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Versatility of the trophic niche of Centris (Paracentris) burgdorfi (Apidae, Centridini)

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Abstract

Centris species collect floral oil and use this resource in larval food and for waterproofing their cells. We investigated the trophic niche of three distinct populations of Centris burgdorfi, a widely distributed bee in Brazil, by using pollen collected from female bees. Our goal was to determine whether there is versatility regarding sources of oil, nectar, and pollen in different regions of Brazil. By using the pollen, we also determined whether the source of oil used corresponded to the collection apparatus of the females. In total, we sampled 150 C. burgdorfi females and their associated pollen in three distinct habitat types across Brazil. We prepared pollen by acetolysis and performed quantitative analysis on 400 grains per bee. We identified 41 plant species belonging to 18 families that were used by C. burgdorfi. Although none of the plant species used by C. burgdorfi were shared among areas, the Chamaecrista genus was present in the diet at all three sites. The probable oil source came from plants of the genus Krameria, a genus with epithelial elaiophores. In regions where the Krameriaceae family was not present (e.g., southern Brazil), bees used Angelonia integerrima, a plant with trichomate elaiophores, demonstrating that C. burgdorfis exhibited versatility in its dietary breadth among the studied regions. C. burgdorfi proved to be locally specialized in oil floral source and selectivity in pollen sources, but a generalist when evaluated the wide geographic distribution.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Paulo Roberto de Castro for help and all the support in the field work, and Ana Carolina Oliveira da Silva and Elisa Pereira Queiroz for taking all the measurements of the pollen grains. We also thank to Astrid Kleinert, Celso Feitosa Martins, Clemens Peter Schlindwein, Felipe Vivallo, Liz Nichols, Maria Cristina Gaglianone and the three anonymous reviewers for comments and suggestions on the manuscript. The research was supported by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Rede de Catálogos Polínicos online (RCPol).

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  1. Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    William O. Sabino, Isabel Alves-dos-Santos & Cláudia Inês da Silva

  2. Coordenação de Zoologia, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, PA, Brazil

    William O. Sabino

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  1. William O. Sabino
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Correspondence to William O. Sabino.

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Sabino, W.O., Alves-dos-Santos, I. & da Silva, C.I. Versatility of the trophic niche of Centris (Paracentris) burgdorfi (Apidae, Centridini). Arthropod-Plant Interactions 13, 227–237 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-018-9654-5

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