APIMONDIA 2009 ,September 15-20 2009

MelliferousMelliferous andand polliniferouspolliniferous resourcesresources inin anan urbanurban areaarea :: SaintSaint--DenisDenis ((surburbansurburban areaarea ofof ).Paris).

Yves Loublier*, Monique Morlot**, Agnès Rortais*, Patricia Beaune**, Régine Lurdos**, Florence Britis** & Gérard Arnold*

*Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes et Spéciation (LEGS), CNRS UPR9034, Bât.13, 1 avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, **Michaud Lune de Miel, Bernard Michaud S.A., BP27, Domaine de Saint- Georges, Chemin de Berdoulou, 64290 Gan, France Aims

The general objective of this study is to develop methods and tools for the use of honeybees as bioindicators of the environment to monitor plant diversity and environmental pollution for three sites : urban, semi-natural and agricultural in the region of Ile-de-France.

Environmental pollution is monitored through honeybees foraging activity.

Plant diversity is determined with the types of pollen brought back to the colony by foragers

Here, we present only the results concerning the melliferous and polliniferous resources brought back by bee colonies in an urban area, close to Paris. Methods Experimental sites Three sites with distinct environments (urban, semi-natural and agricultural) were selected in the region Ile-de-France.

St Denis

Rambouillet

St Cyr-sur-Dourdan The site of St-Denis, where the data presented here come from Materials At each site, a total of five colonies were installed, two colonies with pollen traps and three colonies with electronic scales (BeeWise, from Api-Velay, France), bee counters (BeeSCAN, from Lowland Electronics, ). Data are sent daily by SMS to the laboratory.

Pollen traps

Electronic scales Bee counters METHOD

POLLEN Weekly pollen sampling were conducted at the two hives. Two samples were weighted separately and 10g of each were dried out at 37-40°C for 48 hours. One g out of these 10g from each colony were mixed together for pollen treatment (acetolysis) HONEY For the analysis of pollen contained in honey two samples of extracted honey sampled in the five colonies and weighting 250g each underwent melissopalynology, physical- chemical and sensory analyses POLLEN COUNTING Determination of diet resources For each slide we counted 2000 to 8000 grains to determine the BOTANICAL ORIGIN Floral abundance The total surface of slides (19-21 lines) was scanned to determine the TAXA DIVERSITY RESULTS

1/ POLLEN LOADS: polliniferous resources

CONTINUOUS FLOWERING SPRING FLOWERING SUMMER FLOWERING FALL FLOWERING OCCASIONAL FLOWERING

2/ FLORAL ABUNDANCE: taxa diversity 1/ POLLEN LOADS CONTINUOUS FLOWERING

Brassica type Sinapis type BRASSICACEAE %

100 80 60 40 20 0

Y Y T R A M JUNE APRIL JUL GUS OBE AU EPTEMBER OCT 2007, 2008 S SPRING FLOWERING

Salix (only data for 2008)

ROSACEAE %

60 50 40 30 20 10 0

R AY LY RIL U BER M JUNE J GUST M OBE AP U E A T OCT 2007, 2008 SEP SUMMER FLOWERING

CASTANEA %

30

20

10

0

Y Y MA UST BER APRIL JUNE JUL O AUG CT O 2007, 2008 SEPTEMBER SUMMER FLOWERING

% SOPHORA

50 40 30 20 10 0

R AY LY RIL U BER M JUNE J GUST M OBE AP U E A T OCT 2007, 2008 SEP SUMMER FLOWERING

PARTHENOCISSUS %

100 80 60 40 20 0

Y Y T R A M JUNE APRIL JUL GUS OBE AU EPTEMBER OCT 2007, 2008 S SUMMER FLOWERING

BUDDLEJA %

40 30 20 10 0

T IN RE RE VRIL MAI U OU B J A OB A EM T JUILLET T OC 2007, 2008 SEP FALL FLOWERING

HEDERA % 100 80 60 40 20 0

Y E T R RIL BE P MA JUN JULY A UGUS A OCTO 2007, 2008 SEPTEMBER FALL FLOWERING

% BEGONIA

6

4

2

0

T R R S E RIL B MAY JUNE AP JULY AUGU CTO O 2007, 2008 SEPTEMBE FALL FLOWERING

% RESEDA

30 25 20 15 10 5 0

R AY LY RIL U BER M JUNE J GUST M OBE AP U E A T OCT 2007, 2008 SEP OCCASIONAL FLOWERING

Platanus (april 2008)

Papaver (june 2007, august 2008)

Olea (june 2008)

Echium (july 2007)

Chenopodiaceae/Amarant. (august 2008)

Petunia (september 2008) 2/ FLORAL ABUNDANCE NUMBER OF POLLEN TYPES AT SAINT-DENIS 2008

100

50

0

n = 171

Herbaceous 70% Cultivated and introduced 27% Trees 15% Shrubs and climbers 9% NUMBER OF POLLEN TYPE PRESENT AT LEAST 50%

NUMBER OF POLLEN TYPES PRESENT AT MORE 50%

100

50 n = 16 0 Res eda L onicera repens B uddleja t. S inapis Apiaceae P lantag o t. Brassica Ros aceae coronopus t. Clematis lanceolata Plantago t. Plantago t. Trifolium t. As teraceae Cichoraceae Brassicaceae 100% 75% 60% 50% Parthenocissus

Herbaceous 75% Cultivated or introduced 13% Trees 0% Shrubs and climbers 19% TAXA DIVERSITY (POLLEN LOADS) (Example in 2 weeks) June 7th, 2007

Rambouillet St. Cyr St.Denis

Number 36 17 4242 % Introd. species 0 6 1010 Eschscholzia Hydrangea Petunia Philadelphus Deutzia September 5th, 2007

Rambouillet St. Cyr St.Denis

Number 24 18 4848

% Introd. species 0 6 1919 Phacelia Begonia Buddleja Ceratostigma Clematis (horticultural) Cyclamen (horticultural) Gazania Petunia Ptelea Viburnum rithydifolium GAZANIA

CERATOSTIGMA HONEY

Spring honey Rhamnaceae Aesculus Brassicaceae Rosaceae

Summer honey Ailanthus Buddleja Ligustrum Tilia Rhus COMPARISON BETWEEN THE THREE SITES

Urban +semi-natural+agricultural :Brassicaceae, Castanea, Hedera, Plantago and Rosaceae

Urban: Begonia, Buddleja, Echium, Petunia, Reseda and Sophora

Semi-natural :Centaurea cyanus, Fagopyrum, Hypericum, Tilia and Trifolium

Agricultural :Anthemidae, Phacelia, Poaceae and Solanum URBAN SITE

HIGH NUMBER OF TAXA

MORE DIVERSIFIED POLLINIFEROUS PLANTS

IMORTANCE OF INTRODUCED LATE SUMMER FLOWERING Begonia, Buddleja, Petunia

URBAN MARKERS Sophora, Buddleja, Gazania, Ceratostigma, Gaura type Liriodendron, Magnolia Koelreuteria

MEDITERRANEAN MARKERS Olea (pollen loads) Cistus laurifolius, C. monspeliensis, HELP! SOME UNKNOWN POLLEN TYPES SOME UNKNOWN POLLEN TYPES This project was supported by the Departement of Seine- Saint-Denis and by the Region Ile-de-France within the network R2DS (Réseau de Recherche sur le Développement Soutenable).