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Abstract
Pollen analysis of larval food allows identification of plants used as nest provision sources. Considering the importance of Centris analis in pollination, we aimed to identify its plant sources, food niche width in Cerrado, and analyze the use of sources between cool/dry and warm/wet seasons. We sampled 22 nests collected in two areas from February 2008 to October 2009. Heteropterys spp. (Malpighiaceae) were the main pollen sources, but Byrsomia spp. (Malpighiaceae), Banisteriopsis malifolia (Malpighiaceae), Solanum lycocarpum (Solanaceae) and Machaerium spp. (Leguminosae) were also important food sources. There was no difference in the use of the sources between the seasons (F1,100 = 0.001; p = 0.979). Despite the high number of pollen types (n = 14) the food niche widths were low, H = 0.777 and H = 0.949, which can be explained by the dominance of some food items. Hence, C. analis use, profusely, a few plants as food sources that could be considered conservation targets.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG - Proc. APQ-01755/2009) and Coordenadoria de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES/PROCAD - Proc. 158/2007) for financial support; to Dr Paulo Eugênio Oliveira (LAMOVI-IB/UFU) for the use of the laboratory, the access to the reference slide collection of the study areas and for suggestions; to Dr Rosana Romero, curator of Herbarium Uberlandense; and to the anonymous reviewers who contributed to improve the manuscript. L.S. Rabelo received a grant from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).