Floral Resource Partitioning between Centris (Heterocentris) analis (Fabricius, 1804) and Centris (Heterocentris) terminata Smith, 1874 (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Centridini), in an Urban Fragment of the Atlantic Forest

The knowledge on plant species used for the collection of floral resources is crucial to understanding interactions between plants and bees. The aim of the present study was to identify floral resources used by Centris analis and Centris terminata to provision brood cells and determine the niche breadth and overlap of these two species in a fragment of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. This study was conducted at the Universidade Federal da Bahia and Parque Zoobotânico Getúlio Vargas, both of which are located in urban areas of the city of Salvador in the state of Bahia. Twelve and eight pollen types were identified in C. analis and C. terminata nests, respectively. The most frequent pollen types were from species of Malpighiaceae and Fabaceae. A larger trophic niche breadth was found in the Parque Zoobotânico Getúlio Vargas for C. analis and in the Universidade Federal da Bahia for C. terminata. Pianka’s index demonstrated trophic niche overlap between C. analis and C. terminata, which was greater in the Parque Zoobotânico Getúlio Vargas. This study is the first to provide data on plants used as food sources by species of the genus Centris in a fragment of the Atlantic Forest situated within urban areas.

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Exploitation of Floral Resources and Niche Overlap within an Oil-collecting Bee Guild (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in a Neotropical Savanna

Sociobiology ◽

10.13102/sociobiology.v64i1.1250 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 64 (1) ◽

pp. 78 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar ◽

Juliana Caramés ◽

Flavio França ◽

Efigenia Melo

Keyword(s):

Host Plants ◽

Niche Overlap ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Trophic Niche ◽

Floral Resources ◽

Resource Exploitation ◽

Neotropical Savanna ◽

Floral Resource ◽

Trophic Niches ◽

Concentration Levels

Oil bees exploit host plants for resources to feed the adults and offspring, as well as for the construction of their nests. The aim of the current study is to investigate how the species in this guild distribute their foraging effort, and the range in their niche overlap levels. The bees were sampled for six months, during their visits to the flowers in a savanna (“cerrado”). These oil-bee species explored the floral resources provided by 13 plant species. The trophic niche of the most abundant species, Centris aenea Lepeletier, was relatively narrow, similarly to those of Epicharis species. Low overlap of trophic niches (TrNO≤30%) was most commonly found. The distribution of bee visits to the host plants revealed redundancy in the floral resource exploitation. However, the foraging concentration levels in some key plants were different for distinct oil-bee species, and it contributed to the low overlap of niches between many pairs of species

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Diet and trophic niche overlap of Boana bischoffi and Boana marginata (Anura: Hylidae) in southern Brazil

Biota Neotropica ◽

10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2018-0542 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Camila F. Moser ◽

Mateus de Oliveira ◽

Fernanda R. de Avila ◽

Diogo Dutra-Araújo ◽

Renata K. Farina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Natural History ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Diet Composition ◽

Niche Breadth ◽

Niche Overlap ◽

Food Composition ◽

Trophic Niche ◽

Southern Brazil ◽

Important Prey ◽

History Of

Abstract: The species Boana bischoffi and Boana marginata are endemic to the Atlantic Forest, where they often occur in sympatry. There is a large gap in the knowledge of natural history of both species. In this study, we aimed to describe and compare the diet composition of B. bischoffi and B. marginata in the southern domain of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We analyzed the gastrointestinal contents of 43 individuals of B. bischoffi and 30 individuals of B. marginata. Both showed a high trophic niche overlap (0.90 Ojk). The most important prey categories for both species belonged to the orders Araneae and Coleoptera. The species niche breadth (Bsta) varied from 0.35 to 0.42, suggesting a generalist feeding behavior for both species. Our data provide unprecedented information on these species' food composition, contributing to a better knowledge of the natural history of neotropical anurans.

