Inferring host-cleptoparasite complexes of South American Centridine bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) using macroecological perspectives

Abstract

Bees are normally regarded as social insects that build hives and visit flowers to collect pollen to feed their offspring. However, throughout their evolutionary history, several lineages have lost these characteristics, and have instead, become cleptoparasites, depending on other bee species to raise their offspring. Since cleptoparasites depend on hosts to persist in a location, we could expect that the geographic distribution of the later also influences the distribution the former, mainly in specialized forms of parasitism. Moreover, we could also expect that cleptoparasites ecological niches would evolve to overlap with its respective host(s). Here, we applied multivariate bioclimatic niche analyses and species distribution models to evaluate the effects of host-cleptoparasite relationships on the distribution and ecological niche of Centris and Epiclopus from Chile. Based on our results, considering the species’ distribution range and multivariate niche overlaps, we were able to (1) evaluate the specificity of cleptoparasitism among host-parasite complexes and (2) infer the existence of still uncaptured relationships between the available host and cleptoparasite species. With our results in hand, it is possible to start discussing and decreasing the so-called Eltonian shortfall (lack of proper knowledge on the interactions each species maintains with others). Although not conclusive, these results support the need for continuous sampling of bees and insect species in general, in order to allow the unveiling and better description of their biological relationships.