Are oligolectic bees always the most effective pollinators?
Clemens Schlindwein UFPE – Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Department of Botany Recife, Brazil
Workshop on Solitary Bees: Conservation, Rearing and Management for Pollination Beberibe, Ceará April 26-30, 2004
a) Oligolectic bees in Brazil survey related plants and their characteristics distribution
b) Case studies – narrowly oligolectic species morphological and behavioral specializations Cajophora (Loasaceae) and Paracolletini Turnera (Turneraceae) and Protomeliturga
1 What is oligolecty? Pollen specialization of a bee species. Females collect and feed bee larvae only with pollen of related plant species or genera of the same plant family.
Which bees are oligolectic in Brazil?
with oligolectic spp. oligolecty uncertain Andrenidae no oligolectic spp. Osirini Oxaeinae Protepeolini Calliopsini Rhathymini Protandrenini Tapinotaspidini Diphaglossinae Protomeliturgini Tetrapediini Caupolicanini Apidae Nomadinae Dissoglottini Xeromelissinae Apinae Bachynomadini Chilicolini Anthophorini Caenoprosopidini Apini Epeolini Halictidae Bombini Nomadini Halictinae Euglossini Xylocopinae Augochlorini Meliponini Ceratinini Halictini Centridini Xylocopini Rophitinae Emphorini Colletidae Megachilidae Ericrocidini Colletinae Anthidini Eucerini Colletini Lithurgini Exomalopsini Megachilini Isepeolini Paracolletini
2 Which bees are oligolectic in Brazil?
Andrenidae Apidae Colletidae Halictidae Calliopsini Emphorini Paracolletini Halictini Arhysosage (1 sp.) Ancyloscelis (5) Actenosigynes (1) Pseudagapostemon (2) Callonychium (1) Diadasina (2) Albinapis (1) Rophitinae Protandrenini Melitoma (2) Bicolletes (2) Ceblurgus (1) Melitomella (1) Cephalocolletes (2) Anthrenoides (1) Ptilothrix (3) Hexantheda (2) Cephalurgus (1) Eucerini Niltonia (1) Megachilidae Panurgillus (9) Florilegus (4) Nomiocolletes (1) Anthidini Protomeliturgini Gaesischia (4) Perditomorpha (1) Gnathanthium (1) Protomeliturga (1) Melissoptila (5) Protodiscelis (1) Hypanthidium (1) Peponapis (1) Sarocolletes (1) Lithurgini Santiago (1) Tetraglossula (2) Lithurgus (1) Tapinotaspidini Microthurge (1) Lanthanomelissa (3) Megachilini Megachile (3)
Oligolectic bees in Brazil are solitary species
Which plants are related to oligolectic bees in Brazil?
Onagraceae 10 bee species Cactaceae 8 19 plant families Malvaceae 8 Pontederiaceae 7 Asteraceae 7 Convolvulaceae 5 Apiaceae 5 Iridaceae 3 Loasaceae 3 Oxalidaceae 3 Solanaceae 3 Lythraceae 2 Alismataceae 1 Bignoniaceae 1 Boraginaceae 1 Calyceraceae 1 Cucurbitaceae 1 Turneraceae 1 Vochysiaceae 1
3 Food plants of oligolectic bees
no trees – mainly herbs & small shrubs
S id a galh eirensis Food plants of oligolectic bees
C ord ia leu coceph ala
Therophyts Geophyts Hemicryptophyts Lianas Chamaephyts Ox alis sellow iana Nanophanerophyts
4 no trees – mainly herbs & small shrubs
often ruderal plants Food plants of oligolectic bees
no trees – mainly herbs & small shrubs
often ruderal plants Food plants of oligolectic bees
produce large pollen grains
Cordia Cucurbita Ipomoea Ludwigia Pavonia Opuntia Sida
5 offer nectar no trees – mainly herbs & small shrubs
often ruderal plants Food plants of oligolectic bees
produce large pollen grains P lants v isited by pollen specialists prod u ce also nectar w h ich is collected by fem ale and m ale bees
offer nectar no trees – mainly herbs & small shrubs
often ruderal plants Food plants of oligolectic bees
are patrolled produce large by male bees pollen grains
Ancyloscelis Diadasina Anthrenoides Ptilothrix Arhysosage Bicolletes Cephalocolletes Ceblurgus Callonychium Lithurgus Melitoma Protomeliturga Melitomella Actenosigynes
