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Ecological and Evolutionary Processes Driving the Structure of Plant-Pollinator Networks
Hadrava, Jiří
Associations between flowers and pollinators are responsible for reproduction of majority of plant species as well as food supply for substantial part of animal diversity on the Earth. Until recently, the studies on plant-pollinator relationship were focused predominantly on pollination of particular plant species, with only little or no accent on community perspective. In recent decades, however, pollination ecology shifted its focus rather to community context by introducing so called pollination networks. This approach allows us to view the ubiquity and complexity of the interactions between plants and their pollinators and it opened up many new opportunities to study the pollination from animal perspective or to access spatio-temporal variability in the interactions. However, we still have only limited insight into the processes driving the structure and dynamics of such networks. The assembly of plants, pollinators and their interactions are driven by various ecological as well as evolutionary processes. From the ecological point of view, species co-occurrence in time and space may affect the interactions, or species flexibility for various community contexts providing different food sources may play role. In the evolutionary perspective, species may have various co-adaptations due to their...
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Úbytek opylovačů v krajině
Pokorná, Anna
The bachelor thesis is focused on the decrease of pollinator insects in the landscape. The majority of the thesis is dedicated to the bees. The thesis is focused on the decrease of pollinating insects both within the global and local context in the Czech Republic. Literary research examines the causes and effects of the decrease but also the steps to undertake within the protection, recommendations, measures and different approach towards pollinator insects. The research itself is defined by the location Brno-venkov and the whole research is dedicated only to the bees. The research is carried out by the method of semi-structured interviews with beekeepers. The interviews examine the subjective view of the issue and also whether the beekeepers themselves registered the decline of their hives and how they approached it. The research shows that beekeepers themselves do not observe a decrease in the long run, on the contrary, there has been an increase in the number of hives. However, the decrease of pollinators insects, in general, was observed by several respondents, most of them were species of bumblebees and butterflies. Several beekeepers mentioned poor or insufficient cooperation with farmers, agricultural chemistry and a ruthless approach to the environment.
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Krajinářská studie se zaměřením na podporu stanovišť opylovatelů
Řezanina, Zdeněk
The thesis is focused on a landscape study including the food requirements of pollinators, escecially Apis mellifera. Its essential part is the methodology and the evaluation of the landscape including an area of almost 20km2. The current state of the region is compared with the proposed state, and thus data are obtained on the impact of the proposed measures on food sources for pollinators. Furthermore, 3 different areas are compared in terms of potential food sourses for bees. The results of this thesis is a methodology for evaluating the food supply for pollinators and its application for the current area and its proposed state.
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Ecological and Evolutionary Processes Driving the Structure of Plant-Pollinator Networks
Hadrava, Jiří ; Klečka, Jan (advisor) ; Gilbert, Francis Sylvest (referee) ; Vujić, Ante (referee)
Associations between flowers and pollinators are responsible for reproduction of majority of plant species as well as food supply for substantial part of animal diversity on the Earth. Until recently, the studies on plant-pollinator relationship were focused predominantly on pollination of particular plant species, with only little or no accent on community perspective. In recent decades, however, pollination ecology shifted its focus rather to community context by introducing so called pollination networks. This approach allows us to view the ubiquity and complexity of the interactions between plants and their pollinators and it opened up many new opportunities to study the pollination from animal perspective or to access spatio-temporal variability in the interactions. However, we still have only limited insight into the processes driving the structure and dynamics of such networks. The assembly of plants, pollinators and their interactions are driven by various ecological as well as evolutionary processes. From the ecological point of view, species co-occurrence in time and space may affect the interactions, or species flexibility for various community contexts providing different food sources may play role. In the evolutionary perspective, species may have various co-adaptations due to their...
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From resource variation to habitat loss: how changing environment shapes the plant-pollinator interactions
AKTER, Asma
Annotation: Akter, A. and Klecka, J. 2020. Interactive effects of temperature, water, and nitrogen availability on the growth, floral traits, and pollination of white mustard, Sinapis alba. This was an experimental approach where Sinapis alba (white mustard), an economically beneficial crop was grown under different environmental conditions. Here, we assess how different growing conditions affected the growth of S. alba and the impact of different climate changing drivers on pollination and seed production. Akter, A., Biella, P., Klecka, J. 2017. Effects of small-scale clustering of flowers on pollinator foraging behaviour and flower visitation rate. PLoS ONE 12(11): e0187976. In this part of research, we experimentally changed the spatial structure of flower in small patches and assessed the impact on the foraging behaviour of pollinators, particularly, A. mellifera. Akter, A., Biella, P., Klecka, J. 2020. Introduction of new floral resources into plant-pollinator communities: impact on flower visitation mediated by species traits. This field-based experiment showed the impact of experimentally introduced floral resources in a plant community and how the response of the pollinator communities towards the new resources were mediated by the floral traits. Biella, P., Akter, A., Pajares, A.J.M., Federici, G., Galimberti, A., Jersáková, J., Labra, M., Mangili, F., Tommasi N. and Mangili, L. 2020. Pollination strategies of a plant in an unstable habitat: the case of the narrow-endemic toadflax Linaria tonzigii (Plantaginaceae). In this field-based research we assessed the pollination and reproduction strategies of an endemic plant, Linaria tonzigii, and the relation between the genetic variation and distribution. Akter, A., Biella, P., Batáry, P., Klecka, J. 2020. Changing pollinator communities along a disturbance gradient in the Sundarbans mangrove forest: a case study on Acanthus ilicifolius and Avicennia officinalis. Global Ecology and Conservation 24: e01282. This study was carried out in the Sundarbans mangrove forest, where we assessed the impact of human disturbances and forest loss on the plant-pollinator communities.
