The book presents the taxonomy and systematics of bees (Anthophila) and their biology: the collection and transport of food, picky behavior of bees, which are linked to certain food plants, nesting ...methods, Cuckoo bees laying eggs in the nests of other species, behaviors and adaptations of males. In the chapter on the diversity of wild bees changes in the Slovenian fauna are described. In the author's opinion, they are mainly due to climate change and extreme weather conditions. The greater part of the book deals with the social life of bees, especially the primeval social forms that facilitate the understanding of the development of social communities. In the chapter Highways and byways of evolution author describes the long-term advantage of species with social or symbiotic connections over the species in which the dominance of the strongest and largest specimens in mutual combat increases the size of the specimens and reduces their number. He continues with a chapter on the various forms of social communities, with examples in bees. In the last chapter the families and genera of bees living in Slovenia are presented. Great value of the book are also 154 original photos of different species of bees, which illustrate their behavior in the wild.
Family Gesneriaceae comprises plant species mostly distributed in the tropics
and subtropics of both the Old and New Worlds. Only a small number of species
inhabits temperate regions. Among them, ...there are the only 5 species of this family in
Europe: Ramonda myconi, endemic of the Iberian Peninusla, as well as R. nathaliae, R.
serbica, Haberlea rhodopensis i Jankaea heldreichii, four endemic species of the
Balkan Peninsula. All five species are Tertiary relicts, remnants from the times when
the climate was much warmer and more humid. During the Ice Age, they have found
shelter in canyons and gorges where can be often found today as well. These „living
fossils“ are poikilohydric, „resurrection plants“ what helps them survive the
inhospitable environmental conditions.
Balkan species of the genus Ramonda are today characterized by disjunct
distribution. Ramonda nathaliae is restricted to Macedonia, N Greece, slopes of Mt.
Šara in Kosovo and few localities in SE Serbia. The largest part of the R. serbica range
is situated in Albania, but is also present in NW Greece, W Macedonia, SW and NE
Montenegro, SW, SE and NE Serbia and NE Bulgaria. The ranges of two species cooccur only in two localities in SE Serbia, Oblik and Radovanski Kamen, establishing
sympatric populations. Both species prefer limestone rocks, but R. nathaliae can also
be found on serpentine, schist and granite. This species is often found in more open
habitats and in higher altitudes why it is considered as more resistant and tolerant than
R. serbica.
The aims of this study are: to investigate morphology of both pollen and seeds of
three Ramonda species; to estimate pollen viability and germination capacity of their
seeds; to determine chromosome numbers and genome size of three species; to explore
if there are hybrids in sympatric populations; to look into genetic diversity and
phylogeography of R. nathaliae and R. serbica. Pollen grains and seeds were examined
by light and scanning electron microscopy, chromosome number by standard karyological techniques, genome size was estimated by flow cytometry and genetic
diversity by molecular AFLP method.
Ramonda myconi and R. nathaliae are diploids with 2n = 48, while R. serbica is
a hexaploid with 2n = 144 chromosomes. Few individuals with larger chromosome
numbers were detected in one population (2n = 8x = 192 and 2n = 10x = ~230).
Average genome size in R. myconi is 2C = 2.55 pg, R. nathaliae 2C = 2.34 pg and R.
serbica 2C = 7.85 pg, while rare decaploids of this last species have 2C = 11.65 pg.
Monoploid genome sizes of R. myconi (1Cx = 1.27 pg) and R. serbica (1Cx = 1.31 pg)
are similar, while this parameter has a lower value in R. nathaliae (1Cx = 1.17 pg).
Pollen grains of three Ramonda species are small, 3-colporate, mostly spheroidal
in shape. They are of similar size in diploid species (R. myconi E = 12.57 µm; R.
nathaliae E = 15.19 µm), while R. serbica, as a hexaploid with larger genome size, has
larger pollen grains as well (E = 19,80 µm). Exine ornamentation is microreticulateperforate, in R. nathaliae more perforate, in R. serbica with larger lumens with more
perforations, while R. myconi exine ornamentation characteristics are intermediary
between two Balkan relatives.
