Plant origin of Okinawan propolis: honeybee behavior observation and phytochemical analysis

Propolis is a natural resinous product collected by honeybees from certain plants. It has gained popularity as a food and alternative medicine. Poplar and Baccharis are well known as the source plants of European and Brazilian propolis, respectively. However, the propolis from Okinawa, Japan, contains some prenylflavonoids not seen in other regions such as Europe and Brazil, suggesting that the plant origin of Okinawan propolis is a particular plant that grows in Okinawa. To identify the plant origin of Okinawan propolis, we observed the behavior of honeybees as they collected material from plants and caulked it inside the hive. Honeybees scraped resinous material from the surface of plant fruits of Macaranga tanarius and brought it back to their hive to use it as propolis. We collected samples of the plant and propolis, and compared their constituents by high-performance liquid chromatography with a photo-diode array detector. We also compared their 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl radical scavenging activity. The chemical constituents and biological activity of the ethanol extracts of the plant did not differ from those of propolis. This indicates directly that the plant origin of Okinawan propolis is M. tanarius. S. K. and J. N. contributed equally to this work.     

Aqueous and organic extracts of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. inhibit the mycelia growth of fungi

Aqueous extracts from various plant parts of fenugreek (3%) (aerial parts: leaves and stems (LS), roots (R), ground seeds (GS) and not ground seeds (NGS)) and petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and methanolic fractions of the aerial parts were assayed to determine their antifungal potential against Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium graminearum, Alternaria sp., Pythium aphanidermatum, and Rhizoctinia solani. All fenugreek plant parts showed antifungal potential and the magnitude of their inhibitory e ects was species and plant parts dependent. R extract was shown less toxic (30.38%), whereas NGS extract expressed the strongest inhibition, with an average of 71.44%, followed by GS (58.56%) and LS (57.1%). Screening indicated that P. aphanidermatum was the most resistant species, with an average inhibition of 34.5%. F. graminearum, Alternaria sp. and R. solani were the most sensitive species, and were similarly inhibited (63.5%). The stability test indicated that the aqueous extracts of all plant parts lost approximately 50% of their relative activity after one month of storage at 4°C, whilst they lost 60%–90% of their activity when stored at ambient temperature for one month. The antifungal activity resided mainly in the methanol fraction and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of methanol fraction witch caused total inhibition of R. solani and Alternaria sp. was 60 g/ml. Results of current study suggested that the constituents of Trigonella foenum-graecum have potential against harmful pathogenic fungi. Therefore, fenugreek could be an important source of biologically active compounds useful for developing better new antifungal drugs.     

Effect of chromium on growth attributes in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

Heavy metal soil pollution takes place when the metal concentration of soil exceeds natural background level and causes ecological destruction and deterioration of the environment. In the present study, a pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of chromium-contaminated soil in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) growth attributes. Three different levels of chromium (Cr) i.e., 20, 40, and 60 mg/kg were applied to three varieties of sunflower (G-3, G-9, and G-59). The results of morphological, chemical, and yield parameters were recorded at crop maturity. The result showed that germination, root, and shoot lengths were decreased with increase in Cr concentrations. A gradual decrease was observed for various morphological parameters like root fresh and dry weights, shoot fresh and dry weights, and plant height with increase in Cr levels. A comparison among Cr treatments obtained a significant decrease in yield parameters as achenes/capitulum, achenes/plant, and 100 achenes weight in three varieties. Cr was significantly absorbed by roots but its transport to other parts of plants was slow, and uptake in seeds was much lower than in roots and shoots.     

翅碱蓬对石油烃污染的海岸带修复的初步研究

研究了翅碱蓬对石油烃污染的天津渤海湾河口海岸带的修复效果.通过野外种植翅碱蓬试验,监测土壤中石油烃的质量比发现,翅碱蓬能使盐碱土壤中的石油烃质量比下降,种植翅碱蓬的盐碱土壤中的石油烃降解率比无翅碱蓬对照的盐碱土壤中的石油烃降解率高21.7%～37.9%.翅碱蓬生长情况良好,试验区植被得到恢复,覆盖率达到60%以上.结果表明,翅碱蓬对石油烃污染的盐碱土壤具有一定修复作用.     

Behavioral genomics of honeybee foraging and nest defense

The honeybee has been the most important insect species for study of social behavior. The recently released draft genomic sequence for the bee will accelerate honeybee behavioral genetics. Although we lack sufficient tools to manipulate this genome easily, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that influence natural variation in behavior have been identified and tested for their effects on correlated behavioral traits. We review what is known about the genetics and physiology of two behavioral traits in honeybees, foraging specialization (pollen versus nectar), and defensive behavior, and present evidence that map-based cloning of genes is more feasible in the bee than in other metazoans. We also present bioinformatic analyses of candidate genes within QTL confidence intervals (CIs). The high recombination rate of the bee made it possible to narrow the search to regions containing only 17–61 predicted peptides for each QTL, although CIs covered large genetic distances. Knowledge of correlated behavioral traits, comparative bioinformatics, and expression assays facilitated evaluation of candidate genes. An overrepresentation of genes involved in ovarian development and insulin-like signaling components within pollen foraging QTL regions suggests that an ancestral reproductive gene network was co-opted during the evolution of foraging specialization. The major QTL influencing defensive/aggressive behavior contains orthologs of genes involved in central nervous system activity and neurogenesis. Candidates at the other two defensive-behavior QTLs include modulators of sensory signaling (Am5HT ₇ serotonin receptor, AmArr4 arrestin, and GABA-B-R1 receptor). These studies are the first step in linking natural variation in honeybee social behavior to the identification of underlying genes.     