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Ecology of colonizing populations of the figfly Zaprionus indianus (Diptera, Drosophilidae) in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil

Iheringia Série Zoologia ◽

10.1590/s0073-47212005000300002 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 95 (3) ◽

pp. 233-240 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Norma Machado da Silva ◽

Carina da Conceição Fantinel ◽

Vera Lucia da Silva Valente ◽

Vitor Hugo Valiati

Keyword(s):

Niche Breadth ◽

Niche Overlap ◽

Trophic Niche ◽

Survival Strategies ◽

Porto Alegre ◽

Zaprionus Indianus ◽

Feeding Sites ◽

Substrate Choice ◽

Oviposition Substrate ◽

Feeding Substrate

Ecological parameters such as trophic niche overlap and niche breadth were computed from the frequency of all drosophilid species collected in 2001 and 2002, in the urban area of Porto Alegre city, Brazil. Independently of place, drosophilids community composition and components breeding or feeding sites, the highest frequencies of Zaprionus indianus (Gupta, 1970) were obtained during seasons with higher average temperatures, especially during summer. From a total of the 19,146 individuals of Z. indianus sampled, 80% were found in this season. The data of trophic niche breadth suggest a higher opportunism of adult flies in feeding substrate use, but the females are still selective in oviposition substrate choice. For the values of niche overlap, only for some species, did we find any correlation between these and species richness and/or number of resources, and the most of the correlation values considering breeding and feeding sites were positive. The colonization of Z. indianus in Porto Alegre could be leading to adjustments in the survival strategies of the resident species, but it is possible that many species have conditions for coexisting with the invader.

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Assessing the diet and trophic niche breadth of an omnivorous fish (Glanidium ribeiroi) in subtropical lotic environments: intraspecific and ontogenic responses to spatial variations

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf18149 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 70 (8) ◽

pp. 1116 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

B. C. K. Kliemann ◽

M. C. Baldasso ◽

S. F. R. Pini ◽

M. C. Makrakis ◽

S. Makrakis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Forest Cover ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Niche Breadth ◽

Intraspecific Variability ◽

Niche Overlap ◽

Trophic Niche ◽

Main Channel ◽

Size Classes ◽

Intraspecific Variations ◽

Environmental Variations

The diet of Glanidium ribeiroi was investigated in lotic stretches downstream from a cascade of reservoirs to determine how it responds to intraspecific and environmental variations. Monthly sampling was performed from 2013 to 2016 at sites including the main channel of the Iguaçu River and tributaries in preserved basins and agricultural land. The diet of individuals in the preserved tributaries was primarily associated with allochthonous resources, whereas in the non-preserved tributaries and main channel the diets were primarily associated with autochthonous resources. Trophic niche breadth and intraspecific variability differed significantly among sampling areas and size classes. Trophic niche overlap among size classes and sampling areas was low. Positive and negative relationships between the trophic niche breadth and the standard length of individuals were also found in different sampling areas. Intraspecific and ontogenic variations were strongly and consistently associated with forest cover. Individuals responded differently to local environmental variations due to differences in landscape gradients and life cycle changes. Therefore, the effects of spatial heterogeneity on diet composition and intraspecific variations therein appear to be crucial to the success of the populations evaluated. These results may help with the implementation of conservation measures for this and other endemic species.

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Diet of the toad Rhinella icterica (Anura: Bufonidae) from Atlantic Forest Highlands of southeastern Brazil

Biota Neotropica ◽

10.1590/s1676-06032012000400027 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 258-262 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Leandro Talione Sabagh ◽

Ana Maria Paulino Telles Carvalho-e-Silva ◽

Carlos Frederico Duarte Rocha

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

National Park ◽

Niche Breadth ◽

Trophic Niche ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Important Prey ◽

