Abstract

VOSSLER, Favio G.. Floral Resources of Amaryllidaceae used by wild bees in three eco-regions of Argentina. Bol. Soc. Argent. Bot. [online]. 2023, vol.58, n.3, pp.10-10. ISSN 1851-2372.  http://dx.doi.org/10.31055/1851.2372.v58.n3.40471.

Background and aims: To detect floral interactions between species of family Amaryllidaceae and bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila), the presence of pollen from wild and cultivated Amaryllidaceae in the nests of wild non-Ap/s bees collected in three Argentine eco-regions (Pampa, Pampa-Espinal and Chaco) was investigated.

M&M: A total of 500 microscopic slides of pollen and honey from 369 nests of 25 bee species were analyzed. The identification was made by comparing the pollen from nests with the reference pollen obtained from the flowers collected in the studied areas. The flower phenology of the wild species and floral visitation with catching of bee individuals were also recorded.

Results: A total of six pollen types belonging to Amaryllidaceae were identified in the pollen diet of only five of the 25 bee species analyzed. Among wild Amaryllidaceae, two different flowering patterns were observed: 1) in the wet periods of winter-spring and/or summer-autumn, and 2) very synchronous and ephemeral, triggered by the rains in summer-autumn.

Conclusions: The five bee species presenting Amaryllidaceae pollen in their nests and most bees collected on flowers were polylectic (generalized pollen usage) from Apidae and Halictidae families. More research is needed to deeply study the floral associations between bees and Amaryllidaceae in Argentina, and it is expected that there will be a higher number of bee species with pollen specialization (oligolecty) towards particular clades of this lineage of monocots.

Keywords : Ephemeral blooming; floral preference; floral reward; flower visitation; oligolectic bee; pollen diet; polylectic bee.

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