Seeds are small, elongated, 814.47 µm long and 217.77 µm wide in R. myconi,
639.23 µm long and 228.09 µm wide in R. nathaliae and with 714.36 µm average
length and 254.84 µm width in R. serbica. There are auriculate structures on the seed
surface, most pronounced in R. myconi (46 – 87 µm high), little bit smaller in R.
serbica (32 – 44 µm) and least high in R. nathaliae (21 – 30 µm). Their possible role is
better surface adhesion. Seed mass is moderately correlated to genome size and
chromosome number. While size of pollen grains and seeds are not good characters for
differentiation of three Ramonda species, differences in fine pollen exine and seed
surface ornamentations can be used for this purpose.
Natural hybrids between R. nathaliae and R. serbica are found in the scope of
extensive research performed in sympatric populations. Hybrid individuals are
tetraploid with 2n = 96 chromosomes and average genome size of 2C = 5.14 pg. Small
number of individuals could be penta (2C = 6.19 pg) or octoploids (2C = 10.04 pg) on
the basis of their 2C-values. Pollen from hybrids is very heterogeneous in number of
colpi (3-, 9- and 12-colporate) and the size of the grains. Seeds are very small, 2-3
times smaller than those from parental species and germinate weekly (c. 1%). These results reveal complex processes of hybridisation between two relict species,
introgression and genome duplications.
Population of R. nathaliae from serpentine substrate is ecologically very
interesting. Plants have smaller rosettes, smallest pollen grains with thin exine and
lower viability, smallest seeds and even smallest genome size among investigated
populations of this species.
AFLP analysis of genetic population structure confirmed clear taxonomic
differentiation of R. nathaliae and R. serbica. As endemics without self-fertilisation,
but with vegetative reproduction present, they are characterized by small genetic
diversity. Expected heterozygosity (H) ranges from 0.062 to 0.128 in R. nathaliae
populations and from 0.087 to 0.140 in R. serbica. Variability within populations (R.
nathaliae 72%, R. serbica 86%) is higher than among populations (R. nathaliae 28%,
R. serbica 14%). Genetic distances and fixation indices are higher among R. nathaliae
populations suggesting that this is an older species whose populations are separated for
a longer period of time.
Today’s genetic population diversity of these relic and endemic species from the
Balkan Peninsula reflects the influences of the Ice Age, but of more recent conditions
in their habitats as well. Both species had several refugia where they survived harsh
conditions during glaciations. They began spreading from there after climate warming,
so newly established populations have lower genetic diversity because of the founder
and bottleneck effects. They can be more sensitive to environmental stress and
therefore must be adequately protected.
Familija Gesneriaceae obuhvata biljne vrste pretežno rasprostranjene u tropskim
u subtropskim oblastima Starog i Novog sveta. Samo mali broj vrsta naseljava umerene
oblasti, a među njima je i jedinih 5 vrsta ove familije u Evropi: Ramonda myconi,
endemit Pirinejskog poluostrva, kao i R. nathaliae, R. serbica, Haberlea rhodopensis i
Jankaea heldreichii, četiri endemične vrste Balkanskog poluostrva. Svih pet vrsta su
relikti Tercijera, vremena kada je klima u Evropi bila toplija i vlažnija. Za vreme
Ledenog doba, one su našle skrovište u klisurama i kanjonima gde ih najčešće nalazimo
i danas. Ovi „živi fosili“ danas nepovoljne uticaje spoljašnje sredine u velikoj meri
preživljavaju zahvaljujući poikilohidričnosti, pa se još nazivaju i „biljke koje
vaskrsavaju“.
Danas se dve balkanske vrste roda Ramonda odlikuju disjunktnim arealima.
