TY - JOUR
T1 - Buzz-Pollination in a Tropical Montane Cloud Forest
T2 - Compositional Similarity and Plant-Pollinator Interactions
AU - González-Vanegas, Paola A.
AU - Rös, Matthias
AU - García-Franco, José G.
AU - Aguirre-Jaimes, Armando
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil.
PY - 2021/8
Y1 - 2021/8
N2 - Buzz-pollinated plants are an essential source of pollen for a significant portion of local bee communities. Buzz pollination research has focused on studying the properties of bee buzzes and their implications on pollen release, morphological specialization of flowers, and the reproductive ecology of buzz-pollinated plants. In contrast, diversity patterns and ecological interactions between bees and buzz-pollinated plants have been studied less. This study analyzed the buzzing bee community of twelve tropical buzz-pollinated co-occurring plant species in a tropical montane cloud forest during the flowering periods of two consecutive years, focusing on diversity, compositional similarity, structure, and specialization (H2´) of the network. Twenty-one bee species belonging to Apidae, Colletidae, and Halictidae were recorded, fifteen species in 2014, and eighteen in 2015. Floral display and visited flowers doubled from first to second year, although the flowering period was 2 months longer in the first year. Bee compositional similarity between plants tended to be low; however, this was due rather to a high nestedness than species replacement. Temporal bee compositional similarity was also low but variable, and different plant species showed the highest similarity between years. The number of bee visits depended significantly on the number of flowers and years. Interactions between bees and plants showed a tendency to generalization. Compared to other buzz-pollinated networks, specialization (H2´) was similar, but diversity was low and the network small. In endangered ecosystems like the Mexican cloud forest, however, buzzing bees support biodiversity and provide an essential ecological service by pollinating dominant understory flora.
AB - Buzz-pollinated plants are an essential source of pollen for a significant portion of local bee communities. Buzz pollination research has focused on studying the properties of bee buzzes and their implications on pollen release, morphological specialization of flowers, and the reproductive ecology of buzz-pollinated plants. In contrast, diversity patterns and ecological interactions between bees and buzz-pollinated plants have been studied less. This study analyzed the buzzing bee community of twelve tropical buzz-pollinated co-occurring plant species in a tropical montane cloud forest during the flowering periods of two consecutive years, focusing on diversity, compositional similarity, structure, and specialization (H2´) of the network. Twenty-one bee species belonging to Apidae, Colletidae, and Halictidae were recorded, fifteen species in 2014, and eighteen in 2015. Floral display and visited flowers doubled from first to second year, although the flowering period was 2 months longer in the first year. Bee compositional similarity between plants tended to be low; however, this was due rather to a high nestedness than species replacement. Temporal bee compositional similarity was also low but variable, and different plant species showed the highest similarity between years. The number of bee visits depended significantly on the number of flowers and years. Interactions between bees and plants showed a tendency to generalization. Compared to other buzz-pollinated networks, specialization (H2´) was similar, but diversity was low and the network small. In endangered ecosystems like the Mexican cloud forest, however, buzzing bees support biodiversity and provide an essential ecological service by pollinating dominant understory flora.
KW - Fabaceae
KW - Melastomataceae
KW - Mexico
KW - Solanaceae
KW - Specialized plant-pollinator mutualism
KW - diversity
KW - pollen-collecting bees
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85111926133&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s13744-021-00867-1
DO - 10.1007/s13744-021-00867-1
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 33877567
AN - SCOPUS:85111926133
SN - 1519-566X
VL - 50
SP - 524
EP - 536
JO - Neotropical Entomology
JF - Neotropical Entomology
IS - 4
ER -