Arsenic uptake, accumulation and phytofiltration by duckweed （Spirodela polyrhiza L.）

This study investigates arsenic (As) accumulation and tolerance of duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza L: and its potential for As phytofiltration. S. polyrhiza was able to survive in high concentration of As(V) solution: The EC50 values ( SE) based on the external As(V) were (181.66 20.12) mol/L. It accumulated (999 95) mg As/kg dw when exposed in 320 mol/L As(V) solution for one week, and was able to take up appropriately 400 mg As/kg dw in tissues without a significant biomass loss. The EC50 values (the e ective concentration of As(V) in the nutrient solution that caused a 50% inhibition on biomass production) was (866 68) mg/kg dw for the tissues, indicating that S. polyrhiza had a high capability of As accumulation and tolerance. The uptake kinetic parameters Vmax was (55.33 2.24) nmol/(g dw min) and Km was (0.144 0.011) mmol/L. Within 72 hr, S. polyrhiza decreased As concentration in the solution from 190 to 113 ng/mL with a removal rate of 41%. The study suggested that this floating aquatic plant has some potential for As phytofiltration in contaminated water bodies or paddy soils.     

5种酚类物质对中国白羽鹌鹑和中华蜜蜂的急性毒性

酚类物质作为一类主要的污染物,已引起国内外高度重视,但目前其对陆生生物的毒性研究较少。本试验探究了4-叔丁基苯酚、间甲酚、2-氯苯酚、2-甲酚、2,4-二氯苯酚这5种酚类物质对中国本土物种中国白羽鹌鹑和中华蜜蜂的急性毒性。在中国白羽鹌鹑的急性经口试验中,2-氯苯酚、2-甲酚的7 d的半致死浓度(7 d-LC50)分别为331 mg·kg~(-1)和413 mg·kg~(-1),其他3种酚类物质的7 d-LC50均大于限度值1 000 mg·kg~(-1);在中国白羽鹌鹑的急性饲喂试验中,5种酚类物质的8 d-LC50均大于限度值2 000 mg·kg~(-1);在中华蜜蜂的急性经口试验中,2-氯苯酚、2-甲酚和2,4-二氯苯酚的48 h-LC50分别为306 mg·L~(-1)、358 mg·L~(-1)和364 mg·L~(-1);在中华蜜蜂的急性接触试验中,2,4-二氯苯酚的48 h的半致死量(48 h-LD50)为2.6μg·蜂~(-1),其他4种酚类物质的48h-LD50均大于限度值100μg·蜂~(-1)。研究结果表明不同的酚类物质由于其结构不同亦表现出不同的毒性,甲酚的邻位取代比间位取代对中国白羽鹌鹑和中华蜜蜂的毒性更高,不同物种表现出了相似的规律性。5种酚类物质对我国本土物种中国白羽鹌鹑和中华蜜蜂毒性比对其他水生生物更敏感,存在良好的剂量效应关系。     

The “second dividend” and the demographic structure

The demographic structure of a country influences economic activity. The “second dividend” modifies growth. Accordingly, in general equilibrium, the second dividend and the demographic structure are interrelated. This paper aims at assessing empirically the “second dividend” in a dynamic, empirical and intertemporal setting that allows for measuring its impact on growth, its intergenerational redistributive effects, and its interaction with the demographic structure. The paper uses a general equilibrium model with overlapping generations, an energy module and a public finance module that distinguishes between non-ageing-related public spending and a pension regime. Policy scenarios compare the consequences of different scenarios of recycling a carbon tax through lower proportional income taxes rather than higher public lump-sum expenditures. They are computed for two countries with different demographics (France and Germany). Results suggest that the magnitude of the “second dividend” is significantly related with the demographic structure. The more concentrated the demographic structure on cohorts with higher income and saving rate, the stronger the effect on capital supply of the second dividend. The second dividend weighs on the welfare of relatively aged working cohorts. It fosters the wellbeing of young working cohorts and of future generations. The more concentrated the demographic structure on aged working cohorts, the higher the intergenerational redistributive effects of the second dividend.     

城市污泥及落叶蚯蚓处理最优条件因子实验研究

蚯蚓的环境生态作用具有促进微生物和其他土壤动物活动、消化分解土壤中重金属的功能,并且能够破碎与分解枯落物。通过城市污泥和城市落叶发酵后建立起蚯蚓养殖基床,以赤子爱胜蚓为主体,通过蚯蚓对污泥中重金属的富集作用实现城市污泥无害化,达到城市污泥与落叶资源化的目的。通过设计四因子四水平正交试验探索赤子爱胜蚓处理城市污泥及落叶的最优条件组合。实验结果表明:在落叶添加比例为35%,蚓床湿度为75%,培养温度为14℃,饲养密度为32mg/g时,赤子爱胜蚓对城市污泥和落叶的处理指标达到峰值,蚯蚓床对于污泥中重金属Cu和Zn的富集量分别为274.32μg/箱和420.98μg/箱,处理效果最佳。     

Regulation of pollen foraging in honeybee colonies: effects of young brood, stored pollen, and empty space

Pollen storage in a colony of Apis mellifera is actively regulated by increasing and decreasing pollen foraging according to the “colony's needs.” It has been shown that nectar foragers indirectly gather information about the nectar supply of the colony from nestmates without estimating the amount of honey actually stored in the combs. Very little is known about how the actual colony need is perceived with respect to pollen foraging. Two factors influence the need for pollen: the quantity of pollen stored in cells and the amount of brood. To elucidate the mechanisms of perception, we changed the environment within normal-sized colonies by adding pollen or young brood and measured the pollen-foraging activity, while foragers had either direct access to them or not. Our results show that the amount of stored pollen, young brood, and empty space directly provide important stimuli that affect foraging behavior. Different mechanisms for forager perception of the change in the environment are discussed. Received: 13 June 1998 / Accepted after revision: 25 October 1998