Edge effects on the orchid-bee fauna (Hymenoptera: Apidae) at a large remnant of Atlantic Rain Forest in southeastern Brazil

Abstract

The main goal of this study was to assess the abundance, richness, and the community structure of the orchid-bee fauna at different distances from the edge. In all, 1,183 males from 20 species were collected. Only minor and insignificant variation in richness and abundance were observed among the sites. Two dominant species, Euglossa analis Westwood (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and Eulaema cingulata (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), showed strongly opposing habitat associations: while males of the former were most collected in the interior of the forest, the latter was most found at or close to the edge. The responses of individual species, such as these, and not composite measures of richness and abundance, are more informative regarding forest integrity and edge effects.

Is the “Centro de Endemismo Pernambuco” a biodiversity hotspot for orchid bees?

“…Roubik, 2004b;Oliveira, 2006;Rasmussen and Skov, 2006;Nemésio, 2006Nemésio, , 2007Nemésio, , 2008Nemésio, , 2009Nemésio, , 2010aNemésio, , 2011bNemésio, , c, d, 2012aAyala and Engel, 2008;Bembé, 2008;Hinojosa-Díaz and Engel, 2011a, b;Hinojosa-Díaz et al, 2011Nemésio and Engel, 2012), faunistic and ecological studies in the last decade have been mainly focused on the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil (e.g. Bezerra and Martins, 2001;Tonhasca Júnior et al, 2002;Santos and Sofia, 2002;Martins and Souza, 2005;MiletPinheiro and Schlindwein 2005;Darrault et al, 2006;Nemésio and Silveira, 2006b, 2007a, 2010Farias et al, 2007;Farias et al 2008;Aguiar andGaglianone, 2008, 2011;Moura and Schlindwein, 2009;Nemésio, 2010bNemésio, , 2011aNemésio, , b, e, 2012cMattozo et al, 2011;Cordeiro et al, 2013;Nemésio and Vasconcelos, 2013), although a few studies have also been conducted in the Amazon Morato, 2004, 2006;StorckTonon et al, 2009;Rasmussen, 2009;Abrahamczyk et al, 2011;Nemésio et al, 2014).…”

The orchid-bee fauna (Hymenoptera: Apidae) of ‘RPPN Feliciano Miguel Abdala’ revisited: relevant changes in community composition

“…analis species group were collected, Euglossa cognata Moure, 1970 and Eg. marianae (see Nemésio and Silveira, 2006 -Eg. marianae listed as Eg.…”

“…In fact, the dominant species, especially Eulaema nigrita and El. marcii, are among the most common orchid-bee species in the Neotropics and considered to be tolerant to disturbed areas (Morato, 1998;Tonhasca Jr. et al, 2002;Nemésio and Silveira, 2006). Even smaller forest remnants, immersed in an urban matrix, and located in drier portions of the Atlantic Forest (Nemésio andSilveira, 2007, 2010) seem to present a more diverse orchid-bee fauna than RFMA.…”

“…Moreover, its population did not "fluctuate", but entirely "disappeared" and there is no apparent explanation for its absence from RFMA. Euglossa despecta was also an important part of the orchid-bee fauna of 'Parque Estadual do Rio Doce', distant only 60 km from RFMA, in 1999 (Nemésio and Silveira, 2006). Nemésio and Silveira (2007) argued that deforestation and consequent fragmentation in many parts of the Atlantic Forest are relatively recent events, and populations of some species could be declining towards extinction in some of these forest remnants.…”

“…Surveys of orchid bees in previously unsampled areas became an important part of orchid-bee studies, in order to fully understand the actual diversity of the group and, also, establish their precise geographic distributions (e.g. Braga, 1976;Powell and Powell, 1987;Rebêlo and Garófalo, 1991;1997;Morato et al, 1992;Morato, 1994;Oliveira and Campos, 1995;Bonilla-Gómez, 1999;Bezerra and Martins, 2001;Santos and Sofia, 2002;Tonhasca Jr. et al, 2002;Nemésio and Silveira, 2006, 2007, 2010Rasmussen, 2009;Nemésio and Vasconcelos, 2013).…”