The bee community (Hymenoptera, Apidae) of Ilha Grande, Babitonga bay, Santa Catarina State, Brazil: structure, insularity and interaction network

Jonata Rodrigo Cavassola Da Silva,Enderlei Dec,Denise Monique Dubet Da Silva Mouga

doi:10.13102/sociobiology.v69i1.7360

Jonata Rodrigo Cavassola Da Silva, Enderlei Dec + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v69i1.7360

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Abstract

Island biotic communities tend to be less diverse than mainland communities. This work aimed to describe the bee community of Ilha Grande, Babitonga Bay, Santa Catarina, Brazil, and its interactions with floral resources. Entomological net-sweeps were used to collect bees in flight or on flowering plants for 7 hours a day, monthly, for two years. A total of 785 specimens were sampled in the field, belonging to 50 species or morphotypes with four indeterminate individuals. The most representative subfamilies were Apinae (58.59%), Halictinae (40.43%), Colletinae (0.8%) and Megachilinae (0.1%), while the most abundant species were Apis mellifera (305 individuals), Dialictus sp. 1 (182) and Dialictus sp. 2 (32). The presence of Apis mellifera decreased diversity throughout the year. Relative abundance and richness of Halictinae were greater on the island on mainland. Richness of Apinae was lower on the island than that on the mainland due to the absence of Meliponina. A total of 55 botanical species were identified in association with bees, with Schinus terebinthifolius (105 visits) being the most visited. Interaction network metrics indicate an asymmetric, nested, and poorly specialized network. The results corroborate the Theory of Island Biogeography and demonstrate little interference/favoring of some taxa as well as the absence of others.

Highlights

There are about 20,000 species of bees in the world (Michener, 2007; Imperatriz-Fonseca & Nunes-Silva, 2010) with about 1,500 being recorded in Brazil (Silveira et al, 2002)
A greater diversity of food resources and habitats favors a greater richness of these insects, and a positive correlation has been documented between food abundance and apifauna abundance (Spengler et al, 2011)
A total of 20 days of collection and 140 hours of sampling effort acquired a total of 785 individual bees, with 603 collected on flowers, seven sighted/collected in flight or attracted with the help of aromatic essences and 175 collected in trap dishes

Summary

Introduction

There are about 20,000 species of bees in the world (Michener, 2007; Imperatriz-Fonseca & Nunes-Silva, 2010) with about 1,500 being recorded in Brazil (Silveira et al, 2002). There is concern about the reported global decline in bee populations, since at least 75% of important crops for human consumption depend on their services (Mccravy & Ruholl, 2017; Geldmann & González-Varo, 2018). Bees stand out with regard to pollination as they provide an essential service to angiosperms while depending on the resources of these plants for food, generating a fundamental interaction among plant, pollinator and ecosystem functioning (Dalsgaard, 2020). Many flowering plants do not reproduce or do not produce seeds if there is no exchange of pollen, bees act at the base of ecosystem food chains (Imperatriz-Fonseca et al, 2012). One way to analyze interactions between plants and pollinators is through a mutualistic interaction

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