Ramonda nathaliae zastupljena je u Makedoniji, S Grčkoj, na obroncima planine Šare
na Kosovu i u JI Srbiji. Najveći deo areala vrste R. serbica nalazi se u Albaniji, a
prisutna je i na SZ Grčke, u Z Makedoniji, JZ i SI Crnoj Gori, JZ, JI i SI Srbiji, kao i na
SZ Bugarske. Jedina zona u kojoj se areali dve vrste susreću nalazi se u JI Srbiji, gde na
dva lokaliteta, Oblik i Radovanski Kamen, obrazuju simpatrijske populacije. Obe vrste
prevashodno naseljavaju krečnjačku podlogu, s tim što se R. nathaliae može naći i na
serpentinitu, škriljcima i granitu. Ova vrsta, takođe, bolje podnosi otvorenija staništa, a
njene populacije se mogu naći i na većem rasponu nadmorskih visina, zbog čega se
smatra otpornijom i tolerantijom.
Ciljevi ovog rada su višestruki: da se utvrde morfološke osobine polena i semena
sve tri vrste roda Ramonda, jer detalji njihove građe do sada nisu istraživani; da se
procene vijabilnost njihovog polena i klijavost semena; da se utvrdi broj hromozoma,
kao i veličina genoma kod tri vrste; da se proveri da li postoje hibridne jedinke u
simpatrijskim populacijama; da se pomoću molekularnih markera utvrdi stepen
sličnosti i filogeografske veze između vrsta R. nathaliae i R. serbica. U tu svrhu, polen
i seme analizirani su pomoću svetlosnog i scanning elektronskog mikroskopa, broj hromozoma određen je standardnim kariološkim tehnikama, veličina genoma
procenjena je pomoću protočne citometrije, a genetički diverzitet primenom
molekularne AFLP tehnike.
Ramonda myconi i R. nathaliae su diploidi sa 2n = 48, dok je R. serbica
heksaploid sa 2n = 144 hromozoma. U jednoj populaciji ustanovljeno je i postojanje
nekoliko individua sa većim brojem hromozoma (2n = 8x = 192 i 2n = 10x = ~230).
Prosečna veličina genoma kod R. myconi je 2C = 2,55 pg, R. nathaliae 2C = 2,34 pg i
R. serbica 2C = 7,85 pg, s tim što retki dekaploidi ove vrste imaju 2C = 11,65 pg.
Monoploidne veličine genoma R. myconi (1Cx = 1,27 pg) i R. serbica (1Cx = 1,31 pg)
su slične, dok R. nathaliae ima manju vrednost ovog parametra (1Cx = 1,17 pg).
Polenova zrna sve tri vrste su mala, 3–kolporatna, uglavnom sferoidnog oblika.
Kod diploidnih vrsta su slične veličine (R. myconi E = 12,57 µm; R. nathaliae E =
15,19 µm), dok su kod heksaploidne R. serbica veća (E = 19,80 µm) u skladu sa većom
veličinom genoma. Egzina je mikroretikularno-perforatna, kod R. nathaliae više
perforatna, kod R. serbica sa krupnim lumenima unutar kojih je veliki broj perforacija,
dok je kod R. myconi intermedijarna između dve balkanske rođake.
Semena su sitna, izduženog oblika, kod R. myconi u proseku duga 814,47 µm i
široka 217,77 µm, kod R. nathaliae duga 639,23 µm, a široka 228,09 µm i kod R.
serbica prosečne dužine 714,36 µm i širine 254,84 µm. Na površini semena uočljive su
trouglaste strukture najupadljivije kod R. myconi (visine 46 – 87 µm), nešto manje kod
R. serbica (32 – 44 µm), a najmanje kod R. nathaliae (21 – 30 µm), čija je moguća
uloga bolje pričvršćivanje za podlogu. Masa semena je umeren
družina: zlatičevkeOpojna zlatica je endemit – raste samo na območju Zasavskega hribovja. Ker je strupena, so jo domačini med vojno pošiljali fantom, ki so služili v nemški vojski. Ob stiku s kožo na ...nogah je namreč povzročila nastanek mehurjastih izpuščajev in fantom tako omogočila nekaj dni počitka.