Abstract

Undoubtedly, Melipona bees are the most widely managed native American bee species for the production of honey and related products. These bees have been reared since before the arrival of Europeans on the continent. Despite being considered generalists due to their life histories, each stingless bee species has food preferences easily adapting to the available resources. Seeking to contribute to the understanding of the food ecology of Melipona bees, 17 pollen samples from six species found in natural nests along the Rio Negro were analysed. The pollen material was homogenised and prepared following the standard acetolysis technique. Relative frequency, the similarity between diets and correlation of diets with bee body size were determined. Thirty-two pollen types (17 botanical families) were identified, 13 of which were considered attractive, while six promoted temporary specialisation events. The results reaffirmed the potential generalist pattern of these bees with temporary specialisation events, being strongly influenced by local conditions. The diversity of pollen types per pot was not related to bee body size. Also, the number of pollen types found in each nest did not correlate to the number of pots analysed revealing non-neutral determinants for each species pollen richness. With the results obtained, it was clear that certain plants were more as food sources which could support conservation programmes and help meliponiculture in the Amazon.

摘要

毫无疑问，Melipona蜜蜂是用于生产蜂蜜和相关产品的最广泛管理的美洲本土蜜蜂物种。这些蜜蜂在欧洲人到达非洲大陆之前就已经被饲养了。尽管因其生活史而被认为是通才，但每个无刺蜂物种都有很容易适应可用资源的食物偏好。寻求对Melipona食物生态的理解做出贡献蜜蜂，分析了在内格罗河沿岸天然巢穴中发现的六个物种的 17 个花粉样本。花粉材料按照标准的乙酰化技术进行均质化和制备。确定了相对频率、饮食之间的相似性以及饮食与蜜蜂体型的相关性。确定了 32 种花粉类型（17 个植物科），其中 13 种被认为是有吸引力的，而 6 种促进了临时专业化事件。结果重申了这些蜜蜂具有临时专业化事件的潜在通才模式，受当地条件的强烈影响。每盆花粉类型的多样性与蜜蜂体型无关。此外，在每个巢穴中发现的花粉类型数量与分析的花盆数量无关，揭示了每个物种花粉丰富度的非中性决定因素。