The ca. 12,000 islands and islets that encompass the Mediterranean Basin represent a biodiversity hotspot. They have been disconnected from each other and from the continent for hundreds of thousands to millions of years and encompass a high incidence of endemic plant species, with values that can exceed 20% of the local flora. Despite this, relatively few studies have been carried out to unravel ecological and evolutionary aspects of plant reproduction. We synthesise here the available information on the breeding systems, pollination and seed dispersal mode of the Mediterranean island flora. The main objective is to identify general patterns as well as to detect the main gaps in information on reproductive ecology in these particular and vulnerable systems in the face of global change. We also briefly review the information on impacts of invasive species on plant reproduction and dispersal, as these are some of the main threats to island biodiversity in general and Mediterranean island plant diversity in particular. The review has revealed that most available information is very geographically biased towards the western Mediterranean islands, especially the Balearic Islands, although a good fraction of studies have also been carried out on the eastern islands in the Aegean archipelago. Moreover, the majority of data come from species-focused studies, mainly endemic species of restricted range, whereas only a small fraction of studies have been performed at a community level. Relatively little work has involved genetic analyses, mainly focused on assessing the genetic differentiation and variability on narrow endemics. Contrary to our expectations, most island species do not rely on autonomous selfing, which might be related to the relatively high diversity of pollinators. The small, uninhabited, islands might be the last refuges of peculiar interactions that evolved in them in ancient times; they thus should be considered as sanctuaries of extraordinary biodiversity. Finally, we point out the main gaps of information and formulate a set of hypotheses that we believe are worth testing in future studies if we are to advance knowledge on the reproductive biology of Mediterranean island plants.

Plant reproductive ecology and evolution in the Mediterranean islands: state of the art.

Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean, constitutes a biodiversity hotspot with high rates of plant endemism. The wild bees of the island were studied extensively by the native George Mavromoustakis, a world-renowned bee taxonomist, who collected extensively on the island from 1916 to 1957 and summarised his results in a series of eight Cyprus-specific papers published from 1949 ["1948"] to 1957. The current work represents the first modern checklist of the wild bees of Cyprus, based on a compilation of previous publications, museum specimens and authors' recent collections. Overall, 369 verified wild bee species have been recorded on the island, with eleven species reported from Cyprus for the first time. The island hosts all six of the globally widespread bee families, with Apidae represented by 110 species, Megachilidae with 91, Andrenidae with 76, Halictidae with 72, Colletidae with 19, and Melittidae with 1. Twenty-one of the recorded bee species are endemic (i.e., 5.7 % endemism rate) and Cyprus ranks third after Lesvos and Sicily in known bee species richness among the Mediterranean islands. Previously unpublished records from various locations on Cyprus for 156 previously reported bee species are also provided in the study. The current work provides a baseline for future studies of wild bee diversity on the island of Cyprus and neighbouring regions.

The wild bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) of the island of Cyprus.

This study presents the first checklist of the bees of the Maltese Islands and includes notes on the distribution of each species. A total of 95 species belonging to five bee families are recorded: Andrenidae (17 species), Apidae (34 species), Colletidae (6 species), Halictidae (15 species) and Megachilidae (23 species). Lasioglossum callizonium (Perez, 1896) is recorded for the first time from the Maltese Islands. Records of three previously reported species are listed as dubious. The bee fauna of the Maltese Archipelago is dominated by widespread West-Palaearctic species, and most of the species recorded are also found in the Western Mediterranean Basin. Bees that have been recorded from Malta are also known from Southern Europe. The study provides a biogeographical analysis of the Maltese bee fauna, and discusses the conservation of this group and their important role in the delivery of ecosystem services in the Maltese Islands.

The bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of the Maltese Islands

The aim of this study wasrnto assess species diversity and population abundance of pollinating insects inrnsome different regions of Iraq. There are 611 specimens were collected in therncurrent study; these specimens belong to 5 orders, 25 families, 45 genera andrn52 species. In total the percent of pollinator groups investigated werernrecorded; bees and wasps were the most abundant with 51.3% of the total numberrnof individuals, followed by butterflies 16.03%, beetles 14.07%, flies 13.25%rnand hemipteran with less 5.23%. In this investigation the species of Myathroparnflorae (Linnaeus, 1758) was registered as a new record from Iraq.

https://www.entomoljournal.com/archives/2016/vol4issue2/PartF/4-2-24.pdf

Insect pollinators in different regions of Iraq

This paper puts forward a multi-disciplinary field project, set up in 1989 at the Parc Natural de s’Albufera in Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain, as an example of a cost effective model for integrating science and volunteer participation in a coastal protected area. Outcomes include the provision of a science base for the effective management of the site; training of Balearic and international biologists and protected area managers; and providing information materials for public awareness, education and general dissemination purposes. This has been achieved at low cost by using the voluntary sector. The project incorporates scientists, wetland managers, students, scholars and other citizens under the auspices of an international volunteer network (TAIB), working in partnership with the Parc management team. Long-term monitoring over a 25-year span of subjects as varied as insects, birds, land and aquatic ecosystems and communities has led to an improved ecological understanding of socio-economic as well as environmental impacts and threats for the catchment. This paper illustrates the added value of a long-term ecological knowledge base for decision making and capacity building in protected areas in order to reduce environmental impacts from socio-economic development in surrounding coastal zones. It describes how the science base has been used as a means of communication to encourage early action by policy makers to avoid negative outcomes of costly future impact on the public purse; and highlights how the economic value of long-term monitoring as an early warning system far outweighs the modest cost to society of an integrated participatory project based in the volunteer sector. The Albufera experience is offered as a cost effective model for other coastal and island sites

The Albufera Initiative for Biodiversity: a cost effective model for integrating science and volunteer participation in coastal protected area management

A list is presented of all records known to the author, both from literature and from recent collecting, of aculeate wasps and bees from Mallorca. The list comprises 375 species, of which 200 are wasps and 175 are bees. There is an Appendix giving a list of known records from Ibiza and Menorca. Due to its separation from mainland Spain for millions of years, Mallorca has seven endemic species or subspecies. There are a further nine species or subspecies occurring on Mallorca that are endemic to the Balearic Islands. Three species new to science were discovered in 2010. The only previous published lists for the island are those of Edward Saunders in 1901 and 1904.

David Baldock

Papers

A provisional list of the wasps and bees of Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain (Hymenoptera aculeata: Chrysidoidea, Scolioidea, Vespoidea, Apoidea)