High Consumption ◽

Low Diversity ◽

Mouth Size ◽

Index Of Relative Importance

In this study, we present some information of the regarding throphic niche from the anuran toad Rhinella icterica living in high altitudes above 2000 m a.s.l. from a habitat of the Atlantic Forest Biome - the Altitude Fields in the Itatiaia National Park. We found 150 prey items in toad stomachs, belonging to five prey types, as well as skin remains and some remains of plant material. The index of relative importance indicated that most important prey types were beetles and ants, these last composing 70% of the diet numerically and the trophic niche breadth (B) was 1.81. The relatively low diversity of prey types we recorded in the diet of R. icterica of Itatiaia and numerically dominated by ants suggests some preference for this item. We do not found significant relationship between the toad measurements with the preys' measurements. We concluded that R. icterica toads at the highlands of Itatiaia feeds on arthropods, mainly ants and coleopterans and that the high consumption of preys with relatively small and similar size as ants in the diet prevents an expected relationship among frog body or mouth size and prey volume and size.

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Food niche of solitary and social bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in a Neotropical Savanna

Sociobiology ◽

10.13102/sociobiology.v67i4.5841 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 67 (4) ◽

pp. 554

Author(s):

Claudia Oliveira dos Santos ◽

Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar ◽

Celso Feitosa Martins ◽

Edson Braz Santana ◽

Flávio França ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Niche Overlap ◽

Trophic Niche ◽

Floral Resources ◽

Neotropical Savanna ◽

Social Bees ◽

Long Period ◽

Food Niche ◽

Trophic Niches

In this study we investigated the group of floral resources that support bee populations from a bee assemblage in a savanna, and the way in which bee species use these food resources, with an emphasis on the breadth and overlap of trophic niches. The interactions between 75 species of bees and 62 species of plants visited to obtain floral resources were recorded on a Brazilian savanna site. The bee species explored a diverse set of plant species, but concentrated the collection of resources in a few plant species. The distribution of the samples over a long period favored a robust characterization of the food niche of the bee populations. Byrsonima sericea, Serjania faveolata, and Stigmaphyllon paralias were the plant species with the highest number of links with bees. In general, the trophic niche overlap was low, with 75% of pairs of bee species having a niche overlap (NO) less than 0.33. Only four pairs showed high overlap (NO>0.70) and all cases were related to the exploitation of floral resources provided by B. sericea, a key resource for the maintenance of the local bee fauna, an oil and pollen provider.

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Trophic niche breadth and niche overlap in a guild of flower-visiting bees in a Brazilian dry forest

Apidologie ◽

10.1007/s13592-012-0167-4 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 44 (2) ◽

pp. 153-162 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Cândida M. L. Aguiar ◽

Gilberto M. de M. Santos ◽

Celso F. Martins ◽

Steven J. Presley

Keyword(s):

Niche Breadth ◽

Niche Overlap ◽

Trophic Niche ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Flower Visiting

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Floral resource use and interactions between Apis mellifera and native bees in cucurbit crops in Yucatán, México

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/n04-043 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 137 (4) ◽

pp. 441-449 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Miguel Angel Pinkus-Rendon ◽

Víctor Parra-Tabla ◽

Virginia Meléndez-Ramírez

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Resource Use ◽

Interspecific Interactions ◽

Citrullus Lanatus ◽

Niche Overlap ◽

Fruit Production ◽

Floral Resources ◽

Native Bees ◽

Native Bee ◽

Floral Resource

AbstractDespite the importance of native pollinators in agricultural systems, little is known about the potential competitive interactions among them or the way they exploit crops' floral resources. This study determines the temporal use of floral resources by, and interspecific interactions between, native bees and Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in experimental plots of squash, Cucurbita moschata (Duchesne ex Lam.) Duchesne ex Poir. (Cucurbitaceae), and watermelon, Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) (Cucurbitaceae). General and specific niche overlap analyses were done to determine whether temporally differential use of floral resources occurred. Direct displacement interactions at the floral level were quantified. The species with the greatest abundances were Peponapis limitaris Cockerell (Apidae), Partamona bilineata Say (Apidae), and A. mellifera. Overall, the niche overlap analyses in both crops suggested that floral resources are not used simultaneously by different bee species. Winner events during aggressive encounters suggested a hierarchy among bee species, with A. mellifera being one of the species with more winner encounters in both crops. It is suggested that those deciding whether or not to introduce A. mellifera into crops should consider whether the abundance of native bee species is sufficient to ensure efficient fruit production.

