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Pollen resources and trophic niche breadth of Apis mellifera and Melipona obscurior (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in a subtropical climate in the Atlantic rain forest of southern Brazil

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Abstract

Pollen sources that comprise the trophic niche of native bee species Melipona obscurior and introduced Apis mellifera and the breadth of this niche were studied in two areas in the Atlantic rain forest of southern Brazil. Pollen obtained from the forager bees during a period of 12 months showed that the richness of pollen types found in each sample varied from 5 to 21 for A. mellifera and from 1 to 10 for M. obscurior. In both areas, A. mellifera had higher niche breadth. M. obscurior demonstrated the temporal specialization, which was primarily related to the use of floral sources with poricidal anthers. The non-native pollen type Eucalyptus produced similar results for both bee species. Knowledge of plant species that sustain bee communities in the Atlantic rain forest of southern Brazil contributes toward the management and conservation of native bee populations and increases the beekeeping of stingless bees and honey bees in this region.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Gentil Paulo Botta, Girlei Edomar dos Passos, and Valdomiro Irineu dos Passos for allowing the use of their bee colonies in this study. In addition, they would like to thank Tiago Closs de Marchi, Mariluza Nardino, and João Larocca for the identification of botanical material and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior–CAPES, for scholarship support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Ecofisiologia Vegetal, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos-UNISINOS, São Leopoldo, 93022-000, RS, Brazil

    Suzane B. Hilgert-Moreira & Carla Andrea Nascher

  2. Departamento de Estatística, Instituto de Matemática, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul–UFRGS, 91509-900, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Sidia Maria Callegari-Jacques

  3. Laboratório de Entomologia, Faculdade de Biociências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul-PUCRS, Caixa Postal 1429, 90619-900, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Betina Blochtein

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  1. Suzane B. Hilgert-Moreira
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  2. Carla Andrea Nascher
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  3. Sidia Maria Callegari-Jacques
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  4. Betina Blochtein
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Correspondence to Suzane B. Hilgert-Moreira.

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Manuscript editor: James Nieh

Ressources en pollen et étendue de la niche trophique d’Apis mellifera et de Melipona obscurior (Hymenoptera, Apidae) en climat subtropical, dans la forêt pluviale atlantique du sud du Brésil

Meliponini / ressources florales / pollinisateurs / abeille / pollen

Pollenquellen und Umfang trophischer Nischen bei Apis mellifera und Melipona obscurior (Hymenoptera, Apidae) unter subtropischen Klimabedingungen im atlantischen Regenwald Südbrasiliens

Meliponini / Blütenangebot / Bestäuber / stachellose Bienen / Pollen

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Hilgert-Moreira, S.B., Nascher, C.A., Callegari-Jacques, S.M. et al. Pollen resources and trophic niche breadth of Apis mellifera and Melipona obscurior (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in a subtropical climate in the Atlantic rain forest of southern Brazil. Apidologie 45, 129–141 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-013-0234-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-013-0234-5

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