Responses of Euglossine Bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Euglossina) to an Edge-Forest Gradient in a Large Tabuleiro Forest Remnant in Eastern Brazil

Abstract

Euglossine fauna of a large remnant of Brazilian Atlantic forest in eastern Brazil (Reserva Natural Vale) was assessed along an edge-forest gradient towards the interior of the fragment. To test the hypotheses that the structure of assemblages of orchid bees varies along this gradient, the following predictions were evaluated: (i) species richness is positively related to distance from the forest edge, (ii) species diversity is positively related to distance from the edge, (iii) the relative abundance of species associated with forest edge and/or open areas is inversely related to the distance from edge, and (iv) relative abundance of forest-related species is positively related to distance from the edge. A total of 2264 bees of 25 species was assessed at five distances from the edge: 0 m (the edge itself), 100 m, 500 m, 1000 m and 1500 m. Data suggested the existence of an edge-interior gradient for euglossine bees regarding species diversity and composition (considering the relative abundance of edge and forest-related species as a proxy for species composition) but not species richness.

Local landscapes and microhabitat characteristics are important determinants of urban–suburban forest bee communities

“…Disparate, variably sized urban forests may support different communities when examined at the species level, but these habitats nonetheless provide foraging resources and nesting substrate for resilient and speciose bee communities. Past research into bee community composition similarly shows that anthropogenic landscapes do not affect bee species richness (Harrison et al 2017), while species richness can remain constant from forest edge to the interior (Coswosk et al 2018). Many urban forests, as was typically seen in our study area, have well-defined ecotones between adjacent habitat types: Such strongly contrasting habitat edges do not affect bee species diversity (Andrieu et al 2018), further strengthening the implied conservation importance of small habitat patches.…”

“…), while species richness can remain constant from forest edge to the interior (Coswosk et al. ). Many urban forests, as was typically seen in our study area, have well‐defined ecotones between adjacent habitat types: Such strongly contrasting habitat edges do not affect bee species diversity (Andrieu et al.…”

New and old records of Euglossa imperialis Cockerell, 1922 (Apidae, Apinae, Euglossini) for the Amazon rainforest, Cerrado, and Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil

“…With vast geographical distribution throughout the Neotropics, E. imperialis has been recorded from southern Mexico, and possibly Jamaica (Roubik 2004), to the Amazon forest and Cerrado domains in mid-west Brazil, the fragmented areas of the Cerrado, and the Atlantic forest in southern Brazil (Rebêlo and Moure 1995;Oliveira and Campos 1996;Rebêlo and Garófalo 1997;Silva and Rebêlo 1999;Roubik 2004;Anjos-Silva 2006a, 2006b, 2011Moure et al 2012;Figueiredo et al 2015;McCravy et al 2016;Antonini et al 2017;Tosta et al 2017;Cândido et al 2018;Coswosk et al 2018;Henrique et al 2018;Machado et al 2018;Padrón et al 2018).…”

“…Euglossa imperialis presents a large range of geographic distribution and has been reported from southern México (Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Veracruz) to Honduras (McCravy et al 2016), Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru (Janzen et al 1982;Ackerman 1983;Zimmerman and Madriñan 1988;Roubik 1993;Eltz et al 1999;Otero and Sandino 2003;Roubik 2004;Roubik and Hanson 2004;Moure et al 2012;Hinojosa-Díaz and Engel 2012b;Padrón et al 2018). It has also been catalogued from Brazil (Moure 1989;Becker et al 1991;Rebêlo and Garófalo 1991;Rebêlo 1993;Rebêlo and Moure 1995;Rebêlo and Silva 1999;Nemésio and Faria Junior 2004;Darrault et al 2005;Anjos-Silva 2006a, 2006b, 2011Faria Junior and Melo 2007;Oliveira et al 2010;Schorn de Souza 2014;Figueiredo et al 2015;Mateus et al 2015;Oliveira-Junior et al 2015;Antonini et al 2017;Tosta et al 2017;Cândido et al 2018;Henrique et al 2018;Coswosk et al 2018;Machado et al 2018).…”

“…In Brazil, this species has been catalogued from the Amazon rainforest (Moure 1989;Becker et al 1991;Rebêlo and Silva 1999;Anjos-Silva 2011;Antonini et al 2017;Cândido et al 2018), the Cerrado (Rebêlo andGarófalo 1991, 1997;Rebêlo 1993;Rebêlo and Moure 1995;Nemésio and Faria Junior 2004;Anjos-Silva 2006a, 2006b, 2011Oliveira et al 2010;Schorn de Souza 2014;Figueiredo et al 2015;Oliveira-Junior et al 2015;Tosta et al 2017;Henrique et al 2018), besides the marine alluvial fan in Maranhão , the Pernambuco center of endemism (Darrault et al 2005) and the Atlantic forest (Faria Junior and Melo 2007;Mateus et al 2015;Coswosk et al 2018;Machado et al 2018).…”