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Honeybees optimize their foraging behaviour in relation to spatio-temporal changes in nectar and pollen availability

10.1101/2020.07.08.193268 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jan J. Kreider ◽

Anna Nehrkorn ◽

Svenja Bänsch ◽

Carmen Kirsch ◽

Catrin Westphal

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Foraging Behaviour ◽

Resource Scarcity ◽

Floral Resources ◽

Mass Flowering ◽

Temporal Shift ◽

Lime Tree ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

Floral Resource

AbstractIntensified agriculture increasingly threatens wild and managed bees by promoting landscape uniformity and reducing floral resource availability whereas urban areas can provide continuous floral resources within green spaces and private gardens. Mass-flowering events of crops and trees, such as lime trees (Tilia spp.), can provide ample floral resources but only for short time periods. Using waggle dance decoding, pollen analysis and bee abundance recordings, we investigated the temporal shift in honeybee foraging behaviour in response to lime tree mass-flowering. Honeybees in urban areas extended their foraging range during lime tree flowering. Foraging behaviour of honeybees in rural areas did not change to such an extent and honeybees foraged in sown flower strips. Our results suggest that honeybees optimize their foraging behaviour to exploit highly rewarding resources instead of extending foraging ranges in times of floral resource scarcity.

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Recurso polinífero utilizado por Apis mellifera L. (Himenoptera: Apidae) en un área de bosque subtropical del noroeste de Argentina

Revista de Biología Tropical ◽

10.15517/rbt.v66i3.30856 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 66 (3) ◽

pp. 1182

Author(s):

Magali Veronica Mendez ◽

Ana Carina Sanchez ◽

Fabio Fernado Flores ◽

Liliana Concepcion Lupo

Keyword(s):

Native Species ◽

Trophic Niche ◽

Added Value ◽

Floral Resources ◽

Importance Index ◽

Western Area ◽

Pollen Types ◽

The Family ◽

Pollen Traps

In Northwest Argentina, Yungas subtropical forests are very important because of their huge vegetal diversity. Honeybees (A. mellifera) use these resources to feed and therefore as an ecosystemic service through beekeeping. The characterization of pollen flora of a region allows getting to know the food source and defining the importance of different plant species for colonies development and maintenance. The aim of the present study is to identify the pollen flora used by A. mellifera in the Yungas western area in Jujuy (Argentina) by means of their pollen loads characterization and to analyze the variations of two consecutive productive periods throughout spring and summer. To do this, 14 samples taken monthly were analyzed over the periods from September 2011 to March 2012 and September 2012 to March 2013. The samples were obtained from pollen traps at the entrances of the hives and were treated in the laboratory under conventional melisopalinology techniques with subsequent acetolysis. A total of 46 pollen types belonging to 25 botanical families were identified. The most important ones according to the family importance index are Euphorbiaceae (35.54), Fabaceae (26.27), Asteraceae (20.77), Vitaceae (16.14), Myrtaceae (9.13). Zanthoxylum, Sebastiania, Mimosa, Euphorbiaceae, Cactaceae, Parapiptadenia excelsa, Eupatorium, Cissus, Eucalyptus y Viguiera were identified as dominant resources. The variations of the breadth Index trophic niche show a floral resources selection for the area, where the use of native species stands out. The information produced in this study contributes to the knowledge of the resource offered by the forest and the species that are important for beekeeping production. Besides, it contributes to enhance the production and marketing of this product from its added value, allowing beekeepers a good management of hives.

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