Current state of knowledge on the biology and breeding of the solitary bee –<i>Osmia bicornis</i>

Splitt, Aleksandra; Schulz, Michał; Skórka, Piotr

doi:10.1080/00218839.2021.1957610

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 105 publications

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“…The space inside the tubes offered a desirable habitat for mother bees to form larval cells. A larval cell is a chamber inside a tube in which the female deposits the collected pollen, lays an egg and then closes the chamber with a clay septum (Splitt et al 2022). The female determines the sex of the egg by fertilizing it or not.…”

Section: Study Sites and Pollen Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The female determines the sex of the egg by fertilizing it or not. Distinguishing between the sexes is easy because the daughter eggs are laid first and son eggs are laid closer to the opening of the tube; additionally, the eggs of the daughters are supplied with more pollen than those of the sons (Splitt et al 2022). Larval cells are provisioned by solitary bee mothers with pollen available from plants in the area.…”

Section: Study Sites and Pollen Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A conceptual representation of the role of wild solitary bee in nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystem. Splitt et al (2022) reviewed current knowledge on O. bicornis biology, providing the following information. In nature, O. bicornis live in groups of 50-250 individuals per site.…”

Section: Boxesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Osmia bicornis L. (syn. Osmia rufa L., Hymenoptera: Megachilidae; red mason bee) used in this study is a generalist wild bee found in almost all of Europe, in the northern part of Africa and in western Asia (Splitt et al 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wild Bee is an Important Contributor to the Nutrient Cycle, as Shown by Biogeochemical Niche Analysis of Osmia Bicornis

Filipiak

2023

Preprint

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Section: Study Sites and Pollen Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Sites and Pollen Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Boxesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Wild Bee is an Important Contributor to the Nutrient Cycle, as Shown by Biogeochemical Niche Analysis of Osmia Bicornis

Filipiak

2023

Preprint

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“…The mason bees ( Osmia species) are an important group of solitary bee pollinators but are generally understudied from an immunological perspective. One such species is the red mason bee Osmia bicornis (Order Hymenoptera; Family Megachilidae), a common pollinator found across central Europe, which has been increasingly incorporated into modern agricultural practices (Gruber & Eckel, 2011; Splitt et al, 2021). Despite its importance, it faces a number of environmental challenges that can influence the immune system, including pathogens and parasites (Bramke et al, 2019; Schoonvaere et al, 2018; Seidelmann, 2006; Tian et al, 2018), as well as pesticides (Brandt et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genomic architecture and sexually dimorphic expression underlying immunity in the red mason bee, Osmia bicornis

Möllmann

Colgan

2022

Insect Molecular Biology

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Insect pollinators provide crucial ecosystem services yet face increasing environmental pressures. The challenges posed by novel and reemerging pathogens on bee health means we need to improve our understanding of the immune system, an important barrier to infections and disease. Despite the importance of solitary bees, which are ecologically relevant, our understanding of the genomic basis and molecular mechanisms underlying their immune potential, and how intrinsic and extrinsic factors may influence it is limited. To improve our understanding of the genomic architecture underlying immunity of a key solitary bee pollinator, we characterized putative immune genes of the red mason bee, Osmia bicornis. In addition, we used publicly available RNA‐seq datasets to determine how sexes differ in immune gene expression and splicing but also how pesticide exposure may affect immune gene expression in females. Through comparative genomics, we reveal an evolutionarily conserved set of more than 500 putative immune‐related genes. We found genome‐wide patterns of sex‐biased gene expression, with greater enrichment of immune‐related processes among genes with higher constitutive expression in males than females. Our results also suggest an up‐regulation of immune‐related genes in response to exposure to two common neonicotinoids, thiacloprid and imidacloprid. Collectively, our study provides important insights into the gene repertoire, regulation and expression differences in the sexes of O. bicornis, as well as providing additional support for how neonicotinoids can affect immune gene expression, which may affect the capacity of solitary bees to respond to pathogenic threats.

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Elevated atmospheric CO2 alters the multi-element stoichiometry of pollen-bearing oak flowers, with possible negative effects on bees

Filipiak,

Mayoral,

Mills

et al. 2024

Oecologia

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Increasing atmospheric CO2 levels change the elemental composition in plants, altering their nutritional quality and affecting consumers and ecosystems. Ecological stoichiometry provides a framework for investigating how CO2-driven nutrient dilution in pollen affects bees by linking changes in pollen chemical element proportions to the nutritional needs of bees. We investigated the consequences of five years of Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) in a mature oak-dominated temperate forest on the elemental composition of English oak (Quercus robur) pollen. We measured the concentrations and proportions of 12 elements (C, N, P, S, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn) in Q. robur pollen-bearing flowers collected from the Birmingham Institute for Forest Research (BIFoR) FACE facility. An elevated CO2 (eCO2) level of 150 ppm above ambient significantly reduced the S, K, and Fe levels and altered the multi-element ratio, with different elements behaving differently. This shift in pollen multi-element composition may have subsequent cascading effects on higher trophic levels. To assess the impact on bees, we calculated the stoichiometric mismatch (a measure of the discrepancy between consumer needs and food quality) for two bee species, Osmia bicornis (red mason bee) and Apis mellifera (honey bee), that consume oak pollen in nature. We observed stoichiometric mismatches for P and S, in pollen under eCO2, which could negatively affect bees. We highlight the need for a comprehensive understanding of the changes in pollen multi-element stoichiometry under eCO2, which leads to nutrient limitations under climate change with consequences for bees.

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Current state of knowledge on the biology and breeding of the solitary bee –Osmia bicornis

Cited by 12 publications

References 105 publications

Wild Bee is an Important Contributor to the Nutrient Cycle, as Shown by Biogeochemical Niche Analysis of Osmia Bicornis

Wild Bee is an Important Contributor to the Nutrient Cycle, as Shown by Biogeochemical Niche Analysis of Osmia Bicornis

Genomic architecture and sexually dimorphic expression underlying immunity in the red mason bee, Osmia bicornis

Elevated atmospheric CO2 alters the multi-element stoichiometry of pollen-bearing oak flowers, with possible negative effects on bees

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