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Abstract
We identified the food niche breadth of two sympatric species of oil-collecting bees, Centris (Heterocentris) analis (Fabricius, 1804) and Centris (Hemisiella) tarsata Smith, 1874, based on pollen analyses of larval food. We tested differences in the use of pollen sources considering the anther type and pollen size of the flowers. The species presented a low similarity in the use of pollen sources and C. analis had a wider niche breadth than C. tarsata. Centris analis mainly used Heteropterys spp. and other flowers with non-poricidal anthers. In contrast, C. tarsata commonly used Solanum lycocarpum A. St.-Hil., as well as other flowers with poricidal anthers. Despite the differences in pollen composition of larval food, both species predominantly used medium-sized pollen grains. Although C. analis and C. tarsata are sympatric species, belonging to the same functional group and presenting an overlap in nesting periods, they used different pollen sources, which suggests the occurrence of food niche partitioning.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Dr Paulo Eugenio Oliveira (LAMOVI-IB/UFU) for the conditions offered by the laboratory, access to reference slide collections of study areas and suggestions, to three anonymous revisers to improve the manuscript and to Coordenadoria de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES-PROCAD) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) for funding this study. S.C. Augusto received a research fellowship from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) (307222/2012-8) and L.S. Rabelo received a grant from Coordenadoria de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES).