Latest Articles from NeoBiota Latest 2 Articles from NeoBiota https://neobiota.pensoft.net/ Fri, 29 Mar 2024 01:44:34 +0200 Pensoft FeedCreator https://neobiota.pensoft.net/i/logo.jpg Latest Articles from NeoBiota https://neobiota.pensoft.net/ Flowers of Impatiens glandulifera as hubs for both pollinators and pathogens https://neobiota.pensoft.net/article/102576/ NeoBiota 87: 1-26

DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.87.102576

Authors: Kamil Najberek, Wojciech Solarz, Wojciech Wysoczański, Ewa Węgrzyn, Paweł Olejniczak

Abstract: Flower infestation by pathogens may influence pollination effectiveness. At the same time, by sharing infested flowers, pollinators increase transmission of pathogens. In the presented study we identified fungi that colonised flowers of the invasive alien Himalayan balsam Impatiens glandulifera, one of the most nectar rewarding plants in Europe, as well as its pollinators. We determined factors (e.g., plant size, length of flower lower sepal and the width of its entry, air temperature and sun illuminance) that affect pathogen species presence and pollinators numbers. The study was conducted in three regions in Poland differing in time from the I. glandulifera invasion onset. It allowed embedding our results in the context of the evolution of increased competitive ability (EICA) hypothesis. With reference to this hypothesis we tested whether I. glandulifera from the two younger populations are more frequently pollinated than individuals from the old one, which may be a result of the higher infection prevalence in the flowers of individuals from the latter population. Harmful primary pathogens of I. glandulifera (e.g., Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium graminearum) were identified from its flowers. Although the knowledge of the impact of the recorded pathogen species on the pollinators that transmit them is still limited, these pathogens are known to cause devastating diseases of native plant species and to incur significant economic losses in crops. Therefore, the facilitation of their transmission by I. glandulifera in the invaded communities may pose a serious threat both to native biodiversity and nearby crop production. We did not find support for the EICA hypothesis that flower release from pathogens may increase the pollinator’s activity. Bombus hortorum was the most frequent visitor in the youngest surveyed population, while B. pascuorum was most frequent in the two others. So far the dominance of B. hortorum as a pollinator of I. glandulifera has not been recorded. A possible explanation is that flowers in the youngest population, with significantly wider entries than in the two older ones, were more accessible for this large bumblebee. We suggest that the shifts in flower dimensions may result from the evolutionary processes and/or phenotypic plasticity; however, this suggestion needs to be confirmed in further studies. At the same time, it can be expected that exceptionally frequent visits of B. hortorum in flowers of I. glandulifera in the youngest population may contribute to increasing transmission rate of pathogen species to the new native host plants that are particularly associated with this pollinator.

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Research Article Mon, 7 Aug 2023 17:48:10 +0300
Early-phase colonisation by introduced sculptured resin bee (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae, Megachile sculpturalis) revealed by local floral resource variability https://neobiota.pensoft.net/article/80343/ NeoBiota 73: 57-85

DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.73.80343

Authors: Jovana Bila Dubaić, Milan Plećaš, Jovana Raičević, Julia Lanner, Aleksandar Ćetković

Abstract: There is a growing interest to document and better understand patterns and processes involved in non-native bee introductions and subsequent colonisation of new areas worldwide. We studied the spread of the East Asian bee Megachile sculpturalis in Serbia and south-eastern Europe; the bee was earlier established in the USA (since 1994) and western Europe (since 2008). Its establishment in Serbia remained dubious throughout most of 2017–2019, following its first detection. We hereby report on its establishment and spreading, which were corroborated in 2019 under specific circumstances. Owing to an exceptionally poor blooming of Styphnolobium japonicum in 2019, we recorded a high activity density of M. sculpturalis concentrated on a scarce key food resource. We present a novel quantitative approach for an improved early detection of M. sculpturalis, based on the interplay between the bee local occurrence pattern and dynamics of key food-plant(s) availability. This approach seems particularly effective during the early-phase colonisation, at initially low population density of introduced bees. We address the importance of integration of the genuine plant usage patterns with context-specific bee assessment options in establishing effective monitoring. The improved understanding of M. sculpturalis local dynamics triggered the questions about possible origin(s) and modes of its dispersal east of the Alps. To explore the possible scenarios of M. sculpturalis introduction(s), we extended the study to a wider spatio-temporal context – the region of SE Europe (2015–2019). The two complementary study approaches (at local and regional scale) provided more comprehensive evidence of bee dispersal history and the detection patterns in varied recording contexts. Based on this two-scale approach, we suggest that a diffusive mode of M. sculpturalis introduction into Serbia now seems to be a more plausible scenario (than a long-distance jump). We argue that the integration of outcomes from the contrasting approaches (a systematic surveillance, based on plant resources and a broad-scale opportunistic recording) could be of great methodological relevance for the development of future monitoring protocols.

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Research Article Wed, 11 May 2022 11:37:27 +0300