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

Autor(es)

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

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Apidologie; v. 47, n. 6, p. 855-866, NOV 2016.
• Citações Web of Science: 0

Resumo

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)

• Processo FAPESP: 10/10285-4 - Uso sustentado e conservação de abelhas como polinizadoras no Brasil: a utilização dos grãos de pólen como fonte de informações ecológicas
• Beneficiário: Carlos Alberto Garofalo
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular