperate climate in high ambient temperatures. Significance statement Our study is the first direct test of workers' age and the development temperature of pupae on the thermal-related foraging strategy of adult F. cinerea workers. It shows that worker age and the development temperature of pupae interact to promote tolerance of thermal stress. We found that with increasing age, workers are prone to forage significantly longer at the highest and riskiest temperatures. Workers that developed in the high temperature (28°C) foraged more often but for shorter intervals compared to workers that developed in the lower temperature (20°C). Interestingly, the factor of age is more significant for ants that developed in the higher temperature of 28°C; the foraging time of these ants significantly increased with their age.

scholarly journals Distribución y abundancia espacial y temporal de Stomolophus meleagris (Rhizostomae: Stomolophidae) en un sistema lagunar del sur del Golfo de México

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 167
Author(s):  
Francisco Javier Félix ◽  
Arturo Garrido Mora ◽  
Yessenia Sánchez Alcudia ◽  
Alberto de Jesús Sánchez Martínez ◽  
Andrés Arturo Granados Berber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fish Larvae ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Monthly Basis ◽  
Area Unit ◽  
Stomolophus Meleagris

The scyphomedusae feed mainly on microscopic crustaceans, eggs and fish larvae, molluscs and some other jellyfishes. The distribution and abundance of the scyphomedusae has an economic and ecological impact as they are predators that have an influence on the population dynamics of other fisheries. This investigation took place in the lagoon system ‘Arrastradero-Redonda’, Tabasco, from September 2013 to August 2014, with the purpose to provide information on the distribution, and spatial and temporal abundance of Stomolophus meleagris; along with its relation to environmental parameters. A total of 10 stations were defined and biological samples were taken on a monthly basis during this annual cycle. For this purpose, three pulls with a beach seine monofilament (20m long by 3m height, mesh opening 1.5 cm, 5 to 10 minutes) per station were made within a 1 km2 area. Information obtained was used to calculate the fishing efficiency analysis (CPUE con org./Evaluated Area Unit) and to determine the relationship with the environmental parameters. Our results showed that the abundance in the stations 1 to 3 was from 7 to 19 org./km2 from April to August 2014; less organisms were observed in stations 6 to 10 (an average of 1 org./km2) from October 2013 to March 2014. The multiple correlation steps analysis indicated that there is a strong association between the CPUE and some environmental investigated variables, and a 70.9 % variability of the data was observed. The salinity resulted the most important variable because it determined a 64.3 % of variation; it was followed by the temperature with a 3.6 %; meanwhile, dissolved oxygen explained only the 2.9 %, this was mainly because within the area there are several geological, oceanographic and biological factors that favor the distribution of this species due to seawater contribution through the Tupilco bar. With the provided data with this investigation we were able to determine the fishery potential of this resource for Tabasco state. However, additional research is required to allow an extended quantification of this resource, to determine the commercial exploitation areas, and drive studies about reproductive and feeding habits, that may provide the necessary information to establish plans for sustainable use. 

STINGLESS BEE COLONY HEALTH SENSING THROUGH INTEGRATED WIRELESS SYSTEM

2015 ◽  
Vol 77 (28) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harun, A. ◽  
SK Zaaba ◽  
Kamarudin, L. M. ◽  
A. Zakaria ◽  
Rohani S. Mohamed Farook ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stingless Bees ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Base Station ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Humid Forest ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
Medicinal Value ◽  
The World ◽  
Colony Loss

Stingless bees are usually common in tropical and subtropical region of the world especially in the tropical dry and humid forest. As stingless bee honey gaining reputation for its medicinal value, stingless bees keeping has been very popular in these regions of the world. In Malaysia, keeping stingless bee has only been very popular only in the last few years. The bee honey industry is a very lucrative industry and in 2013 alone Malaysia imported RM50 million ringgit worth of honey products. Although stingless bee keeping seem to be straight forward, there are a number of issues that could hinder the success. One of the main problems is colony loss which could be attributed to a number of reasons. However, the most important cause for this is stingless bees’ habitat quality. In order to prevent colony loss and honey production impact, an integrated wireless sensing solution is being implemented at stingless bee test-farm to monitor the habitat environmental requirement for healthy and productive colonies. The system consists of sensor structures placed inside and outside of stingless bee hives for monitoring internal and external environmental parameters including hazardous gases. Sensors are connected to wireless sensor networks node places close to the hives and data collected are transmitted to base station wirelessly. A networked of hives with sensor attachment are constructed around the farm to provide sufficient data for comprehensive monitoring. Data from base station are then transmitted to farmer’s mobile device for status update. This integrated system ensures changes to stingless bee hives and colonies development could be monitored real time and necessary steps and actions could be taken to prevent colony or yield loss. In this preliminary implementation comparison between environmental parameters from productive and non-productive hives are looked at especially temperature, humidity, and light intensity data.

scholarly journals Effects of different litter depths on environmental parameters and growth performance of growing finishing pigs

2008 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 838-843 ◽  
Author(s):  
Érico Kunde Corrêa ◽  
Ivan Bianchi ◽  
Rafael da Rosa Ulguim ◽  
Marcio Nunes Corrêa ◽  
Carlos Gil-Turnes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Growth Performance ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Atmospheric Temperature ◽  
Feed Consumption ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
Finishing Pigs ◽  
T1 And T2

Deep litter systems represent low cost alternatives to raise growing-finishing pigs, reducing slurry accumulation, although pig's thermal comfort may be negatively affected by the heat produced inside the litter. This study compared environmental and performance parameters for growing-finishing pigs raised on deep litter systems having distinct depths and on solid floor. The experiment was conducted in a region of temperate climate of Brazil, comparing three treatments: litter having rice husk 0.5m (T1); and 0.25m deep (T2); and solid concrete floor (T3). The first litter was used in two lots and replaced by a second litter used in other two lots, during 52 weeks. Each lot included five pigs in a 7m² pen, from 60 to 145 d of age. Environmental parameters were determined at weekly intervals, including: atmospheric temperature; relative humidity; temperature at the center of the pen, in the surface (TSF); and at half of the depth (THD), only for T1 and T2. Feed consumption and weight of pigs were measured every four weeks. Atmospheric temperature and relative humidity were not influenced by the treatments (P>0.05). Mean TSF was 22.8 ± 3.6°C, being lower for T3 (P<0.05), but with no difference between T1 and T2 (P>0.05). TSF was higher for new than for used litters (P<0.001) and for the first than for the second litter (P=0.03), apparently increasing in lots raised during termophilic phases. Mean THD was 33.8±10.8°C, being higher for T1 than for T2 (P<0.05). THD was also higher for new than for used litters (P<0.001) and for the first than for the second litters (P<0.05). No growth performance parameter differed across treatments (P>0.05). Despite the potential unfavorable thermal comfort under high temperatures, deep litter systems can be used to raise pigs in the growing-finishing phases due to the absence of negative effects for growth performance.

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