Bee-plant community in a xeric ecosystem in Argentina

Michelette, Elen R.F; Camargo, João M.F

doi:10.1590/S0101-81752000000300011

Abstract

The bee-plant community in a xeric ecosystem in northwestern Argentina was studied concerning diversity, relative abundance, floral preference and phenology. Fifty-seven bee species were recorded, 42.1% of them endemic to arid regions of southern South America, visiting flowers of 11 plant species. The most abundant bees were Canephorula apiformis (Friese, 1908), Isomalopsis niveata (Friese, 1908) and Melectoides bellus (Jorgensen, 1912). No strictly specialist bee was observed. Some aspects of bee-flowers associations and distribution patterns are discussed.

Bee-plant interaction; Monte Province; arid ecosystem; biogeography

Bee-plant community in a xeric ecosystem in Argentina

Elen R.F. Michelette^I; João M.F. Camargo^II

^IUniversidade Tiradentes. Avenida Dr. José Thomas D'Avila Nabuco, 300, 49030-270 Aracaju, Sergipe, Brasil

^IIDepartamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo. Avenida dos Bandeirantes 3900, 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brasil

ABSTRACT

The bee-plant community in a xeric ecosystem in northwestern Argentina was studied concerning diversity, relative abundance, floral preference and phenology. Fifty-seven bee species were recorded, 42.1% of them endemic to arid regions of southern South America, visiting flowers of 11 plant species. The most abundant bees were Canephorula apiformis (Friese, 1908), Isomalopsis niveata (Friese, 1908) and Melectoides bellus (Jorgensen, 1912). No strictly specialist bee was observed. Some aspects of bee-flowers associations and distribution patterns are discussed.

Key words: Bee-plant interaction, Monte Province, arid ecosystem, biogeography

Full text available only in PDF format.

Texto completo disponível apenas em PDF.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. We thank Pe. J. S. Moure and Silvia R. M. Pedro for identification of several bee species, F. Zanella for identification of

P. (Paracentris) lyngbyei

and Francisco Maldonado, Justo Marques and Mabel Allende of the Instituto y Museo de Ciencias Naturales de la Fac. de Cien. Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales de la UNSJ, for identification of the plants. We are very grateful to J.G. Rozen, Jr., R.W. Brooks. D.W. Roubik, S.R.M. Pedro, G.A.R. Melo, M.L. Oliveira for corrections, comments and suggestions. This research was supported by FAPESP (ERFM, proc. 96/3676-8) and CNPq (JMFC, proc. 300014/84-8 RN).

Recebido em 26.VIII.1999; aceito em 22.VIII.2000.

