Floristic study and pollen characterization of resources used by native bees in urban green areas in the eastern Amazon
Floristic composition, Vertical stratification, Pollen resources, Plant-pollinator
To understand the universe between plant and pollinator, palynology is an effective tool that generates important information about this interaction. The aim of this study was to characterize the floristic composition and supply of pollen resources used by native bees reared in urban green areas in Belterra, Pará, Brazil. To facilitate understanding, this thesis was divided into three chapters. The first shows the floristic composition and meliponicultural potential of secondary forest areas. The second reports the floristic composition of urban environments and the characterization of the predominant pollination systems in the vertical stratification. The third deals with the pollen characterization of the pollen pots of two bee species reared in an urban green area in Belterra. A total of 415 individuals, 99 species, 66 genera belonging to 40 botanical families were observed for areas of secondary forests, it was observed that 75% of the species have pollination systems by bees (Chapter 1). The street, backyard and secondary forest urban environments together presented 235 species distributed in 175 genera, belonging to 55 botanical families. The analyzes showed significant differences (P= 0.01) between the environments and the type of stratification (arboreal, shrubby, herbaceous and liana), the street environment and the arboreal stratum presented the greatest floristic richness, while the pollination system biotic by bees was the most common in different environments and strata (Chapter 2). The pollen characterization of monthly samples of pollen pots from native bees showed a total of 55 types of pollen distributed in 21 botanical families. Among the pollen types, Miconia type (Melastomataceae) collected by M. seminigra and Vismia guianensis (Hypericaceae) by S. xanthotricha were very frequent (>50%) in some months. The species M. seminigra showed a smaller extension of the pollen niche compared to S. xanthotricha, being considered less generalist, showing a greater preference for few pollen types, the habits, trees and shrubs were more intensely visited by the bees in the study (Chapter 3). Thus, the results can contribute to reducing the gap in knowledge about interactions between bees and plants, especially in arboreal plants in the Amazon biome, and subsidize decision-making for the conservation of local biodiversity.