Contribution of the Cerrado as Habitat for Sunflower Pollinating Bees

Abstract

Agricultural landscapes sometimes include natural habitats which can support the ecosystem by enhancing the pollination of crops, thus boosting the productivity. This research was conducted between May and July 2017, in the municipality of Tangará da Serra, Mato Grosso, Brazil, to assess the Cerrado from the perspective of it being a crucial habitat to sustain the sunflower-pollinating bees (Helianthus annuus L.). The bees were sampled using entomological nets and pan traps, in specifically marked out plots (20 m x 150 m), in the Cerrado, and in a sunflower crop, at different distances from the Cerrado border. The assessment was done in terms of the composion and species richness, abundance of individuals and the mass (g) of the sunflower chapters exposed and isolated from the floral visitors. While species richness showed no differences between the Cerrado and sunflower crop, a difference was observed for abundance, with more numbers of individuals in the sunflower crop, most likely because of the food source supply. In the sunflower crop, the bee diversity decreased proportionally as the distance from the border increased. The seed mass of the sunfl ower chapters was significantly higher in the flowers open to visitors than in those of the isolated chapters open for visitation. From the results, it was evident that the bees presente in the Cerrado visit the sunflower crop to gather pollen and nectar, and thus assist in cross-pollinating them and raising the productivity.

Recover and They’ll Come: Flower Visiting Bees Benefit from the Continuous of Micro-Environments Set by Regenerating Forest Fragments

“…We are presenting the results on the responses of flower visiting bees to continuous micro-environments, emphasizing the effects of local environmental changes on species composition. Although previous studies reveal the effects of forest changes on regional and global bee diversity (Morantefilho et al, 2016;Marques et al, 2018;Almeida et al, 2020), little is known about the responses of these floral visitors to local characteristics. Here, we present that continuous micro-environments can favor floral visits and promote the reintegration of bee communities into regenerating forests close to remnants.…”

“…Changes in habitat caused by human activities (deforestation, fragmentation and loss of forests) impose environmental challenges for the survival of pollinator species and are the main drivers of the decline of pollinator populations (Ollerton, 2017;Wilson et al, 2018;Almeida et al, 2020). This important topic reminds us of the need to conserve natural habitats, since the pollination services performed by insects are not only essential to maintain Bees are the most important pollinating insects in the world, since they visit a large number of flowers daily in natural, agricultural and urban landscapes (Hausmann et al, 2016;Stein et al, 2017;Winfree et al, 2018), being exclusive pollinators of many botanical groups (Scaven & Rafferty, 2013;Venjakob et al, 2016), and indispensable in increasing the production of agricultural crops (Stein et al, 2017;Blettler et al, 2018;Winfree et al, 2018).…”

“…This important topic reminds us of the need to conserve natural habitats, since the pollination services performed by insects are not only essential to maintain Bees are the most important pollinating insects in the world, since they visit a large number of flowers daily in natural, agricultural and urban landscapes (Hausmann et al, 2016;Stein et al, 2017;Winfree et al, 2018), being exclusive pollinators of many botanical groups (Scaven & Rafferty, 2013;Venjakob et al, 2016), and indispensable in increasing the production of agricultural crops (Stein et al, 2017;Blettler et al, 2018;Winfree et al, 2018). However, these insects receive little recognition for their services when the issue is intensive land use, which are among the main causes of habitat loss and the consequent decline in the richness and abundance of bees (Stangler et al, 2016;Wilson et al, 2018;Almeida et al, 2020). The effects of environmental changes on bee species at different scales and geographic regions seem to be consistent (Ferreira et al, 2015;Alaux et al, 2017;Wilson et al, 2018).…”

Orchid bees in riparian and terra-firme forest fragments in an urban matrix in southwestern Brazilian Amazonia

“…Concomitantly, the recent worldwide decline of pollinators has reinforced fears of a potential global crisis (Novais et al 2016). Anthropogenic factors, such as habitat loss, changes in land use, the application of pesticides, and the intensification of farming activities, may all have a major impact on many groups of insect pollinators, including bees (Ferreira et al 2015;Araújo et al 2018;Almeida et al 2020).…”

Use of flower strips to attract pollinator insects and natural enemies in tomato crops

“…In that study, proximity to crops caused a decrease in the abundance of pollinators in the native vegetation adjacent to the species (Montero-Castaño et al 2016). The concentration of oral resources in the sun ower crop increased the abundance of pollinators within the cultivation area in relation to the Cerrado remnant(Almeida et al 2020). Monoculture has mass owering that attracts pollinators, temporarily decreasing the presence in adjacent forests (Montero-In contrast, pollinating insects always transfer pollen from the anthers to the stigma of the ower of the same plant species.…”