Floral preferences of carpenter bees (Apidae: Xylocopini: Xylocopa) from Maranhão, Northeast Brazil

ABSTRACT

The current study aimed to recognize the floral resources used by bees of the genus Xylocopa in transition physiognomies. We compiled the information available from biological collections and analyzed metrics of dystrophic interaction. We listed 2547 records of Xylocopa in flowers, across twelve identified bee species. The bees were collected from 109 plant species, belonging to 77 genera and 36 families. An interaction network was constructed based on 193 interactions. In which there was a significant correlation between the abundance of bees collected and the richness of plants visited. The most generalist bees were X. cearensis and X. frontalis, and the plants with the most records were Chamaecrista hispidula and C. ramosa. Significant seasonality was observed in the total number of individuals. On the other hand, there was a weak similarity among Xylocopa species according to plant species, despite the clear relationship of the bees according to physiognomies. The interaction network proved to be highly nested, indicating a functional partitioning that allows several species to occur in the same environment. The contribution made by the current work for its regional scope stands out, dealing with areas that have distinct characteristics.

KEYWORDS:

• Solitary bees
• pollination
• plant-pollinator
• interaction network
• ecotone

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Márcia Maria Correa Rêgo for support in acquiring the historical data on the surveys conducted in Maranhão; CAPES for the scholarship granted to LACF; and the Federal University of Maranhão for the infrastructure and technical support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was financed by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brazil (CAPES) - Código de Financiamento 001 and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico do Maranhão (FAPEMA).