Pollen Analysis Reveals Plants Foraged by Africanized Honeybees in the Southern Pantanal, Brazil

Boff, Samuel; Luz, Cynthia Fernandes Pinto da; Araujo, Andréa Cardoso; Pott, Arnildo

doi:10.1590/s1519-566x2011000100007

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…These findings confirm the status of these plant families as important sources of forage for wild bees in these forest islets, as already suggested by the analysis of the pollen diet of Apis mellifera in the same region (Boff et al 2011). The predominance of herbaceous species in the edge of the forest islets was already Neotrop.,vol.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…In relation to interactions among bees and plants in the Pantanal region, we found only one study, a report on the interactions of the exotic bee Apis mellifera Linnaeus 1758, with plants whose flowers make up its pollen diet (Boff et al 2011). Despite floristic surveys recording a high richness of melittophilous plants in the Pantanal (Pott & Pott 1986, Araujo & Sazima 2003, and preliminary reports of bee visitation for some plant species (Pott & Pott 1994), no systematic surveys of bee pollinators and their forage plants have been conducted in this region.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) and flowers in natural forest patches of southern Pantanal

2013

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This is the first systematic survey of bees in the Pantanal wetland, Brazil. We recorded bee species and their floral resources within grassland and natural forest edge habitats in the Pantanal. Surveys were conducted during two to four-days per month, for a total of 12 months. Overall, we recorded 56 bee species visiting a total of 63 flowering plants. Asteraceae and Fabaceae presented the highest number of visited species, however Hyptis suaveolens (Lamiaceae) was the plant most visited by different bee species (18). The most generalist native bee was Trigona fuscipennis visiting a total of 17 flowering plant species. Apis mellifera , an exotic bee, visited 27 species. We also report the overlap (37.5%) in the use of floral resources between the exotic bee Apis mellifera and native bee species. Our updated bee checklist here presented includes 10 new records for the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. These data will support management strategies targeting the conservation of plant-pollinator interactions in the Pantanal ecosystem. Resumo: Esta é a primeira amostragem sistemática de abelhas realizada no Pantanal, Brasil. Nós coletamos espécies de abelhas bem como as plantas que utilizaram como recurso floral em áreas de pastagens naturais e bordas de áreas florestadas. As coletas foram conduzidas durante dois a quatro dias a cada mês, durante 12 meses. Foram registradas 56 espécies de abelhas visitando um total de 63 espécies de plantas. As famílias Asteraceae e Fabaceae apresentaram o maior numero de espécies visitadas, entretanto Hyptis suaveolens (Lamiaceae) foi a espécie visitada pelo maior número de espécies diferentes de abelhas (18). A abelha nativa mais generalista encontrada foi Trigona fuscipennis , que visitou 17 espécies de plantas. Apis mellifera , uma espécie exótica, visitou 27 espécies. Reportamos também a sobreposição (37,5%) no uso de recursos florais entre A. mellifera e espécies de abelhas nativas. A listagem de abelhas aqui apresentada inclui 10 espécies ainda não mencionadas para o estado de Mato Grosso do Sul. Esses dados apoiarão estratégias de manejo focadas na conservação das interações entre plantas e polinizadores no ecossistema Pantanal. Palavras-chave: abelhas, visitantes florais, fragmentos florestais, inventários. 47Bees and flowers of southern Pantanal

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) and flowers in natural forest patches of southern Pantanal

2013

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“…Cecropia is a widespread small tree in Brazil and produces small pollen that is very attractive to bees ). This genus was also observed by Boff et al (2011) as an accessory pollen type in analyzed pollen loads from southern Pantanal in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…Regional data were presented by Barth & Luz (1998) with regard to pollen collection inside mangrove areas, Barth (2004) in a review, Modro et al (2007), Luz et al (2007) in a forested area of Rio de Janeiro State, Melo et al (2009) in São Paulo State, Barth et al (2009), Luz et al (2010 in Minas Gerais State, Barth et al (2010) with regard to the technical processing of pollen loads, Luz et al (2011) in Espírito Santo State, Boff et al (2011) The present study aimed to investigate the botanical and geographical origins of bee pollen collected in four Brazilian macro-regions. This study aimed to provide also results that will contribute to improve the certification of this bee product and the preservation of the native vegetation.…”

