Pollinators

It’s no question that the honey bees are an important species. They are by far the most well-known pollinators, and if they ever were to go extinct, we would say good-bye to crops such as almonds, apples, avocados, and oranges (Good). Beekeepers in North America have noticed a rapid decline in their honey bee populations since 2006 (Hagopian). I spoke with two beekeepers, Tommy McCaffrey and Roy Clingon in Purvis, Mississippi, who gave me their insight on why the honey bee population has been…

8607756 Animal Testing Is Extremely Wrong Imagine living inside a locked closet without any control over any aspect of your life. Over the years, billions of animals are used for experiments and getting harmed in labs. Animal testing is any scientific experiment or test in which a life of an animal is forced to undergo something that is likely to cause pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm. Animals benefit us humans in many ways such as providing milk, for fun and entertainment, recreation,…

in drawing attention to conservation needs of other endangered species of insects (Guiney & Oberhauser, 2008). Any conservation or restoration efforts directed at monarch butterflies are likely to benefit most other insects, including important pollinator species such as bees (Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation,…

1. Genetic Diversity: The most important and pivotal element in biodiversity is the Genetic diversity (Gaston, 1996; Mallet, 1996). The “fine scale” level of biodiversity is measure in the multiplicity of expressed genes or meticulous featured attribute in the midst of organisms (Williams et al, 1996). Genetic diversity denotes the peculiarity within species in the purposeful units of heredity existing in any plant, animal, microbial or any other source of life. However as a crucial unit for…

Imagine flowering plants vanishing from the earth. Imagine never again eating fruits like blueberries, strawberries, or watermelons, nuts like almonds, or vegetables like cucumbers. At the very least, imagine these everyday food items as high-priced luxuries. These dire predictions are not science fiction, but rather a very ominous and likely scenario if the honey bee population throughout the world continues to dwindle as it has been over the past decade. Although most people know we need bees…

Among angiosperms, Rosaceae consists of approximately 100 genera and 3000 species including several types of fruits with economic importance and health benefits. Rosaceae is divided into 4 subfamilies with basic chromosome numbers of x = 7 (Rosoideae), 8 (Prunoideae) and 9 (Spiraeoideae), x = 17 (Maloideae). The taxonomy of the genus Prunus is controversial because of the polymorphism and wide ecological tolerance of the species, as well as the presence of numerous cultivars. Prunus is the…

vivo research, then we would not be able to save wild animals and consequently, many of the things they produce for us, including fruits and vegetables, would cease to exist. For example, 90 percent of the world’s nutrition comes from the work of pollinators, such as honeybees and birds. Unfortunately, numerous people dislike bees specifically because of their nasty sting and choose to spray insecticides around their plants to keep them away. As the number of honeybees declines, the number of…

Jared diamond’s book “Guns, Germs, and Steel” is mainly to answer his indigenous New Guinean politician friend’s question, the Yali’s question and the questions about inequality that comes after Yali’s question. A big part of the question revolves around why is it that Europeans ended up conquering so much of the world in terms of guns, population-destroying germs, steel, and food-producing capability as compared to other continents? Regardless of all the conflicting evidence from anthropology…

there isn’t one single cause for colony collapse disorder. Honeybees play a huge part in food production, and are the main source for pollinating plants. For instance, “in agriculture, nearly a third of pollination is accomplished by honeybees” (“Pollinators and Pesticides”). Without the help of bees, we would not longer have foods like: Almonds, cherries, cucumbers, melons, carrots, pears, apricots, cantaloupe, apples, onions, kiwi, plums, cranberries,…

chemical pesticides for a long period has caused many side effects such as extreme health hazards for the human and the environment, the development of resistances toward various pesticides, adverse effects on beneficial insects (natural enemies, pollinators and honey bees) and other non-targeted organisms, resurgence of secondary pests to the economic damage levels (Theiling and Croft, 1988; Lashkari et al., 2007). The best solution…