Aparicio, E.P. 1966. Rasgos geomorfológicos de la Província de San Juan. Acta Cuyana de Ingenieria 8(1):81-131.
______. 1984. Geología de San Juan. San Juan, Fac. de Cien. Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Univ. Nac. de San Juan, 167p.
Bray, W.L. 1898. On the relation of the flora of the Lower Sonoran Zone in North America to the flora of the arid zones of Chile and Argentina. Bot. Gazette 26:121-147.
______. 1900. The relation of the North American flora to that of South America. Science 12:709-716.
Cabrera, A.L. & A. Willink. 1973. Biogeografia de América Latina. Washington, D.C., Prog. Reg. Des. Cient. y Tecnol. OEA, no. 13, 120p.
Ducke, A. 1910. Explorações botânicas e entomológicas no Estado do Ceará. Rev. Trimest. Inst. Ceará 24:3-61.
Engler, A. 1896. Über die geographische Verbreitung der Zygophyllaceen im verhältnis zu ihrer systematischen Gliderung. Phys. Abh. K. Akad. Wiss. Berlin 2:1-36.
Gray, A. & J.D. Hooker. 1880. The vegetation of the Rocky Mountains region and a comparison with that of other parts of the world. Bull. U.S. Geol. Surv. 6:1-77.
Hurd, P.D. & E.G. Linsley. 1975. The principal Larrea bees of the southwestern United States (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Smiths. Contrib. Zool. 193:1-74.
Jörgensen. P. 1912. Revision der Apiden der Provinz Mendoza, Republica Argentina. Zool. Jahrb. Abt. Sys. Geogr. Biol. Tiere 32:89-162.
Kiesling, R. 1994. Flora de San Juan, República Argentina. Ed. V. Mazzini, Buenos Aires. Vol. I, 348p.
Michener, C.D. 1979. Biogeography of the Bees. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 66:277-347.
______. 1989. Classification of American Colletinae (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 53:622-703
Michener, C.D.; W.E. Laberge & J.S. Moure. 1955. Canephorulini, a tribe of South American bees (Hymenopt.- Apoidea). Dusenia, Curitiba, 6(5):207-212.
Michener, C.D. & J.S. Moure. 1957. A study of the classification on the more primitive non-parasite Anthophorine bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 112(5):395-452.
Moldenke, A.R. 1976a. California pollination ecology and vegetation types. Phytologia 34:305-361.
______. 1976b. Evolutionary history and diversity of the bee faunas of Chile and Pacific North America. Wasmann Jour. Biol. 34:147-178.
______. 1979a. Host-plant coevolution and the diversity of bees in relation to the flora of North America. Phytologia 43:357-419.
______. 1979b. Pollination ecology as an assay for ccosystemic organizations: convergent evolution in Chile and California. Phytologia 42:415-454.
Moure, J.S. 1950. Alguns agrupamentos novos de abelhas Neotropicais (Hymenopt. - Apoidea). Dusenia, Curitiba, 1(6):385-394.
Raven, P.H. 1963. Amphitropical relations in the flora of North and South America. Quart. Rev. Biol. 38:151-177.
Roig-Alsina, A. 1991. Revision of the cleptoparasitic bee tribe Isepeolini (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae). Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 54:257-288.
Silveira, F.A. 1995. Phylogenetic relationships and classification of Exomalopsini with a new tribe Teratognathini (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 55(12):425-454.
Silveira, F.A. & J.R. Cure. 1993. High-altitude bee fauna of southeastern Brazil: implications for biogeographic patterns (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Stud. Neotrop. Fauna Environ. 28(1):47-55.
Simpson, B.B. & J.L. Neff. 1985. Plants, their pollinating bees, and the great American interchange, p. 427-452. In: F.G. Stehli & S.O. Webb (Eds). The Great American Biotic Interchange. New York, Plenum, 532p.
Snelling, R.R. 1974. Notes on the distribution and taxonomy of some North American Centris (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae). Contrib. Sci. (259):1-41.
______. 1984. Studies on the taxonomy and distribution of American centridine bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae). Contrib. Sci. (347):1-69.
Solbrig, O.T. 1972. New approaches to the study of disjunctions with special emphasis on the American amphitropical deserts disjunctions, p. 85-100. In: D.H. Valentine (Ed.), Taxonomy, Phytogeography and Evolution.. New York, Academic Press, XII+432p.
Solbrig, O.T. 1983. The floristic disjunctions between the Monte in Argentina and Sonoran desert in Mexico and the United States. Ann. Missouri Bot. Card. 59:218-223.
Stange, L.A.; A.L. Teran & A. Willink. 1976. Entomofauna de la Província Biogeográfica del Monte. Acta Zool. Lilloana 32:72-120.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
08 May 2009
Date of issue
Sept 2000

History

Accepted
22 Aug 2000
Received
26 Aug 1999

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] Aparicio, E.P. 1966. Rasgos geomorfológicos de la Província de San Juan. Acta Cuyana de Ingenieria 8(1):81-131.

[2] ______. 1984. Geología de San Juan. San Juan, Fac. de Cien. Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Univ. Nac. de San Juan, 167p.

[3] Bray, W.L. 1898. On the relation of the flora of the Lower Sonoran Zone in North America to the flora of the arid zones of Chile and Argentina. Bot. Gazette 26:121-147.

[4] ______. 1900. The relation of the North American flora to that of South America. Science 12:709-716.

[5] Cabrera, A.L. & A. Willink. 1973. Biogeografia de América Latina. Washington, D.C., Prog. Reg. Des. Cient. y Tecnol. OEA, no. 13, 120p.

