Abstract
This study investigated the occurrence of individuals of stingless bees attracted by the trophic resources existing in four edge areas of forest fragments located in the Baturité Massif, State of Ceará. In this sense, the study evaluated the species richness in the areas; the absolute abundance of species; the similarity of species between edges; and the affinity of bees for the same plant species. The sampling of bees compiled a total of 20 species distributed in 12 genera. Seven species stood out for abundance and two (Trigona spinipes and Trigona fulviventris) showed dominance. The results also showed that the fragments present a similar stingless bee fauna and the affinity of the bee species for the same plant species revealed the formation of five distinct bee groups in foraging preferences involving 15 (75%) out of the 20 species of bees studied.
Highlights
In the neotropics, researchers have faced difficulties in bee census procedures due to the degradation of natural environments (Brosi et al 2008)
Bee species richness Sampling of stingless bees collected 1,346 specimens of 20 species distributed in 12 generic taxa (Table I)
The estimation of the number of bee species of the richness estimators did not show a discrepancy between the number of species collected and the estimated number of species for F1 (Chao = 10.12, Jackknife 1 = 10.94), F2 (Chao = 8, Jackknife 1 = 8) and F3 (Chao = 13.16, Jackknife 1 = 13.94), there was sampling sufficiency for these edges
Summary
Researchers have faced difficulties in bee census procedures due to the degradation of natural environments (Brosi et al 2008) This process is characterized mainly by the fragmentation of habitats caused almost always by anthropogenic actions carried out over the centuries (Viana & Pinheiro 1998, Cerqueira et al 2003, Brown & Lomolino 2006). Gene flow between animal and plant populations is the factor most drastically affected in space and time. In this case, the elements that contribute most to these genetic alterations are the fragment sizes, the distances between them and the permeability of the established matrix (Viana et al 1992, Scariot et al 2003, Schneider et al 2003). In the group of Meliponini and other Apoidea, this critical limit is perceived through the emergence of diploid males, due to the lack of alleles for the proper genetic combinations (Kerr & Vencovsky 1982)
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