Honey has a long history of use in many cultures as food and medicine. It is a food of animal origin closely linked to the territory, due to honeybees need the flora to obtain the honey. Melissopalynology plays a significant role in the identification of the distinctive food print of honey throughout its pollen content, being essential for guaranteeing origin. Algeria is the largest country in North Africa and possesses a diversified territory with different ecosystems that host wide plant biodiversity. Apiculture relies heavily on the pollination of plant species and the conservation of biodiversity, but also is a good source of economic income in rural areas. In Algeria, knowledge about plant resources for honey bees and the properties of the honey is raising interest. In this context, this chapter aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the different ecosystems of Algeria, the main pollen types found in the pollen spectra of honey and the principal honey types described.

In August 2021, very intense fires swept through various forested areas in northern Algeria, particularly in Kabylia. The population dynamics of Cistus salviifolius and Cistus monspeliensis were studied along a post-fire successional gradient during the first nine months (September 2021 – May 2022), in two forest communities: the Cork oak (Quercus suber) and the Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) forests in the coastal zone of Bejaia province. The Cistus spp. germinations were counted monthly in each forest on 10 plots of 1 m2, evenly distributed along 2 transects of 45 m each. The results showed that the majority of germinations occur in December with 207.5 ± 24.2 seedlings in the Cork oak forest and 171.3 ± 18.0 seedlings in the Aleppo pine forest. Student’s t-test does not reveal significant differences for December between the two communities. During the first months following the fire (September and October 2021), germinations were almost absent. The monthly rainfall in September 2021 was estimated at 16.25 mm, an insufficient amount for effective germination. Late germination results in an extension of its period, showed a high rate in January 2022 with 42.2 ± 2.1 and 11.5 ± 0.8 seedlings, respectively, in the Cork oak forest and the pine forest. Beyond January, germination was practically nonexistent in both communities. Therefore, the majority of the seed germination was concentrated in November, December, and January with a unimodal germination pattern.