A review of pollen types foraged by Melipona in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Bees of the genus Melipona found in the Amazon are investigated given their ecological, sociocultural and economic importance. The objective of this work was to analyze the scientific literature to recognize patterns in the richness of pollen types foraged by Melipona, comparing four methodological approaches. In the literature review, two databases were consulted: Web of Science (WoS) and the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO). A record of 18 Melipona species investigated in 23 studies was found. These foraged 498 pollen types distributed in 88 botanical families. Many factors affect this richness. The main factor is the sampling time, which can influence other decisions. The highest richness estimates were found in the 12 month studies. The differences between the vegetation types reflect the patterns of diversity naturally found between them. Material from the meliponaries and bee corbels will result in a greater diversity of pollen types. Although there has been an increase in Melipona studies in the Amazon more effort is needed to fill the gaps in this vast territory.

Keywords:

• Amazon
• stingless bees
• trophic resources
• meliponiculture
• feeding behavior

Acknowledgements

We thank the Graduate Program in Botany of the National Institute for Research in the Amazon (INPA) for the assistance and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brazil (CAPES), for the scholarship (to the first author).

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Data availability statement

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article (and its supplementary information files).

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brazil (CAPES), with a grant (Financial Code 02092020) to the first author.