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confidence: 99%

The botanical profiles of dried bee pollen loads collected by Apis mellifera (Linnaeus) in Brazil

Freitas¹,

Arruda²,

Almeida-Muradian³

et al. 2013

Sociobiology

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A total of 61 dried bee pollen samples collected in four Brazilian macro-regions within 19 municipalities were analyzed to identify the sources used by Apis mellifera (L.) for pollen production and to enable a more accurate product certification. Sample preparation followed the standard methodology, including washing the pollen grains with ethanol and then with water and homogenising the sediment in a water/glycerine solution for microscopic observation. Pollen counts included at least 500 pollen grains per sample. Only six samples, presenting a unique species or pollen type comprising more than 90% of the pollen sum, were considered monofloral, including Ambrosia sp., Cecropia sp.,Eucalyptus sp., Fabaceae, Mimosa scabrella (Benth.) spp. and Schinus sp. pollen types. The most frequent pollen types of the heterofloral pollen batches, based on a counting limit of 45%, included Anadenanthera sp., Asteraceae,Brassica sp., Caesalpiniaceae, Cocos nucifera (L.) sp., Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia (Benth.) sp., Mimosa verrucosa(Benth.) sp., and Myrcia sp. pollen types. This result may be related to the great diversity of the Brazilian flora contributing to heterofloral pollen loads and honeys.

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“…On the other hand, the exotic species A. mellifera is a generalist visitor and pollinator of a large number of species with a wide range of floral types, and in diverse habitats (Machado & Sazima ; Boff et al . , ; Yamamoto et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive biology and pollination ecology of Triplaris gardneriana (Polygonaceae): a case of ambophily in the Brazilian Chaco

2017

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Triplaris gardneriana (Polygonaceae) is a dioecious pioneer tree reported as insect-pollinated, despite possessing traits related to anemophily. Here, we analyse the possible roles of insects and wind on the pollination of this species to establish whether the species is ambophilous. We carried out observations of floral biology, as well as on the frequency and behaviour of pollinators visiting flowers in a population of T. gardneriana in the Chaco vegetation of Brazil. We conducted experimental pollinations to determine the maternal fertility of female plants and whether they were pollen-limited, and we also conducted aerobiological experiments to provide evidence of how environmental factors influence atmospheric pollen dispersal. The population comprised an area of approximately 152.000 m and was composed of 603 female and 426 male plants (sex ratio = 0.59:0.41). We observed 48 species of insects visiting flowers of T. gardneriana, of which the bees Scaptotrigona depilis and Apis mellifera scutellata were the most effective pollinators. We recorded pollen grains dispersed by wind on 74% of the glass slides placed on females, located at different distances (1-10 m) from male plants. Airborne pollen concentration was negatively correlated with relative humidity and positively correlated with temperature. Our observations and experimental results provide the first evidence that T. gardneriana is an ambophilous species, with pollen dispersal resulting from both animal and wind pollination. This mixed pollination strategy may be adaptive in T. gardneriana providing reproductive assurance during colonisation of sites with different biotic and abiotic conditions.

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Pollen Analysis Reveals Plants Foraged by Africanized Honeybees in the Southern Pantanal, Brazil

Cited by 13 publications

References 23 publications

Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) and flowers in natural forest patches of southern Pantanal

Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) and flowers in natural forest patches of southern Pantanal

The botanical profiles of dried bee pollen loads collected by Apis mellifera (Linnaeus) in Brazil

Reproductive biology and pollination ecology of Triplaris gardneriana (Polygonaceae): a case of ambophily in the Brazilian Chaco

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