High prevalence of Miconia chamissois (Melastomataceae) pollen in brood cell provisions of the orchid bee Euglossa townsendi in So Paulo State, Brazil

Author(s)

da Silva, Claudia Ines ; do Nascimento Castro, Mauricio Meirelles ; dos Santos, Isabel Alves ; Garofalo, Carlos Alberto

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Apidologie; v. 47, n. 6, p. 855-866, NOV 2016.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Females of bee species can present a temporal specialized behavior in the food collection for their offspring. We studied the food of Euglossa townsendi immatures from nests established in trap-nests disposed in a hygrophilous forest in Brazil, between March 2010 and February 2012. The pollinic material remaining in the brood cells were acetolysed and identified by comparison with the pollen of plants that bloomed in the area during the study period. We identified 21 plant species belonging to 14 families in the provision. However, the results indicated that immature of Eg. townsendi feed preferentially on pollen of Miconia chamissois (Melastomataceae) found in 100 % of the samples. Except for two nests, there was a similarity above 85 % in the composition of the supply plants of the brood. We also found a high similarity between the pollinic contents of the cells of each nest. Our results suggest a temporal preference on M. chamissois. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/10285-4 - Sustainable use and conservation of bees as pollinators in Brazil: the use of pollen as a source of ecological information
• Grantee: Carlos Alberto Garofalo
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants