Phylogeny and host-plant evolution in Melittidaes.l.(Hymenoptera: Apoidea)

Abstract

-Bees and the angiosperms they pollinate have developed intimate and often complex interactions over the past 100 million years. As in other insect-plant interactions, host-plant specificity is variable among taxa. While many solitary bee species display an obvious preference for a narrow spectrum of host-plants (oligolecty), others regularly visit a diversified array of pollen hosts (polylecty). Few studies have examined the patterns of host-plant associations in bees using well-resolved phylogenies at the species level combined with accurate and quantitative data on host-plant preferences. In this study, we examined the evolution of bee-plant relationships in several genera of specialist (oligolectic) bees. We used the Melittidae s.l. as a model taxon by mapping the preferred pollen hosts onto species-level phylogenies to investigate the frequency and pattern of host-plant switching. Our results suggest that host-plant associations are maintained over time in many lineages, but that host switches to unrelated plant families are also common. We find some evidence that host-switches occur more frequently to morphologically similar, rather than closely-related, host-plants suggesting that floral morphology plays a key role in host-plant evolution in bees. bees / Melittidae s.l. / oligolecty / polylecty / phylogeny / evolution / host-plant

Distribution data on the family Melittidae (Hymenoptera) of Turkey with considerations about their importance as pollinators

“…A few samples were collected from Onopordum sp., Cirsium sp., Cephalaria procera, Melilotus alba, and Salvia spp. Michez et al (2008) mentioned that D. pyrotrichia appears strictly oligolectic on Cistaceae, although the sample was too small to reach a definite conclusion. 3.1.6.…”

“…Plants associated : Pekkarinen et al (2003) noted that Macropis bees are apparently all oligolectic on Lysimachia; females collect pollen and oil from Lysimachia, whereas nectar is usually collected from a wide variety of host plants. Michez et al (2008) emphasized that, in the Palearctic region, Macropis bees are specialized on the subgenus Lysimachia.…”

First Record of the Bee <em>Melitta americana</em> (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Melittidae) for Quebec and Canada

“…Within this family, ground nesting bees of the genus Macropis and Melitta are Holarctic and are found in the eastern and central United States and southern Canada. Macropis bees are apparently all oligolectic (specialists), and the females collect pollen and floral oil on their host-plant, Lysimachia (Primulaceae) (Michez et al 2008).…”

“…Nesting behaviour of Melitta has been described by Tirgari (1968), the biology by Celary (2006), the ecology by Michez and Eardley (2007), and the pollination ecology by Cane et al (1985). Melitta appear to be oligolectic on different plant families (Michez et al 2008).…”

“…In eastern North America, Melitta species appear to be restricted to a few species of Ericaceae (Snelling and Stage 1995;Michener 2007;Michez et al 2008). Four described species in the genus are found in North America: one in Mexico and the western United States, and three in the eastern United States.…”