6 offer nectar no trees – mainly herbs & small shrubs
often ruderal plants Food plants of oligolectic bees
more frequent in S-Brazil often patrolled produce large by male bees pollen grains
T h e nu m ber of oligolectic bee species and of related plant species d ecreases from S ou th ern to N orth ern Brazil. In A m azô nia oligolectic bees are alm ost absent
Behavioral and morphological specializations to collect pollen in oligolectic bees
Loasaceae Paracolletini
Ludwigia Eichhornia Sisyrinchium Opuntia Pontederia Cajophora Notocactus Ipomoea Blumenbachia Gymnocalycium Merremia Oxalis
7 Loasaceae and Bicolletes pampeana
Cajophora clavata Blumenbachia insignis Cajophora arechavaletae
Bees collect nectar in nectar scales and trigger stamen movements
Cajophora arechavaletae
Cajophora clavata
8 Characteristics of stamen movements Delay after stimulus 1,1 min Duration of migration 1,3 min Presented pollen (90°) after 2,4 min
F em ales of Bicolletes pam peana com e back to flow ers in sh ort interv als, sim ilar to d elay stim u lu s - pollen presentation
12 40
35
10 ] % [
] 30 n o % i [ t
a s
8 t r n e
25 e w s e o l p f
n
o 6 e t 20 l
l s o t i p
s - i 15 s v -
4 u l e u R m
10 i t 2 S 5
0 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 Intervalls between re-visits [min]
9 Characteristics of the foraging behavior of Bicolletes pampeana
Effective pollinator yes Period of pollen collection 9:00 - 15:00 Duration of a foraging trip 20 - 45 min Number of foraging trips per day 2 - 4 Number of visited flowers per trip 300 - 500 Foraging route 25 - 62 flowers Nr. of provisioned brood cells <1 cell/day (?)
Protomeliturga turnerae and Turnera subulata
multiple mating permanent territories of males
10 Protomeliturga turnerae and Turnera subulata
Frequency of flower visits
300
250 Janeiro 2000
Setembro 2000
200 s t i s i v f o 150 r e b m u N 100
50
0 s s s a a s s s a a a a a a i i i i i t r t e l n p e e n r g i s t a d t e n r i a p i o o a n o n i f l p i n t t u i e r i r u i c c e l c l e f o f t n t n
e a p l i i i i s r a o l o l r l a
l s o . y e r m v p u i o r v r e u e s y l p h r e a f o s i e a
m c l t
n
m s l h r X
d e f m r s f a t a C
n a i c s
e s o u i r n s e p n t t a o e m i o t i p i e o r o C o g d r n t e r c A C g u e F i n b o P r l A e C e l T y C P X
Protomeliturga turnerae and Turnera subulata
Frequency of stigma contacts
Flores brevistilas Flores longistilas 100 ] % [
s t 80 c a t n o c
a 60 m g i t s
f 40 o
y c n e
u 20 q e r F 0 s s s s s s a a a a a i a i e t i s r e n n u p s g r t n i t a p i e r n o r o n a o p i l o f i n t r n r i u e a c c f e o i f n e g l t a n i t i i a l i r l i s r b o l l r r r e . v l a r m e p o u o r u e e e l a y T p C s o U l d e c i m n d h s f m X
m r a s e c C s o u e i o o t t i m r p d g o r F A u P A
11 Protomeliturga turnerae and Turnera subulata
Analysis of scopa pollen loads
Pólen de flores brevistilas Pólen de flores longistilas Pólen de outras espécies 70
60 ] % [
s 50 n i a r g
n
e 40 l l o p
f o 30 y c n e u
q 20 e r F
10
0 Apis mellifera Trigona spinipes Protomeliturga Augochloropsis Plebeia sp. Frieseomelita turnerae sp.
Effective pollinating oligolectic bees
P ollination stu d ies in Brazil th at inv olv e oligolectic bee species sh ow th at all species are effectiv e pollinators. N o pollen or nectar th iev es w ere reported yet.
12 Acknowledgments
Breno Freitas Celso F. Martins Danuncia Urban Dieter Wittmann Isabel Alves dos Santos Jesus Santiago Moure Petrucio Medeiros Reisla Oliveira Darrault
13