Selection of bee species for environmental risk assessment of GM cotton in the Brazilian Cerrado

Abstract

-The objective of this work was to list potential candidate bee species for environmental risk assessment (ERA) of genetically modified (GM) cotton and to identify the most suited bee species for this task, according to their abundance and geographical distribution. Field inventories of bee on cotton flowers were performed in the states of Bahia and Mato Grosso, and in Distrito Federal, Brazil. During a 344 hour sampling, 3,470 bees from 74 species were recovered, at eight sites. Apis mellifera dominated the bee assemblages at all sites. Sampling at two sites that received no insecticide application was sufficient to identify the three most common and geographically widespread wild species: Paratrigona lineata, Melissoptila cnecomola, and Trigona spinipes, which could be useful indicators of pollination services in the ERA. Indirect ordination of common wild species revealed that insecticides reduced the number of native bee species and that interannual variation in bee assemblages may be low. Accumulation curves of rare bee species did not saturate, as expected in tropical and megadiverse regions. Species-based approaches are limited to analyze negative impacts of GM cotton on pollinator biological diversity. The accumulation rate of rare bee species, however, may be useful for evaluating possible negative effects of GM cotton on bee diversity.Index terms: Gossypium hirsutum, biological diversity, ecological risk assessment, pollination services, transgenic crops, wild bees. Seleção de espécies de abelhas para avaliação de risco ambiental de algodoeiro GM no Cerrado brasileiroResumo -O objetivo deste trabalho foi listar espécies de abelhas candidatas potenciais para análise de risco ambiental (ARA) de algodoeiros geneticamente modificados (GM) e identificar as espécies de abelhas mais adequadas para essa finalidade, de acordo com sua abundância e distribuição geográfica. Inventários de abelhas em flores de algodoeiro foram realizados nos estados da Bahia e do Mato Grosso, e no Distrito Federal. Durante 344 horas de amostragem, foram coletadas 3.470 abelhas de 74 espécies, em oito locais. Apis mellifera dominou as assembleias de abelhas em todos os locais. A amostragem em dois locais que não receberam aplicação de inseticidas foi suficiente para identificar as três species de abelhas silvestres mais comuns e de distribuição geográfica mais ampla: Paratrigona lineata, Melissoptila cnecomola e Trigona spinipes, as quais poderiam ser usadas como indicadoras de serviços de polinização na ARA. A ordenação indireta de espécies silvestres comuns revelou que os inseticidas reduziram o número de espécies de abelhas nativas e que a variação interanual nas assembleias de abelhas pode ser baixa. As curvas de acumulação de espécies raras de abelhas não saturaram, conforme esperado em regiões tropicais e megadiversas. As abordagens baseadas em espécies são limitadas para avaliar os impactos negativos de algodoeiros GM sobre a diversidade biológica de polinizadores. A taxa de acumulação de espécies raras de abelhas, n...

Impact of the foraging activity of Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on increasing yields of Gossypium hirsutum (Malvaceae) in Djoumassi (Garoua, Cameroon)

“…This result confirms those reported by Mazi et al (2013) [5] at Dang and Dounia and Tchuenguem [12] at Maroua in Cameroon. According to Pires et al (2014) [16] in Brazil, Apidae are the important flower visitor of cotton. The peak activity of A. mellifera was observed in the morning, between 8:00 and 9:00 am.…”

“…Near Narrabi in New South Wales, no bee was seen on its flowers, and although small number of wasps and flies were recorded [15]. In USA [8] and in Brazil [16], Bumblebees (Bombus sp.) and Apoids are respectively the main cotton pollinators' insects.…”

Herbicide application on Genetically Modified Maize influences bee visitation

“…Apis mellifera being the most frequent visitor in maize plants can be explained by Pires et al (2014) who studied genetically modified cotton and observed that the visitation of the species A. mellifera dominated in relation to other species of bees on the crop. This can be explained by the greater natural occurrence of this species.…”

Amegilla sp. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Visitors to Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum, Malvaceae) Flowers and Their Role in Crop Pollination at Djoumassi (North, Cameroon)

“…Apis mellifera revealed their efficient role in the pollination of cotton flowers in Arizona in USA [17], in Australia [18] and in Cameroon [13,14,19]. In Brazil, Pires et al [20] observed Bumblebees (Bombus sp.) and Apoids on cotton flowers.…”