Medical and Hospital News  
FARM NEWS
Monoculture farming is harming bees' microbiome
by Brooks Hays
Washington (UPI) Apr 17, 2018

Honeybees aren't getting enough good bacteria as a result of harmful land management, including monoculture farming and commercial forestry.

To measure the health of the microbiome of honeybees, researchers at the University of Lancaster in England analyzed the diversity of bacteria in bee bread, the longterm food supply stored in the hives of honeybees.

Scientists found less diverse bacterial communities inside hives close to acreage featuring a single species of grass, managed for livestock grazing. The bee bread in hives near coniferous forests managed for timber also hosted limited microbial diversity.

Healthier microbiomes were found in hives positioned near habitat with a greater diversity of plant species, including broadleaf woodland, rough grasslands and coastal landscapes.

Bees pick up different types of helpful bacteria from the different flowers they visit. If their foraging menu is less diverse, their bee bread and microbiomes will be too. Without a diverse microbiome, bees are more vulnerable to mold, parasites and infectious diseases.

"It is traditionally thought that monocultures, such as grazing land and timber forests, were bad for pollinators due to a lack of food continuance through the year," Lancaster researcher Philip Donkersley said in a news release. "However, our study suggests land use change may also be having an indirect detrimental effect on the microbiota of bee bread."

Researchers published their analysis of bee bread bacteria this week in the journal Ecology and Evolution.

"Since nutrition derived from bee bread and the microbiome therein directly affects the health of bees we therefore believe this demonstrates an indirect link between landscape composition and bee fitness," said Donkersley.

Researchers found microbiota diversity was also diminished in hives closer to urban centers, suggesting gardens in cities and suburbs aren't providing sufficient levels of good bacteria.

"Decreased bacterial diversity in bee breads near urban environments suggests that the increased range of non-native plants in gardens could be impacting bees' ability to get diverse microbiota," Donkersley said. "This may be evidence that bees suffer from foraging on non-native plants that they have not co-evolved with."


Related Links
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


FARM NEWS
Japan faces record low eel catch, renewing stock fears
Tokyo, Japan (AFP) April 13, 2018
Japan is on track for a record low catch of baby eels this year, renewing fears about declining stocks of the endangered fish, a favoured summer delicacy for Japanese. At the end of March, Japan had 8.8 tons of baby "Anguilla japonica" eels in culture ponds, including imports from China, Taiwan and South Korea, according to a preliminary tally by the fisheries agency. That is a plunge from more than 18 tons logged at the same time in the last two years. The tally refers to baby eels caught i ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

FARM NEWS
How does one prepare for adverse weather events? Depends on your past experiences

California rejects initial National Guard border plan

Nature-based solutions can prevent $50 billion in Gulf Coast flood damages

UN Security Council to visit Myanmar, Bangladesh, Iraq

FARM NEWS
DT Research introduces new rugged tablet with scientific-grade GNSS

China sends twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space

Indra Expands With Four New Stations The Ground Segment Managing Galileo Satellites

GMV leads a project for application of EGNOS to maritime safety

FARM NEWS
Miniature human brain implants survive, grow inside mice for months

Mutant ferrets offer clues to human brain size

Infants recognize links between vocal, facial cues

Why expressive brows might have mattered in human evolution

FARM NEWS
New gadgets help reveal the collective behavior of wild animals

Most primitive kangaroo ancestor rediscovered after 30 years in obscurity

Albania's pelicans return to their lagoon 'kingdom'

Astro-ecology: Saving endangered animals with software for the stars

FARM NEWS
New model links yellow fever in Africa to climate, environment

DARPA Names Researchers Working to Halt Outbreaks in 60 Days or Less

China confirms first human case of H7N4 bird flu

UV light can kill airborne flu virus, study finds

FARM NEWS
China's Weibo backtracks on gay content ban

Former China Politburo member pleads guilty to bribery

Former China Politburo member pleads guilty to bribery

Top China news app self-criticises after government crackdown

FARM NEWS
S. Korea deploys warship to Ghana after pirates kidnap sailors

Spain arrests 155 over Chinese human trafficking ring

Off West Africa, navies team up in fight against piracy

India seeks custody of fugitive arrested in Hong Kong

FARM NEWS








The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.