Análise do nicho trófico e da influência das precipitações no forrageamento de Melipona eburnea Friese (Apidae: Meliponina) criadas no Acre, Brasil

Abstract

Resumo. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo identificar plantas utilizadas por Melipona eburnea Friese para coleta de pólen e verificar a influência das precipitações no forrageamento dessa espécie. Para isso, realizou-se duas coletas semanais, de outubro de 2015 a junho de 2016, em três colônias de M. eburnea. Abelhas operárias transportando cargas de pólen foram capturadas na entrada de suas colônias, utilizando-se rede entomológica. As cargas de pólen foram retiradas das corbículas das operárias com o auxílio de pinça e, posteriormente, levadas ao Laboratório para serem analisadas. Os grãos de pólen foram fotomicrografados e identificados através da comparação com o pólen das plantas em floração na área estudada. Os dados foram obtidos a partir do número de grãos de pólen nas amostras com a média de precipitação para cada mês. Identificouse 44 espécies botânicas, distribuídas em 18 famílias, as principais foram: Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Euphorbiaceae e Arecaceae. Foi observado que a maior quantidade de pólen fornecido para M. eburnea ocorreu no período de menor volume pluviométrico. M. eburnea apresenta comportamento generalista na coleta de recursos polínicos, alterando seu nicho trófico, de acordo com a intensidade de floração. Plantas nativas representam a principal fonte de pólen para M. eburnea. Palavras-chave:Abelha sem ferrão; Floração; Meliponicultura; Plantas meliponícolas; Recurso polínico. Analysis of the trophic niche and the influence of the precipitations on the foraging of Melipona eburnea Friese (Apidae: Meliponina) created in Acre, BrazilAbstract. The present work had as objective to identify plants used to collect pollen per Melipona eburnea Friese and to verify the influence of the precipitations in the foraging of this specie. For tath, two weekly collections were carried out, from October 2015 to June 2016, in three colonies of M. eburnea. Worker bees carrying pollen loads were captured at the entrance of their colonies, using an entomological net. The pollen loads were removed from the workers' corbulas with the aid of forceps and then taken to the laboratory for analysis. The pollen grains were photomicrographs and identified by comparison with the pollen of the flowering plants in the studied area. The data were obtained from the number of pollen grains in the samples with the average precipitation for each month. It was identified 44 pollen types distributed in 18 families, the main ones being: Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Arecaceae. It was observed that the highest amount of pollen supplied to M. eburnea occurred in the period of lower rainfall volume. M. eburnea presents general behavior in the collection of pollinic resources. Native plants represent the main source of pollen for M. eburnea.

TROPHIC RESOURCES COLLECTED BY Melipona grandis GUÉRIN, 1844 (APIDAE: MELIPONINA) IN RURAL AREA OF RIO BRANCO, ACRE – BRAZIL

“…This statement corroborates the observations made in present work, given that the months with the greatest variety of pollen types coincided with the decrease of the rainfall in the Amazon, which generally varies from May to September (Fisch et al 1998). Similar results were also described by Absy et al (1984), Marques-Souza (1996), Correia et al (2018).…”

“…Melipona bees tend to have selectivity regarding the visitation of plants to collect food resources, concentrating on a few botanical species such as a way to maximize foraging efficiency (Absy et al 1984, Antonini et al 2006, Kleinert et al 2009, Fidalgo & Kleinert 2010, Ferreira & Absy 2015, Chidi & Odo 2017 On the other hand a greater variety of plant visitation may be related to factors outside the colony, the main one being rainfall (Correia et al 2018). This statement corroborates the observations made in present work, given that the months with the greatest variety of pollen types coincided with the decrease of the rainfall in the Amazon, which generally varies from May to September (Fisch et al 1998).…”