This bibliography was compiled from over 3,550 references covering the period 1787 to early 2010. References were obtained through iterative searches into older sources and continued until a cul-de-sac was reached. Particular effort was expended in obtaining translations of works in Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese and Russian. Most of the publications cited here have not been captured by any of the enormous websites or search engines. This bibliography is the most complete of its kind available. Bibliographic entries are presented with significant keywords relating to the specific biological trait, for example, swarming, chromosomes, wax and so on as well by scientific names and countries of origin.

The complex social structure and male-biased sex ratio of honeybee mating systems are analysed, followed by detailed treatments of panmictic drone congregation areas and species-specific daily mating flight periods. This is followed by an account of queen polyandry and drone monogamy and competition. Mating on the wing is a finely tuned technical tour de force involving initial docking, establishing the internal connection of drone and queen, the deposition and transfer of sperm and, finally, decoupling of the pair and deposition of a mating sign. Subsequent to mating, the problems of the ultimate storage and utilisation of sperm are discussed. Finally, the matter of reproductive isolation is considered.

Aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs) have the unique ability to grow on methane as their sole source of carbon and energy. They are ubiquitous in the environment and play a major role in the removal of the greenhouse gas methane from the biosphere before it is released into the atmosphere. The ability to drive oxygen-dependent methane oxidation was once assumed to be an exceptional property of a very restricted set of microbes belonging to two classes of Proteobacteria: Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria. While Proteobacteria still form the foundation of the methanotrophic landscape in many ecosystems, the ability to oxidize methane has also been demonstrated in the microbial phyla Verrucomicrobia and Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera (phylum NC10). Over the years various methanotrophs have also been isolated, including facultative methanotrophs, extremophile species, and anaerobes, thus expanding both the taxonomic diversity and physiological range of methanotrophy. In addition, a number of cross-species interactions that enable efficient methane utilization have been identified, changing the way we view mechanisms of methane utilization. Finally, a thorough revision of core metabolic pathways has been made, and whole-genome metabolic models have been constructed, which facilitate the metabolic engineering of methanotrophic bacteria and expand the potential for their biotechnological applications.

Aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs) have the unique ability to grow on methane as their sole source of carbon and energy. They are ubiquitous in the environment and play a major role in the removal of the greenhouse gas methane from the biosphere before it is released into the atmosphere. The ability to drive oxygen-dependent methane oxidation was once assumed to be an exceptional property of a very restricted set of microbes belonging to two classes of Proteobacteria: Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria. While Proteobacteria still form the foundation of the methanotrophic landscape in many ecosystems, the ability to oxidize methane has also been demonstrated in the microbial phyla Verrucomicrobia and Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera (phylum NC10). Over the years various methanotrophs have also been isolated, including facultative methanotrophs, extremophile species, and anaerobes, thus expanding both the taxonomic diversity and physiological range of methanotrophy. In addition, a number of cross-species interactions that enable efficient methane utilization have been identified, changing the way we view mechanisms of methane utilization. Finally, a thorough revision of core metabolic pathways has been made, and whole-genome metabolic models have been constructed, which facilitate the metabolic engineering of methanotrophic bacteria and expand the potential for their biotechnological applications.

Aerobic methanotrophs are metabolically unique bacteria that are able to utilize methane as a sole source of energy. They occur in a wide range of habitats where both methane and oxygen are available. Nearly all methanotrophic bacteria that are now isolated in pure cultures belong to the phylum Proteobacteria, while only a limited number of strains represent the Verrucomicrobia. Proteobacterial methanotrophs affiliate with the classes Gammaproteobacteria (type I methanotrophs) and Alphaproteobacteria (type II methanotrophs) and belong to 23 genera and 56 species with validly published names. Several described methanotrophic representatives of the Gammaproteobacteria are not yet obtained in pure cultures and have a “Candidatus” status. Cultivation-independent studies indicate the existence of several further groups of methanotrophic bacteria that have not yet been obtained in culture. However, the currently cultivated strains cover a surprisingly broad range of methanotrophs detected in various environments by molecular approaches. This chapter offers an overview of the currently described methanotroph diversity and the major groups of methanotrophic bacteria that have so far eluded isolation efforts.

The deep ocean is one of the largest and least studied biomes on Earth. The microbes inhabiting these locales require physiological adaptations to handle the associated extreme environmental conditions, including high hydrostatic pressure, low temperatures, and low organic carbon. Few microbes have been successfully cultured that are capable of growth under in situ high-pressure conditions, especially at hadal depths, thanks to the relative inaccessibility of these sites, an inability to collect samples and maintain them under in situ conditions, and difficulties in culturing methodology. However, genome sequencing and high-throughput community analyses have provided insight into the prokaryotes which inhabit the deep sea and their lifestyles. This review discusses our current understanding of microbial adaptation to the deep-ocean through genomic comparisons of deep-ocean adapted microbial ecotypes and their shallow-water counterparts, including opportunistic heterotrophic microbes belonging to the Gammaproteobacteria and the fastidious taxa SAR11 and Thaumarchaea. These comparisons are addressed in the context of culture-independent metagenomics and community diversity analyses on deep, oligotrophic pelagic communities. Both culture-dependent and—independent analyses suggest the presence of bathytypes as both isolates and whole communities are distinct from those found above them. While these studies show many attributes indicative of deep-ocean genomes, including genes for particle-association, heavy-metal resistance, the loss of a UV photolyase, and increased abundances of mobile elements, they also suggest that high-pressure adaptation seems to arise from the accumulation of many small changes, such as differences in gene expression or the accumulation of compatible solutes. Genomic analyses on a larger dataset of samples and piezophilic isolates are necessary to distinguish attributes specific to deep-sea adaptation.

Foraging preferences in relation to rewards (nectar and pollen) from flowers are considered in terms of floral constancy although there are species-specific variations in foraging activity. Considerations of foraging flight include speed, thermoregulation, flight patterns and intensity. These are in turn related to weather factors that greatly affect the commencement and cessation of foraging, diurnal trends in foraging, bee-size and nocturnal foraging. Matters of thresholds and timing, factor compensating mechanisms, and sequence and timing of bee visits are recorded. In a broader context resource partitioning, competition for floral resources and the influence of honeybees on other bee species are reviewed. Finally, organoleptic aspects in relation to flavour, taste and the colours of flowers and biochemical characters of host plants are discussed.