1
|
Zafar A, Zafar M, Ahmad M, Khan AM, Mahmood T, Kilic O, Fatima A, Habib D, Sultana S, Majeed S, Attique R, Nabila. Microscopic (LM and SEM) visualization of pollen ultrastructure among honeybee flora from lower Margalla Hills and allied areas. Microsc Res Tech 2022; 85:3325-3338. [PMID: 35751607 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.24187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Microscopic visualization of micro-morphological characters were analyzed using a scanning electron microscopic (SEM) tool, which has proven to be very successful to analyze the pollen surface peculiarities. The significant goal of this research was to perform microscopic examination of pollen of some of the most frequently visited honeybee floral species around apiaries. Micro-morphological characterization of frequented honeybees foraged plants were discussed. A total of 15 species, belonging to 11 different families were identified for the foraging activities of honeybees, namely, Lantana camara, Jatropha integerrima, Helianthus annuus, Tecoma stans, Lagerstroemia indica, Duranta erecta, Cosmos sulphureus, Hymenocollis littoralis, Moringa oleifera, Cestrum nocturnum, Parthenium hysterophorus, Volkameria inermis, Catharanthus roseus, Malvastrum coromandelianum, and Citharexylum spinosum. The microscopic slides were prepared using the acetolysis method, and the qualitative and quantitative features were measured and described using microscopic tools. The pollen type sculpture varies from psilate scabrate to echinate and colpi from tricolpate to tetracolpate. Quantitative parameters such as polar diameter, mesocolpium distance, equatorial dimensions, aperture size, spine diameter, and exine thickness were calculated using IBM SPSS Statistics 20. The exine thickness was measured at its maximum in C. roseus (3.85 μm), whereas it was at its minimum of 0.90 μm in L. indica and D. erecta. Pollen fertility was estimated to be highest in H. annus (88%). The current research validates scanning microscopic features of pollen of the honeybee floral species, which is helpful for the accurate identification and commercializing of honey production to generate revenue for beekeepers through the exploration of bee floral diversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aqeela Zafar
- Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Zafar
- Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Mushtaq Ahmad
- Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.,Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Amir Muhammad Khan
- Department of Botany, University of Mianwali, Mianwali, Pakistan.,Department of Botany, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
| | - Tariq Mahmood
- Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Omer Kilic
- Department of Basic Science of Pharmacy, Pharmacy Faculty, Adıyaman University, Adıyaman, Turkey
| | - Anam Fatima
- Department of Botany, University of Mianwali, Mianwali, Pakistan
| | - Darima Habib
- Department of Botany, Rawalpindi Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Shazia Sultana
- Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Salman Majeed
- Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Rafia Attique
- Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Nabila
- Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|