Post on 10-Mar-2018
Pollen on bees&
Bees on
Flowers
—
Dave Roubik, Enrique Moreno (STRI),Rogel Villanueva (ECOSUR)
YOU HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING UNTIL YOU’VE LOOKED THROUGH A MICROSCOPE
Genipa
Hedyosmum
comp
bignone
Serjania
Paulinnia
Scheelea
Zea
Croton
Acacia
Borreria CordiaAegiphila
CecropiaSyzygium
These are common ‘Apis flowers’
Afr ica n h on eyb ee P la n t s
0 %
2 5 %
5 0 %
7 5 %
1 0 0 %
French Guiana French Guiana French Guiana AFRICA mean
(Neotropics)
Pe
rce
nt
Re
co
rd
ed
Ta
xa
Herbs, GrassesHerbs, GrassesHerbs, GrassesHerbs, Grasses ShrubsShrubsShrubsShrubs TreesTreesTreesTrees Vines, Epis.Vines, Epis.Vines, Epis.Vines, Epis.
Afr ica n h on eyb ee P h ylet ic F lor a
0 %
2 5 %
5 0 %
7 5 %
1 0 0 %
French
Guiana
Bolivian
Amazon
Panama Mexico Venezuela mean
Pe
rce
nt R
eco
rd
ed
Ta
xa
Rosids Asterids Gym, Mag Mono, Commel
Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve trap-nestin’
Megachilids
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
Sap
otac
eae
Faba
ceae
Rubia
ceae
Euph
orb
ia...
Anac
ardia
...
Plant Family
Proportional
pollen use
1 species (essentially), 17 years
Centris pollen
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
Sapota
ceae
Mal
pighia
ceae
Fabac
eae
Anac
ardia
ceae
Euphorbia
ceaeP
rop
ort
ion
al
po
lle
n
us
ePRE-Apis
POST-Apis
The Devil is in the Details
Hint: Compare 1991 & 2001.
Question: Is this a ‘win-win’ situation?
1. In nature, competing bees feed each other.
2. Native bees may react to introduced
Apis by switching their forage, and may even gain food resources via Apis.
3. Honey bees are truly generalists which in fact specialize.
4. Competitors of Apis, if not given diverse
alternative resources (non-rosids e.g.) are likely to be at risk.