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Factors affecting behaviour of avian predators to hoverflies (Syrphidae) and their models (Aculeata)
Truhlářová, Marie ; Exnerová, Alice (advisor) ; Sedláček, František (referee)
Batesian mimicry is an antipredator strategy used by harmless species to mimic dangerous models by their appearance. The so-called imperfect mimics are a phenomenon within Batesian mimicry. It would be expected that Batesian mimics are selected to resemble the model as perfectly as possible. However, in some species the resemblance is very poor. The aim of this study was to test reaction of predators towards a textbook example of Batesian mimics with imperfect mimicry, i.e., hoverflies (Syrphidae) and to verify some of the hypotheses describing imperfect mimicry. We conducted two experiments in which the model predators were great tits (Parus major). The topic of the first experiment was the effect of diversity of models on categorization and generalization of hoverflies. Birds were divided into two groups, with the first group receiving high diversity of models (10 species of Hymenoptera) and second group receiving low diversity of models (2 species of Hymenoptera). There were two parts of this experiment. Categorization training when great tits learn to discriminate between two categories of prey, palatable and unpalatable and generalization test, when great tits generalized their experience from categorization training to novel prey. Palatable prey was represented by non-mimetic flies (Diptera),...
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Intelligent beekeeping system
Hrubý, Jan ; Zeman, Václav (referee) ; Kiac, Martin (advisor)
The aim of this thesis is to design and develop an intelligent beekeeping system that can measure the frequency in the colony, the weight of the hive to monitor the loss or to inform the beekeeper if the bees are carrying honey. Furthermore, the security of the hive against theft is also being considered. Communication between multiple intelligent beekeeping systems is important for the functionality. This is why part of the work focuses on choosing the best possible communication, taking into consideration battery consumption and reliability. In this work, a many-to-one communication system of modules is used, which means that the number of hives can be freely expanded without affecting the functionality of the system. The resulting system is powered by a combination of battery and solar panels.
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Nesting behaviour and population genetics of solitary bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila)
Černá, Kateřina ; Straka, Jakub (advisor) ; Žďárek, Jan (referee) ; Paxton, Robert J. (referee)
My thesis is focused on nesting behaviour and population genetics of solitary bees. These two topics, although seemingly unrelated, bring much new information and thus contribute to the better understanding of solitary bee biology that is still insufficiently known. Although the solitary behaviour represents the necessary original state for the evolution of higher sociality or obligate cleptoparasitism, its role is largely unappreciated. Furthermore, intraspecific cleptoparasitism, which is an alternative and facultative nesting strategy in bees, is a probable antecedent state of obligate cleptoparasitism. Although the obligate cleptoparasitism is a very common strategy in solitary bees, the information about the frequency and the occurrence of intraspecific cleptoparasitism in solitary bees is rare. We studied the nesting behaviour of solitary bees to detect different behavioural patterns that could serve as preadaptations to sociality or cleptoparasitic behaviour and we also focused on the detection and description of intraspecific cleptoparasitism in solitary bees. We chose four model solitary species for these studies - Andrena vaga (Andrenidae), Anthophora plumipes (Apidae), Colletes cunnicularius (Colletidae) and Osmia rufa (Megachilidae). We described the behaviour of Andrena vaga at the...
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Legal regulation of beekeeping
Kotrba, Jiří ; Damohorský, Milan (advisor) ; Falteisková, Sabina (referee)
1 Abstract This diploma thesis deals with legal issues related to beekeeping and bee protection. The beekeeping legislation in Czech Republic is not regulated in just one comprehensive legal act but consists of many partial provisions that can be found in a large number of various acts and decrees. The fragmentation of the beekeeping legislation is its biggest shortcoming and causes, that beekeepers are unable to get proper knowledge of the issue. It is necessary to ensure that all beekeepers are informed as best as possible of their rights and obligations, so that the legislation is followed in practice. Reader of this thesis is being presented with a detailed legal analysis of the most important provisions concerning beekeeping which is also here and there accompanied with ideas de lege ferenda. This diploma thesis is divided into five parts, which are further subdivided into chapters and also into subchapters and lower levels if needed. The first part is divided into two chapters and discusses the history of beekeeping and the beginnings of the development of its legal regulation in the world and in the territory of the Czech state. The second part of this diploma thesis is subdivided into three chapters and deals with the considerations about the possible future extension of the legal regulation which...
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Methods of insect body and food marking and their utilization in bees (Anthophila)
Macháčková, Lenka ; Straka, Jakub (advisor) ; Bogusch, Petr (referee) ; Hanus, Robert (referee)
Marking methods represent often an essential part of many studies which target on insect biology. These marking techniques sometimes represent the only possible way to obtain new and important informations. In the first part of the thesis I deal with individual insect labeling, which was used for marking of solitary bees and their nests as a tool of obtaining informations about nesting bee dynamics in aggregation. Our study show that nest owner replacements are very common in all four species. However, a large percentage of the nests were abandoned by the female owners before owner change. Only a part of all the nests were trully usurped on the nesting site. The true usurpations thus represent rather minor part of observed nest owner replacement situations. The bees surprisingly often abandon their nests and found the new ones. The frequent contacts of the females on a nesting site occur as a result of common nest owner replacements. High tolerance of bees to each other together with tolerance of usurpations and low level of aggression may thus represent one of the possible ways towards communality and other types of social behaviour. In the second part of the thesis I focus on the possibilities of food marking in bees. Effectivity of sugar and pollen utilization are not yet fully understood in...
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