Bee Diversity in an Peri-Urban Patch of “Restinga”

Authors: Silva J, Soares Miranda A, Borges Koch E, Martins C, Antonini Y and Albano Araújo V*

DOI: 10.23880/izab-16000514

Volume 6, Issue 5

Abstract

Bees gather food resources from angiosperm flowers, promoting pollination, cross-breeding, and increasing the genetic variability of many plant species. However, all over the world there has been a great decline in bee populations, with the most accepted hypotheses being the loss of habitat caused by urbanization, fungal contamination and pesticide residues. The collapse of bee colonies can unbalance ecosystems causing a reduction in plant abundance and directly impacting the agricultural economy. Peri-urban paths are considered refuges capable of sheltering part of the biodiversity, including communities of pollinators such as bees. On the Brazilian Atlantic coast, restinga ecosystems are fragmented and their remnants are threatened by anthropic actions and real estate speculation. In this work, the bee fauna was inventoried in a peri-urban patch of “restinga” in the Municipal Natural Park of Barreto’s Restinga in Macaé, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the objective of understanding the structure of the bee community and its relationship with the availability of floral resources and seasonality. Collections were carried out monthly between February 2019 and February 2020. The methods included active collections with entomological nets between 08:00 and 17:00 hours. 363 individuals belonging to 31 bee species were sampled. The most abundant genera were Xylocopa, Eulaema and Eufriesia, with the highest richness and abundance during the summer. There was a significant relationship between the availability of floral resources and the richness and abundance of bees. There was also a positive relationship between bee richness and rainfall. The data generated may contribute to support public policies that ensure the maintenance and expansion of “restinga” areas in urban environments, contributing to the conservation of bee species in the Atlantic Forest.

Keywords: Apidae; Urban Fragment; Seasonality; Floral Resources; Atlantic Forest

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