[6] Ducke, A. 1910. Explorações botânicas e entomológicas no Estado do Ceará. Rev. Trimest. Inst. Ceará 24:3-61.

[7] Engler, A. 1896. Über die geographische Verbreitung der Zygophyllaceen im verhältnis zu ihrer systematischen Gliderung. Phys. Abh. K. Akad. Wiss. Berlin 2:1-36.

[8] Gray, A. & J.D. Hooker. 1880. The vegetation of the Rocky Mountains region and a comparison with that of other parts of the world. Bull. U.S. Geol. Surv. 6:1-77.

[9] Hurd, P.D. & E.G. Linsley. 1975. The principal Larrea bees of the southwestern United States (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Smiths. Contrib. Zool. 193:1-74.

[10] Jörgensen. P. 1912. Revision der Apiden der Provinz Mendoza, Republica Argentina. Zool. Jahrb. Abt. Sys. Geogr. Biol. Tiere 32:89-162.

[11] Kiesling, R. 1994. Flora de San Juan, República Argentina. Ed. V. Mazzini, Buenos Aires. Vol. I, 348p.

[12] Michener, C.D. 1979. Biogeography of the Bees. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 66:277-347.

[13] ______. 1989. Classification of American Colletinae (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 53:622-703

[14] Michener, C.D.; W.E. Laberge & J.S. Moure. 1955. Canephorulini, a tribe of South American bees (Hymenopt.- Apoidea). Dusenia, Curitiba, 6(5):207-212.

[15] Michener, C.D. & J.S. Moure. 1957. A study of the classification on the more primitive non-parasite Anthophorine bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 112(5):395-452.

[16] Moldenke, A.R. 1976a. California pollination ecology and vegetation types. Phytologia 34:305-361.

[17] ______. 1976b. Evolutionary history and diversity of the bee faunas of Chile and Pacific North America. Wasmann Jour. Biol. 34:147-178.

[18] ______. 1979a. Host-plant coevolution and the diversity of bees in relation to the flora of North America. Phytologia 43:357-419.

[19] ______. 1979b. Pollination ecology as an assay for ccosystemic organizations: convergent evolution in Chile and California. Phytologia 42:415-454.

[20] Moure, J.S. 1950. Alguns agrupamentos novos de abelhas Neotropicais (Hymenopt. - Apoidea). Dusenia, Curitiba, 1(6):385-394.

[21] Raven, P.H. 1963. Amphitropical relations in the flora of North and South America. Quart. Rev. Biol. 38:151-177.

[22] Roig-Alsina, A. 1991. Revision of the cleptoparasitic bee tribe Isepeolini (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae). Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 54:257-288.

[23] Silveira, F.A. 1995. Phylogenetic relationships and classification of Exomalopsini with a new tribe Teratognathini (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 55(12):425-454.

[24] Silveira, F.A. & J.R. Cure. 1993. High-altitude bee fauna of southeastern Brazil: implications for biogeographic patterns (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Stud. Neotrop. Fauna Environ. 28(1):47-55.

[25] Simpson, B.B. & J.L. Neff. 1985. Plants, their pollinating bees, and the great American interchange, p. 427-452. In: F.G. Stehli & S.O. Webb (Eds). The Great American Biotic Interchange. New York, Plenum, 532p.

[26] Snelling, R.R. 1974. Notes on the distribution and taxonomy of some North American Centris (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae). Contrib. Sci. (259):1-41.

[27] ______. 1984. Studies on the taxonomy and distribution of American centridine bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae). Contrib. Sci. (347):1-69.

[28] Solbrig, O.T. 1972. New approaches to the study of disjunctions with special emphasis on the American amphitropical deserts disjunctions, p. 85-100. In: D.H. Valentine (Ed.), Taxonomy, Phytogeography and Evolution.. New York, Academic Press, XII+432p.

[29] Solbrig, O.T. 1983. The floristic disjunctions between the Monte in Argentina and Sonoran desert in Mexico and the United States. Ann. Missouri Bot. Card. 59:218-223.

[30] Stange, L.A.; A.L. Teran & A. Willink. 1976. Entomofauna de la Província Biogeográfica del Monte. Acta Zool. Lilloana 32:72-120.