In honey bee diet, pollen is the primary source of proteins and essential nutrients. High pollen diversity and protein content support honey bee health, enhancing resistance to different stressors. Agroecosystem simplification, with few dominant species flowering for a limited period, can lead to a shortage of forage and a reduction in the variety and quantity of food.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNatural wetlands are widely used and cost-effective systems for the passive remediation of phosphorus (P)-rich surface waters from various effluent sources. Yet the long-term biogeochemical impacts of effluent loading on wetland P retention capacity are unclear. Here, we had a unique opportunity to document the spatio-temporal evolution of sediment P sorption over a ∼25-year period of constant municipal and industrial effluent loading, as part of a wetland restoration and wastewater treatment strategy in one of the largest restored wetlands in Canada.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) is a Apis mellifera viral infectious disease, exhibiting dark and hairless abdomen in workers with tremors and ataxita. Clinical signs are also typically linked to adverse weather conditions and overcrowding in the hive. The disease occurs in spring but recently it has been observed cases increase and seasonality loss of the disease incidence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVespa orientalis is spreading across the Italian and European territories leading to new interactions among species, which could lead to the transmission of pathogens between species. Detection of honey bee viruses in V. orientalis has already been revealed in both adults and larvae, while no information is available regarding parasitic occurrence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFColistin is a polymyxin antimicrobic mainly used to treat infection caused by multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Mechanisms of colistin resistance are linked to the mobile colistin resistance (mcr) genes, which are transferable within mobile plasmids. Currently, there is limited research on the environmental dissemination of these genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe agricultural intensification represents a major threat to biodiversity, with negative effects on the ecosystem. In particular, habitat loss and degradation, along with pesticide use have been recognised as primary factors contributing to the actual global decline of pollinators. Here we investigated the quality of agroecosystems in the Emilia-Romagna region (Northern Italy) within the national monitoring project BeeNet.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), Kashmir bee virus (KBV), and Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) usually persist as covert infections in honey bee colonies. They can cause rapid bee mortality in cases of severe infection, often associated with high Varroa destructor infestation, by which they are transmitted. In various countries, these viruses have been associated with colony collapse.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most relevant problems for human and animal health. According to One Health Approach, it is important to regulate the use of antimicrobials and monitor the spread of AMR in the environment as well. Apis mellifera (L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Insect Biochem Physiol
January 2024
Amino acids (AAs) are an abundant class of nectar solutes, and they are involved in the nectar attractiveness to flower visitors. Among the various AAs, proline is the most abundant proteogenic AA, and γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) and β-alanine are the two most abundant non-proteogenic AAs. These three AAs are known to affect insect physiology, being involved in flight metabolism and neurotransmission.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFrom the 1990s, the Southeast Asia native giant resin bee (Smith, 1853) was introduced first to North America, and then to many countries in Europe. Despite increasing studies on its invasive potential and geographical expansion, information on nesting behaviour of this species is still extremely scarce. To increase knowledge on the nesting biology of , we studied multiple aspects of nesting and pollen provisioning in three consecutive years in artificial nests in Bologna, Italy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Total Environ
November 2023
An essential prerequisite to safeguard pollinator species is characterisation of the multifaceted diversity of crop pollinators and identification of the drivers of pollinator community changes across biogeographical gradients. The extent to which intensive agriculture is associated with the homogenisation of biological communities at large spatial scales remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated diversity drivers for 644 bee species/morphospecies in 177 commercial apple orchards across 33 countries and four global biogeographical biomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAccording to a naturalist conception of what counts as a disorder, conspiracy beliefs are pathological beliefs if they are the outcome of a cognitive dysfunction. In this article, I take issue with the view that it is pathological to believe a conspiracy theory. After reviewing several approaches to the aetiology of conspiracy beliefs, I find that no approach compels us to view conspiracy beliefs as the outcome of a dysfunction: a speaker's conspiracy beliefs can appear as implausible and unshakeable to an interpreter, but in a naturalist framework it is not pathological for the speaker to adopt and maintain such beliefs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman-induced environmental impacts on wildlife are widespread, causing major biodiversity losses. One major threat is agricultural intensification, typically characterised by large areas of monoculture, mechanical tillage, and the use of agrochemicals. Intensification leads to the fragmentation and loss of natural habitats, native vegetation, and nesting and breeding sites.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhen young people seek support from mental health care practitioners, the encounters may affect the young people's sense of self, and in particular undermine their sense of agency. For this study, an interdisciplinary team of academics and young people collaboratively analysed video-recorded encounters between young people and mental healthcare practitioners in emergency services. They identified five communication techniques that practitioners can use to avoid undermining the young person's sense of agency in the clinical encounter.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDelusions are often portrayed as paradigmatic instances of incomprehensibility and meaninglessness. Here we investigate the relationship between delusions and meaning from a philosophical perspective, integrating arguments and evidence from cognitive psychology and phenomenological psychopathology. We review some of the empirical and philosophical literature relevant to two claims about delusions and meaning: (1) delusions are meaningful, despite being described as irrational and implausible beliefs; (2) some delusions can also enhance the sense that one's life is meaningful, supporting agency and creativity in some circumstances.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Cell Infect Microbiol
July 2022
Diseases contribute to the decline of pollinator populations, which may be aggravated by the interspecific transmission of honey bee pests and pathogens. Flowers increase the risk of transmission, as they expose the pollinators to infections during the foraging activity. In this study, both the prevalence and abundance of 21 honey bee pathogens (11 viruses, 4 bacteria, 3 fungi, and 3 trypanosomatids) were assessed in the flower-visiting entomofauna sampled from March to September 2021 in seven sites in the two North-Italian regions, Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComplex biotic networks of invaders and their new environments pose immense challenges for researchers aiming to predict current and future occupancy of introduced species. This might be especially true for invasive bees, as they enter novel trophic interactions. Little attention has been paid to solitary, invasive wild bees, despite their increasing recognition as a potential global threat to biodiversity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study was to assess the impact of BMI on perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing VATS lobectomy or segmentectomy. Data from 5088 patients undergoing VATS lobectomy or segmentectomy, included in the VATS Group Italian Registry, were collected. BMI (kg/m) was categorized according to the WHO classes: underweight, normal, overweight, obese.
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