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We investigated the diversity of euglossine bees in ten areas of Atlantic Forest Domain in São Paulo State, Brazil. Bees were collected with odor baits for 2 years, from March 2007 to March 2009. From a standardized effort during the first year of sampling, we compare the four areas using indexes of diversity, evenness, and similarity of euglossine communities. In the second year, we added six new places for presenting a general overview on the Atlantic forest in São Paulo. A total of 2,395 individuals of 23 species were recorded in the study areas. Ilhabela had the highest number of species (19) and individuals (1,260). The most attractive odor bait was eucalyptol, which attracted 16 species and 58 % of all individuals. Euglossa cordata (Linnaeus 1958) was the most abundant species, representing 50 % of the individuals sampled; apparently, populations of this species are more abundant at low altitudes, as for example on islands and on the coast. The results also suggest a difference in richness among altitudes, since coastal areas (where the climatic variation are milder) had more species. The present study advances knowledge on the occurrence of euglossine bees in the Atlantic Forest and fills the lack of a systematic study of these bees of coastal areas in São Paulo State.

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The fragmentation and habitat loss are the main causes of pollinators decline worldwide, however very little is known about the composition and distribution of neotropical pollinators along continuous micro-environments. To fill this gap, we carried out samplings of Euglossini bees in a continuous area of forest with micro-environments of primary (remnant) and secondary (regeneration) forest of Atlantic Forest. We evaluated the differences in the composition and uniformity of orchid bees in different micro-environments, in order to characterize the responses of the local environmental changes in the attraction of bees to chemical traps. Our results indicated that the composition and uniformity were similar between the two forest fragments studied here, although there are greater abundance of some species by micro-environments. We conclude that the characteristics of the sites in a continuous environment with primary and secondary forest do not seem to have an effect on the composition of the Euglossini fauna, and that the chemical substances are complementary in the attractiveness of the orchid bee males. Thus, our findings suggest that micro-environments in a continuous matrix near forest remnants can help to promote the reintegration of the orchid bee communities and contribute to the conservation of areas in process of forest regeneration.

Life-sciences are pointing towards an alarming worldwide pollinator decline. This decline proceeds along with overall biodiversity losses, even in the context of urban landscapes and human welfare. At the same time, social-sciences are arguing an increased distance from nature, experienced by citizens. The strong connection between the public good and pollinator sustainability, even in urban areas, is well-documented. However, usually basic and applied life-sciences tend to underestimate public perception of nature, which is better tackled by the fields of social-sciences. Therefore, more efforts are needed to link scientific questions and public 'perception' of nature. We designed a transversal project where research questions directly confront public concerns: i.e., even while addressing scientific knowledge gaps, our questions directly arise from public concerns. Social studies highlighted that appreciation of (exotic) plants is related to the impact they may have on the surrounding natural environment: therefore, we investigated links of native and exotic flowers to local pollinators. Other studies highlighted that scientific results need to link to everyday individual experience: therefore, we investigated pollination modes of the renown Salvia, native and exotic, largely used in cuisine and gardening. The botanic garden was the promoter of scientific questions addressed by the public, and also collated the results in a travelling exhibition. The exhibition, together with a dedicated catalogue, were especially designed to enlighten the wide public on the relationships that plants, native and exotic alike, establish with the surrounding world. OPEN ACCESS Citation: Giovanetti M, Giuliani C, Boff S, Fico G, Lupi D (2020) A botanic garden as a tool to combine public perception of nature and lifescience investigations on native/exotic plants interactions with local pollinators. PLoS ONE 15(2): e0228965. https://doi.org/10.daily contacts with plants or animals, and science, which constantly enlarges knowledge and gives new insights on sustainable living choices to preserve nature. Still no consensus exists on how to measure the importance of natural resources, the services provided by natural ecosystems, the connections of nature-enriched environments with health and quality of lifetime [1,2,3,4]. The natural world is often perceived as a "surrounding" environment, to which most of us is not directly connected. Instead, our own survival strongly depends on the connections with it [5]. Plants are of enormous importance as providers of oxygen, food, and as sources of pharmaceutical products that we need to contrast illnesses. They sustain human well-being and are food sources and shelters to animals interacting with them.Pollinators, especially bees, are also of enormous importance: they provide one of the most important ecosystem services [6,7]. Pollinators are the vectors that plants use to produce new generations through the processes of fertilisation, fruit and seed formation [8,9,10]. Currently there is a need...