Browsing by Author "Sagastume, Soledad"
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- Beekeeping in the Mediterranean: a medibees survey on practices, trends and challengesPublication . Mangion, Marion Zammit; Martín-Hernández, Raquel; Nanetti, Antonio; Pinto, M. Alice; Noureddine, Adjlane; Anwer, Asmaa; Haddad, Nizar; Hosri, Chadi; Muz, Mustafa Necati; Daour, Ahmad Yousef; Sagastume, SoledadMEDIBEES is a PRIMA funded project that aims to identify honeybee colonies and subspecies that are most resilient to climate change and common pathogens throughout the Mediterranean region. Honeybees are critical to sustainable agricultural systems and the project aims to contribute to sustainability in the context of the increased desertification of the region due to climate change. As part of this project an intensive investigation of beekeeping was carried out within the consortium, with the objectives of 1) understanding the main practices in place, 2) identifying trends and challenges faced by beekeepers. This would help guide the consortium in framing research questions that are rooted in the requirements of the stakeholders. A questionnaire was therefore developed and circulated among beekeepers from Algeria, Egypt, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Portugal, Spain and Turkey in late June 2021. To date, over 1300 detailed responses have been collected. This study has yielded an important first profile of the nature of the apicultural industry for many of these participating countries. In this presentation, a description of the socio-demographics and the diverse management practice in place among beekeepers across the Mediterranean will be presented. In addition, important first-time data on the distribution of hives, the main sources of losses including current biotic and abiotic threats, the characteristics and ecological trends of both native and introduced honey bee subspecies in the different geographical regions will be described as experienced by the major stakeholders ie beekeepers. Finally, notably and overwhelmingly, beekeepers from the Mediterranean region list changes in weather patterns as the major factor affecting colony losses and profitability. This was followed closely by indiscriminant use of agricultural insecticides and urbanisation.
- Climate change-induced stress in the honey bee Apis mellifera L.- a genetic reviewPublication . Sagastume, Soledad; Cilia, Giovanni; Henriques, Dora; Yadró García, Carlos A.; Corona, Miguel; Higes, Mariano; Pinto, M. Alice; Nanetti, Antonio; Martín-Hernández, RaquelClimate change is a powerful driver of stress, as it reinforces hotter and drier environments. For bees, the most concerning aspects of these new environmental conditions are the resistance and resilience of bees to changes in temperature, humidity and ultraviolet radiation, as well as the negative effect on diversity of food resources which can lead in nutritional stress. The climatic vulnerability of various bee species and subspecies varies worldwide, as they experience varying levels of stress and display distinct behaviors, weaknesses, and lifespans. To understand these differences, it is crucial to consider both the genetics and epigenetics of bees, as these factors play a key role in their response, resistance, and adaptation to new stressors. This review provides a guide of genetic and epigenetic markers involved in the cellular response of Apis mellifera to most common stressors derived from climate change. Understanding how the various molecular mechanisms interact to restore homeostasis during the stress response is essential for designing future studies based on molecular markers.
- General beekeeping practices and main stressors identified by beekeepers in the MediterraneanPublication . Nanetti, Antonio; Martín-Hernández, Raquel; Zammit Mangion, Marion; Alice Pinto, M.; Farrugia, Dylan; Zammit Mangion, Rachel; Noureddine, Adjlane; Eissa, Asmaa Anwar; Cilia, Giovanni; Daour, Ahmad Yousef; Garrido, Claudia; Haddad, Nizar; Henriques, Dora; Hosri, Chadi; Muz, Mustafa Necati; Sagastume, Soledad; Galea, Thomas; Medibees ConsortiumBeekeeping is an ecologically and economically important activity in the Mediterranean that is increasingly under threat from a combination of factors. In the MEDIBEES (Monitoring the Mediterranean honey bee subspecies and their resilience to climate change for the improvement of sustainable agro-ecosystems) PRIMA project we aim to identify honey bees that show resilience to stressors associated with climate change. An important first step in our work was to establish baseline data of practices in the region through the administering of a questionnaire on the beekeeping practices. Over 1022 responses were received from beekeepers in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Spain, Portugal and Turkey. Beekeeping was overwhelmingly male dominated (ratio 9:1) and practiced largely by the middle-aged (mainly between 40-50 years). The majority of beekeepers reported having 10-50 boxes with the exceptions of Algeria and Jordan where the majority reported keeping more than 100 hive boxes. Across the Mediterranean the Langstroth hive box was most commonly used. Despite the perception of migratory beekeeping being frequently practiced, only Lebanon and Turkey reported significant levels of transhumance (>50.0 and 70.0% of beekeepers respectively). 51.2% of beekeepers reported practicing queen rearing with the majority of these (51.4%) reporting re-queening their colonies every 2 years. Interestingly, the majority of all beekeepers agreed with the statement that their native honey bee is endangered where pesticide use, lack of adequate forage and parasite infestations such as the Varroa mite were repeatedly cited as causing the greatest losses to honey bees in general. Climate change and urbanisation were also linked with colony losses by causing habitat loss. Supplementary feeding was reported to be an integral part of beekeeping in this region, with beekeepers reporting using between 0-5kg, closely followed by 6-10 kg of additional sugars.
- MEDIBEES: Monitoring the Mediterranean honey bee subspecies and their resilience to climate change for the improvement of sustainable agro-ecosystemsPublication . Martín-Hernández, Raquel; Nanetti, Antonio; Pinto, M. Alice; Noureddine, Adjlane; Haddad, Nizar; Hosri, Chadi; Muz, Mustafa Necati; Zammit Mangion, Marion; Daour, Ahmad Yousef; Sagastume, Soledad; Cilia, Giovanni; Medibees ConsortiumBeekeeping provides livelihood for hundreds of thousands of beekeepers in the Mediterranean area. This activity relies on a number of different indigenous Apis mellifera subspecies, adapted to the very diverse and harsh conditions of the region. Climate change is expected to increase the stress factors affecting bees, especially in this region, reducing both pollination efficiency and production potential. Unfortunately, our ability to address this problem is limited by the incomplete knowledge of the natural adaptation mechanisms developed by the different subspecies. In order to increase the knowledge base for future selection programs to improve bee populations for environmental changes, the MEDIBEES project is being developed. It includes 9 partners from 8 Mediterranean countries on all three shores of the Mediterranean, covering 10 local A. mellifera subspecies, which represents a remarkable though understudied proportion of the species genetic diversity. The project aims to: a) unravel the differential genetic background of Mediterranean subspecies, b) understand their adaptation to local conditions, and c) characterize their resistance to climate change. To achieve the objectives, colonies belonging to the local subspecies will be studied phenotypically to determine their behavior under environmental conditions, covering survival, sensitivity to pests/pathogens, behavior, physiology and reproduction which will be completed by gene expression and transcriptomic assays. In addition, complete genomes of field and laboratory samples will be sequenced to find genes putatively involved in adaptation and to develop new genetic tools to characterize honey bee populations according to their resistance to environmental stress factors. This effort will encourage the use of local subspecies, to make them more attractive and avoid importing foreign breeds, and will lay the foundation for future selection programs. Besides, the valorization of honey by both promoting its use and developing quality labels, and the evaluation of beekeeping by-products as modifiers of soil fertility and biota are also approached to help the beekeepers improve the sustainability of their farms in an economical and environmental sound manner.