Abstract
Knowing the floral origin of the pollen collected by native bees in Neotropical ecosystems enables us to understand the dynamics of the interdependent relationships between the insects and the native flora. The objectives of this study were to: (i) investigate the spectrum of plant species from which pollen is collected by Tetragonisca angustula in caatinga (dry vegetation) areas in the semiarid region of Northeastern Brazil; (ii) identify pollen types that could be used as regional geographical markers and (iii) determine the pollen niche breadth and the pattern of use of floral resources by this stingless bee. In total, 23 samples of the pollen stored by T. angustula were collected monthly and subjected to acetolysis. Of the 45 pollen types identified that of Prosopis juliflora (Fabaceae) and Solanum (Solanaceae) were the most frequently represented in the samples and 19 were collected by the bees at both study sites. Species characteristic of caatinga, such as Poincianella pyramidalis (Tulasne) L.P. Queiroz and Senna macranthera (de Candolle ex Colladon) H.S. Irwin & Barneby, were among the pollen identified and they were used as indicators of the geographical origin of the samples. The average values of the pollen niche breadth (H') and equitability (J') indicate that T. angustula is a generalist and homogeneous forager of the floral resources in caatinga.
Highlights
Over the past several decades, deforestation, habitat loss and the introduction of exotic species have resulted in a decline in populations of native pollinators
As the environmental services provided by native bees in particular are important it is essential to understand those aspects of their biology, behaviour and ecology that can be used to develop conservation initiatives designed to maintain pollination (Allen-Wardell et al, 1998)
Our data indicate that T. angustula used a large number of plant species as 45 pollen types are listed in the spectra (Tables 1 and 2)
Summary
Over the past several decades, deforestation, habitat loss and the introduction of exotic species have resulted in a decline in populations of native pollinators. This phenomenon has led the international scientific community to attempt to understand the implications of this decline for global ecosystems and propose mechanisms for reducing this decline (Allen-Wardell et al, 1998; International Pollinators Initiative, 1999; Biesmeijer et al, 2006; Freitas et al, 2009; Burkle & Alarcón, 2011; Giannini et al, 2012). In the Neotropical region, it is difficult to carry out continuous and systematic studies of the flora that provide this protein diet for native bees. In Brazil, such studies have been ongoing for decades; they have not been done in all the biomes in Brazil (Barth, 2004; Borges et al, 2006)
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