Temporal and spatial variation of pollen content in pollen loads of Apis mellifera in the Yungas of northwest Argentina

Abstract

The floral resources used by Apis mellifera as pollen source include those present in natural forests like the Yungas as well as forested areas. The aim of this work was to determine the main pollen resources harvested by A. mellifera and their variation during the honey production season. Forty pollen load samples were randomly collected from apiaries located in four sites (Tilquiza, El Fuerte, Los Alisos and Los Toldos) in spring and summer between 2011 and 2017. Sampling was conducted using pollen traps and the samples were subjected to conventional melissopalynological techniques. Pollen sources were identified using palynological atlases and compared with the reference palynotheca. A total of 70 pollen types distributed in 39 botanical families were identified, with the following families having the highest index of family importance (IF): Asteraceae (23.9), Fabaceae (19), Myrtaceae (12.8), Poaceae (8.3), Euphorbiaceae (8.2) and Vitaceae (4.3). The main resources used were: Mimosa, Eupatorium, Blepharocalyx salicifolius, Baccharis and Sebastiania. A pollen diagram was used to analyze the different pollen resources used throughout the study seasons. Species foraged in spring included B. salicifolius, Anadenanthera colubrina, Parapiptadenia excelsa and Sebastiania and those foraged in summer included Mimosa, Viguiera, Type Cissus and species of the family Poaceae; all of these species are native to the forest. The present results contribute to the knowledge of polliniferous species of the Yungas and evidence the importance of this bee as flower visitor in the forest.

Keywords:

• Pollen resources
• subtropical forests
• honey bees
• melissopalynological analysis
• beekeeping

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the beekeepers Ezequiel Verrastro, Eugenio Acosta, Jesus Robledo, Candido Sivila and Marcelino Coca for allowing us to work in their apiaries and collaborating in the collection of samples.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (PIO 094) and Secretaría de Ciencia, Técnica y Estudios Regionales-UNJu (A/B028 y A/B048).

Notes on contributors

Magalí Verónica Méndez

MAGALI VERONICA MENDEZ studied at the National University of Salta, Argentina, where he received a doctoral degree in biology in 2019. He is currently working at the National University of Jujuy, Argentina. His research focuses on the study of Apis mellifera trophic resources and their dynamics during the beekeeping season. In addition to protein and polyphenol characterisation.

Ana Carina Sánchez

ANA CARINA SANCHEZ is a professor of systematic botany and palynology at the National University of Jujuy. Her research includes the pollen analysis of honeys from Andean ecosystems. Ana’s research focuses on melissopalynology, pollen morphology and, more recently, floral biology and pollination.

Liliana Concepción Lupo

LILIANA CONCEPCION LUPO is an independent researcher at the Institute of Andean Ecoregions (INECOA), CONICET-UNJu. She is a professor of ecology and currently is head of the Laboratory of Palynology at the National University of Jujuy. She has a wide range of research interests which includes paleoecology, melissopalynology and archeopalynology of the mountain region of Central Andes.