A dataset of multi-functional ecological traits of Brazilian bees

Rafael Cabral Borges,Tereza Cristina Giannini,Vera Lucia Imperatriz-Fonseca,Kleber Padovani

doi:10.1038/s41597-020-0461-3

Rafael Cabral Borges, Tereza Cristina Giannini + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0461-3

Copy DOI

Abstract

Worldwide, bees are the most important group of animal pollinators. The ecosystem service they provide is vital in natural areas and croplands, and the taxonomic and functional diversity associated with bees is vital in understanding ecosystem functioning ensuring biodiversity conservation, food security and human livelihoods. A dataset of bees from mountainous areas of Carajás National Forest (eastern Amazon) and Nova Lima (Atlantic Forest) is presented here. It is a compilation of sampling efforts from 1983 to 2018 through the accession of data stored in museum collections. In total, 222 and 144 bee species were recorded in Carajás and Nova Lima, respectively. This represents the most robust dataset of Brazilian bees including species traits (body size, flight range, distribution, crop pollination, sociality and nesting) of 328 species. This dataset contributes to advances in the knowledge of the functional trait ecology of wild bees and can benefit further studies that analyze the response of wild bees to land use and climate changes, and its effects on the provision of crop pollination services.

Highlights

Background & SummaryAmong insects, bees are the main pollinators for the majority of plants, being essential in both natural and crop environments for the provision of pollination services and for ensuring global food security to human population[1,2]
At Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi (MPEG), we found bees from Carajás that were collected in the Serra Norte area (Fig. 3a) from 1983 to 2018
At Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), we found bees from Carajás that were collected in the Serra Norte and Serra Sul areas (Fig. 3a) during the 2008 to 2017 period

Summary

Introduction

Bees are the main pollinators for the majority of plants, being essential in both natural and crop environments for the provision of pollination services and for ensuring global food security to human population[1,2]. These insects can be used as a means to improve human livelihoods, biodiversity conservation, and scientific, cultural and recreational development in natural, agricultural or urbanized landscapes[3,4]. Linking ecosystem functioning to biodiversity conservation is fundamental in determining the aims of policies and strategies for species and ecosystem conservation in the long term[17]. The use of functional traits has arisen as a direct means of addressing the abovementioned link[18,19] (Fig. 1)

Objectives

Findings

Methods