Pollination of passion fruit and other crops by species of carpenter bees of the genus
- Award ID(s):
- 1929499
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10170820
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Apicultural Research
- ISSN:
- 0021-8839
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1 to 11
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract Xylocopa Latreille significantly increases both the quality and the quantity of fruits. To enhance pollination services, bee nests are either introduced into the crop area or females are encouraged to nest using trap nests. Thus, knowledge of trap‐nest preference, brood development and nest parasitism is essential for effective and sustainable nest management practices.Xylocopa (Neoxylocopa )augusti Lepeletier is a promising pollinator in some areas of Argentina because of its high abundance, ability to buzz‐pollinate and easy acceptance of trap nests. However, limited information is available on the biology of this pollinator. Herein, we provide detailed information on its nesting cycle, brood development and parasitism from trap nests at an urban area in Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Our study indicates thatX. augusti is a solitary and likely univoltine species that shares some nesting and developmental features with other species in the subgenusNeoxylocopa , which might facilitate the adoption of existing management techniques developed for other species and regions. Biological information onPhysocephala wulpi Camras (Diptera: Conopidae), a parasitoid ofX. augusti , is also given for the first time. -
Introduction Interest for bee microbiota has recently been rising, alleviating the gap in knowledge in regard to drivers of solitary bee gut microbiota. However, no study has addressed the microbial acquisition routes of tropical solitary bees. For both social and solitary bees, the gut microbiota has several essential roles such as food processing and immune responses. While social bees such as honeybees maintain a constant gut microbiota by direct transmission from individuals of the same hive, solitary bees do not have direct contact between generations. They thus acquire their gut microbiota from the environment and/or the provision of their brood cell. To establish the role of life history in structuring the gut microbiota of solitary bees, we characterized the gut microbiota of Centris decolorata from a beach population in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Females provide the initial brood cell provision for the larvae, while males patrol the nest without any contact with it. We hypothesized that this behavior influences their gut microbiota, and that the origin of larval microbiota is from brood cell provisions. Methods We collected samples from adult females and males of C. decolorata ( n = 10 each, n = 20), larvae ( n = 4), and brood cell provisions ( n = 10). For comparison purposes, we also sampled co-occurring female foragers of social Apis mellifera ( n = 6). The samples were dissected, their DNA extracted, and gut microbiota sequenced using 16S rRNA genes. Pollen loads of A. mellifera and C. decolorata were analyzed and interactions between bee species and their plant resources were visualized using a pollination network. Results While we found the gut of A. mellifera contained the same phylotypes previously reported in the literature, we noted that the variability in the gut microbiota of solitary C. decolorata was significantly higher than that of social A. mellifera . Furthermore, the microbiota of adult C. decolorata mostly consisted of acetic acid bacteria whereas that of A. mellifera mostly had lactic acid bacteria. Among C. decolorata , we found significant differences in alpha and beta diversity between adults and their brood cell provisions (Shannon and Chao1 p < 0.05), due to the higher abundance of families such as Rhizobiaceae and Chitinophagaceae in the brood cells, and of Acetobacteraceae in adults. In addition, the pollination network analysis indicated that A. mellifera had a stronger interaction with Byrsonima sp. and a weaker interaction with Combretaceae while interactions between C. decolorata and its plant resources were constant with the null model. Conclusion Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that behavioral differences in brood provisioning between solitary and social bees is a factor leading to relatively high variation in the microbiota of the solitary bee.more » « less
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Abstract The temperature of the nest influences fitness in cavity-nesting bees. Females may choose nest cavities that mitigate their offspring’s exposure to stressful temperatures. This study aims to understand how cavity temperature impacts the nesting preference of the solitary bee Megachile rotundata (Fabricius) under field conditions. We designed and 3D printed nest boxes that measured the temperatures of 432 cavities. Nest boxes were four-sided with cavity entrances facing northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest. Nest boxes were placed along an alfalfa field in Fargo, ND and were observed daily for completed nests. Our study found that cavity temperature varied by direction the cavity faced and by the position of the cavity within the nest box. The southwest sides recorded the highest maximum temperatures while the northeast sides recorded the lowest maximum temperatures. Nesting females filled cavities on the north-facing sides faster than cavities on the south-facing sides. The bees preferred to nest in cavities with lower average temperatures during foraging hours, and cavities that faced to the north. The direction the cavity faced was associated with the number of offspring per nest. The southwest-facing cavities had fewer offspring than nests on the northeast side. Our study indicates that the nesting box acts as a microclimate, with temperature varying by position and direction of the cavity. Variation in cavity temperature affected where females chose to nest, but not their reproductive investment.more » « less
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Abstract Natural variation can provide important insights into the genetic and environmental factors that shape social behaviour and its evolution. The sweat bee,
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2020.1717760
