Flora visited by Melipona mondury Smith 1863 (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) in a fragment of the Atlantic Forest in the state of Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

Tropical forests encompass a high diversity of plant species that depend on several pollinator bees, such as Melipona mondury. In the present study, we identified the pollen types in samples of honey, pollen (nest pots) and pollen baskets of M. mondury workers from a meliponary located in the Atlantic Forest of the state of Bahia, north-eastern Brazil. Samples of flowering plants were also collected monthly nearby the meliponary and from trails along the fragment borders. The botanic material was identified and stored as herbarium collections. The samples of honey and pollen from colonies of M. mondury were collected and prepared using the acetolysis method for palynological studies. Using the botanical inventory around the meliponary, palynological slides were prepared and pollen characterised from 43 genera and 46 species within 24 plant families. Asteraceae (23%), Fabaceae (14%), Anacardiaceae (5%), Myrtaceae (5%), and Melastomataceae (4%) were the most common and diverse families around the meliponary. A total of 44 and 54 pollen morphotypes were found in honey and pollen samples, respectively, comprising several plant families, particularly Myrtaceae (15%) and Melastomataceae (10%). The pollen baskets of workers contained 35 pollen morphotypes, with a predominance of Fabaceae-Mimosoideae (16%), Melastomataceae (13%), Sapindaceae (13%), Myrtaceae (10%) and Solanaceae (10%). The flora of the study area proved to be highly diverse and M. mondury utilises a wide variety of plants, albeit with some differences. The conservation of the Atlantic Forest fragments is essential to the maintenance of pollinators such as M. mondury to assure the functionality of local ecosystems.