The consumption of high-quality pollen induces the development of the hypopharyngeal glands in young honey bee workers. As protein-rich secretions from these glands are an important component of larval food, a direct relationship between pollen supply and brood rearing can be suspected. Consequently, the availability of pollen is likely to be a central parameter influencing the development of h...

In modern managed agro-ecosystems, the supply of adequate food from blooming crops is limited to brief periods. During periods of pollen deficiencies, bees are forced to forage on alternative crops, such as maize. However, pollen of maize is believed to be a minor food source for bees as it is thought to be lacking in proteins and essential amino acids. This study was conducted to verify this a...

In intensive farmland habitats, pollination of wild flowers and crops may be threatened by the widespread decline of pollinators. The honey bee decline, in particular, appears to result from the combination of multiple stresses, including diseases, pathogens, and pesticides. The reduction of semi-natural habitats is also suspected to entail floral resource scarcity for bees. Yet, the seasonal d...

Artificially increasing pollen supply (supplemental mass pollination (SMP)) to conifer seed orchards has the potential to increase seed yields and improve the genetic worth of seed crops that would otherwise suffer from the detrimental effects of pollen contamination and unbalanced paternal contribution. However, success rates, measured as the proportion of seed fertilized by SMP, have been low...

The aim of this study is to supply detailed information about oak (Quercus sp.) pollen seasons in Poznań, Poland, based on a 16-year aerobiological data series (1996-2011). The pollen data were collected using a volumetric spore trap of the Hirst design located in Poznań city center. The limits of the pollen seasons were calculated using the 95 % method. The influence of meteorological paramete...

INTRODUCTION Maize and rice are two crops constituting the main food supply in many under-developed and developing countries. Despite the large area devoted to the culture, the sensitization to the pollen from these plants is reported to be low and often considered as an occupational allergy. METHODS Sixty five Malagasy pollen allergic patients were clinically and immunochemically investigate...

In honeybee colonies there normally is a queen that lays eggs and workers that supply food and maintain the nest. However, worker bees are able to reproduce in the absence of the queen. A variety of factors, including temperature, food, pheromones and social interactions, have an influence on ovarian development. Protein-rich diets are known to promote ovarian and egg development and, since the...

The entire pollen life span is driven by polyamine (PA) homeostasis, achieved through fine regulation of their biosynthesis, oxidation, conjugation, compartmentalization, uptake, and release. The critical role of PAs, from microsporogenesis to pollen-pistil interaction during fertilization, is suggested by high and dynamic transcript levels of PA biosynthetic genes, as well as by the activities...

The reproductive assurance hypothesis states that self-incompatible female plants must produce twice the number of seeds relative to their self-compatible hermaphroditic counterparts to persist in gynodioecious populations. This is a viable life-history strategy, provided that pollination rates are sufficiently high. However, reduced pollination rates in alpine plants are likely due to climate ...

The reproductive assurance hypothesis states that self-incompatible female plants must produce twice the number of seeds relative to their self-compatible hermaphroditic counterparts to persist in gynodioecious populations. This is a viable life-history strategy, provided that pollination rates are sufficiently high. However, reduced pollination rates in alpine plants are likely due to climate ...