Čebele Slovenije
Description:... V knjigi so predstavljeni taksonomija in sistematika čebel (Anthophila) in njihova biologija: zbiranje in prenašanje hrane, vedenje izbirčnih čebel, ki so vezane na določene hranilne rastline, načini gnezdenja, kukavičje čebele, ki odlagajo jajčeca v gnezda drugih vrst, vedenje in prilagoditve samcev. V poglavju o raznovrstnosti divjih čebel so opisane spremembe v slovenski favni. Po avtorjevem mnenju so predvsem posledica sprememb podnebja in izjemnih vremenskih razmer. Večji del knjige obravnava družbeno življenje čebel, predvsem prvotnejše socialne oblike, ki nam olajšujejo razumevanje razvoja družbenih skupnosti. V poglavju Poti in stranpoti evolucije avtor opisuje dolgoročno prednost vrst z družbenimi ali simbiontskimi povezavami pred vrstami, pri katerih se zaradi prevlade najmočnejših in največjih osebkov v medsebojnem boju povečuje velikost osebkov in zmanjšuje njihovo število. Nadaljuje ga poglavje o različnih oblikah družbenih skupnosti, s primeri pri čebelah. V zadnjem poglavju so predstavljene družine in rodovi čebel, ki živijo v Sloveniji. Velika vrednost knjige je tudi 154 izvirnih fotografij različnih vrst čebel, ki ponazarjajo njihovo vedenje v naravi.
Čebele so kot opraševalke mnogih rastlin nepogrešljive za obstanek kopenskih življenjskih združb. Človek že dolgo ceni medonosne čebele, ki jih goji za pridobivanje medu, voska in drugih dobrin čebeljega panja. Vse bolj se tudi zaveda pomembne vloge čebel pri opraševanju rastlin, ki je potrebno za dobro rodnost. Toda le malo ljudi poleg domače čebele pozna tudi množico večinoma samotarsko živečih vrst, ki nam medu in voska ne morejo dati, vendar imajo pri opraševanju prav tako pomembno vlogo. Ponekod gojijo nekatere samotarske čebele in čmrlje, ki so uspešnejši pri opraševanju določenih kulturnih rastlin, kot sta paradižnik in lucerna. Večina čebeljih vrst pa je zaradi človekovih dejavnosti vedno bolj ogrožena. Avtor je raziskoval družbeno vedenje vitke čebele Halictus scabiosae in pri njej opazoval nastajanje novih skupnosti iz osebkov, ki izvirajo iz različnih gnezd na istem gnezdišču. To opazovanje je le eden izmed razlogov, da avtor zavrača nekoč prevladujočo teorijo o razvoju družbenih skupnosti zaradi ozke genske sorodnosti med člani skupnosti. Posebej je predstavljena endemična vrsta, razširjena na kraškem robu od Italije prek Slovenije do Hrvaške. Razvoj jalovih delavk, ki pomagajo skupnosti, vendar se same ne razmnožujejo, je razumljen kot razvoj nadorganizma, ki ga v celoti določajo geni spolnih osebkov. Jalove delavke so le ena izmed lastnosti, ki maticam omogoča uspešno razmnoževanje. Nadorganizmi, razviti pri žuželkah in tudi nekaterih drugih živalih, so primerjani s telesom večceličnega organizma, ki je skupnost celic, od katerih za razmnoževanje skrbijo le spolne celice.
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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. Bees are as pollinators of many plants indispensable to the survival of terrestrial biological communities. Man has valued honeybees, which are kept for the production of honey, wax and other goods of the beehive, for long. Increasingly he also recognizes the important role of bees in the pollination of plants, which is necessary for good fertility. But only a few people in addition to domestic bees know the multitude of mostly solitary wild bee species that cannot give us honey and wax, but play an important role in pollination. Some solitary bees and bumble bees that are more successful in the pollination of certain crops, such as tomatoes and alfalfa, are bred in some places. But most bee species are increasingly threatened due to human activities. The author has studied the social behavior of the species Halictus scabiosae and observed the formation of new communities of individuals who come from different nests in the same nesting ground. This observation is just one of the reasons why the author rejects once the prevailing theory on the evolution of social communities due to the narrow genetic relatedness among members of the community. Separately he presents an endemic species, spread in the karst edge from Italy through Slovenia to Croatia. The development of infertile workers that help communities, but do not reproduce themselves, is seen as development of a superorganism which is entirely determined by the genes of reproductive individuals. Infertile workers are just one of the features that enables queens to reproduce successfully. Superorganisms, developed in insects and some other animals, are compared with the body of a multicellular organism, which is a community of cells in which only gametes reproduce.
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