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Territorial or wandering: how males of Protodiscelis palpalis (Colletidae, Paracolletinae) behave in searching for mates

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Abstract

Females of Protodiscelis palpalis are oligolectic on flowers of the aquatic herb Hydrocleys martii (Limnocharitaceae), commonly found in Northeast Brazil. Each morning, 1 h before anthesis, males fight to guard small patches of flowers, which will compose their territories. Non-territorial males are not bound to certain areas on their patrol flights, roam between different territories and do not engage in conflicts with conspecific males. Territorial males aggressively defend flowers only in a restricted, intensely patrolled part of the territory. This core area was never shared with other territorial males. The intensive patrolling of a territory sector may be a response to abundant territorial invasions by conspecific males. Being territorial seems to confer reproductive advantages to the males. However, the severe male competition and the extreme spatio-temporal aggregation of resource flowers observed in the temporary water bodies of the Caatinga obscure which mating strategy provides higher male reproductive success.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Katja Hogendoorn and to the referees for critical comments which improved the manuscript. We thank Sérvio P. Ribeiro for improving the English and the Instituto Chico Mendes—ICMBio for providing work permission in the Estação Ecológica do Seridó. The authors were supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e tecnológico (CNPq) and Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD).

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  1. Reisla Oliveira

    Present address: Departamento de Biodiversidade, Evolução e Meio Ambiente, Universidade Federal e Ouro Preto, Campus Morro do Cruzeiro, 35400-000, Ouro Preto, Brazil

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas—Zoologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Cidade Universitária, 58059-900, João Pessoa, Brazil

    Reisla Oliveira & Airton Torres Carvalho

  2. Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, 31270-110, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    Clemens Schlindwein

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  1. Reisla Oliveira
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  2. Airton Torres Carvalho
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  3. Clemens Schlindwein
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Correspondence to Reisla Oliveira.

Additional information

Manuscript editor: Stan Schneider

Territorial ou errant: quel comportement adoptent les mâles de Protodiscelis palpalis (Colletidae, Paracolletinae) dans leur recherche des femelles?

Comportement territorial / stratégie d’accouplement / oligolectie / abeille solitaire / Caatinga / Brésil

Territorialverhalten oder Wanderschaft: Das Verhalten der Männchen von Protodiscelis palpalis (Colletidae, Paracolletinae) auf der Suche nach Paarungspartnern.

Territorialität / Paarungstrategie / Oligolectie / solitäre Bienen / Caatinga

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Oliveira, R., Carvalho, A.T. & Schlindwein, C. Territorial or wandering: how males of Protodiscelis palpalis (Colletidae, Paracolletinae) behave in searching for mates. Apidologie 43, 674–684 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-012-0142-0

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