Using short-term surveys and mark–recapture to estimate diversity and population size of orchid bees in forest formations of the Brazilian savanna

ABSTRACT

Studies on the diversity and population dynamics of euglossine bees in forest formations of the Brazilian savanna can be notably informative considering that most species are forest-dependent. The current study aimed to estimate the diversity and population size of euglossine bees using short-term surveys and the mark–recapture method. We also compared short-term surveys with monthly surveys over a 1-year period (long-term surveys) to assess the species diversity. The study occurred in seven forest formations of the Brazilian savanna. We collected 14 species and marked 375 males but recaptured only 23 (6.1%). The population size of Euglossa bees ranged from 111.1 ± 34.4 to 1384.5 ± 384.6 males. The diversity indices achieved through the short-term surveys were similar to or higher than those obtained from long-term studies. The low recapture rate of euglossine males seems to be the result of their long-distance dispersal capacity. We also proposed that short-term surveys be viewed as a favourable alternative to long-term studies on diversity estimation and that euglossine bees can occur in small populations in some forest formations studied.

KEYWORDS:

• Mark–recapture
• Jolly-Seber model
• euglossine bees
• population estimate

Acknowledgements

Solange C. Augusto and Silvia H. Sofia received research fellowships from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico. Thiago Henrique Azevedo Tosta received a fellowship from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq/PELD); Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG).