The fragmentation and habitat loss are the main causes of pollinators decline worldwide, however very little is known about the composition and distribution of neotropical pollinators along continuous micro-environments. To fill this gap, we carried out samplings of Euglossini bees in a continuous area of forest with micro-environments of primary (remnant) and secondary (regeneration) forest of Atlantic Forest. We evaluated the differences in the composition and uniformity of orchid bees in different micro-environments, in order to characterize the responses of the local environmental changes in the attraction of bees to chemical traps. Our results indicated that the composition and uniformity were similar between the two forest fragments studied here, although there are greater abundance of some species by micro-environments. We conclude that the characteristics of the sites in a continuous environment with primary and secondary forest do not seem to have an effect on the composition of the Euglossini fauna, and that the chemical substances are complementary in the attractiveness of the orchid bee males. Thus, our findings suggest that micro-environments in a continuous matrix near forest remnants can help to promote the reintegration of the orchid bee communities and contribute to the conservation of areas in process of forest regeneration.

Diabetes has emerged as one of the largest global epidemics; it is estimated that by 2035, there will be 592 million diabetic people in the world. Brazilian biodiversity and the knowledge of traditional peoples have contributed to the treatment of several diseases, including diabetes. Apis mellifera bee tea is used by indigenous Brazilians to treat diabetes, and this traditional knowledge needs to be recorded and studied.The objective of this study was to record the use and to evaluate the antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, and antidiabetic activity of Apis mellifera bee tea, which is used by the Guarani and Kaiowá indigenous people for the treatment of diabetes. Semi-structured interviews were performed with Guarani and Kaiowá ethnic indigenous people from the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, seeking to identify the animal species used for medicinal purposes. For the experimental procedures, tea prepared with macerated Apis mellifera bees was used. In vitro assays were performed to evaluate antioxidant activity; direct free radical scavenging, protection against oxidative hemolysis, lipid peroxidation were evaluated in human erythrocytes and potential in inhibiting the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). In vivo, normoglycemic Swiss male mice treated with Apis mellifera tea (AmT) were subjected to the oral glucose tolerance test and compared with control and metformin-treated groups. Diet-induced diabetic mice were treated for 21 days with AmT and evaluated for glycemia and malondialdehyde levels in the blood, liver, nervous system, and eyes. During interviews, the indigenous people described the use of Apis mellifera bee tea for the treatment of diabetes. In in vitro assays, AmT showed direct antioxidant activity and reduced oxidative hemolysis and malondialdehyde generation in human erythrocytes. The AmT inhibited the formation of AGEs by albumin-fructose pathways and methylglyoxal products. In vivo, after oral glucose overload, normoglycemic mice treated with AmT had reduced hyperglycemia at all times evaluated up to 180 min. AmT also reduced hyperglycemia and malondialdehyde levels in the blood, liver, nervous system, and eyes of diabetic mice to similar levels as those in metformin-treated mice and normoglycemic controls. In summary, Apis mellifera bee tea showed antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, and antidiabetic activity, which provides support for the therapeutic application of Guarani and Kaiowá indigenous knowledge.

-Aiming to estimate the rate of exploitation of the fl oral resources of Sparattosperma leucanthum (Vell.) K. Schum. as well as the interaction with their fl oral visitors in the pollination, the number of visits by fl ower was sampled, according to the type of visitation, the collected resource and the visitor's behavior during the forage for fl owers. The fl oral visitors were grouped into seven guilds, organized in decreasing order of benefi t to the S. leucanthum fl ower's pollination: effective pollinator, occasional pollinator, endogamic pollinator, generalist visitor, thievery visitor, thievery-pillager ant and pillager visitor. The total of 48.2 ± 8.84 visits were recorded by fl ower. Nearly 50% of the visits resulted in nectar thief or pillage, which posed some problems to the reproduction of S. leucanthum, such as the drop in the attractiveness to pollinators and the harm to the fl ower's reproductive tissues. Trigona spinipes (Fabr.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) was considered the most harmful species owing to the high frequency of pillage and forage. Bombus sp1, however, was probably the species that pollinated S. lecanthum fl owers the most, making use of the crossed pollination.KEY WORDS: Foraging behavior, foraging frequency, pollinator, nectar thief-pillage RESUMO -Com o objetivo de estimar a taxa de exploração dos recursos fl orais de Sparattosperma leucanthum (Vell.) K. Schum. e a interação com seus visitantes fl orais na polinização, foram amostradas as visitas realizadas por fl or, agrupadas segundo o tipo de visitação e o recurso coletado, registrando-se o comportamento do visitante durante o forrageamento às fl ores. Os visitantes fl orais foram agrupados em sete guildas, em ordem decrescente de benefício à polinização das fl ores de S. leucanthum: polinizador efetivo, polinizador casual, polinizador endogâmico, visitante generalista, visitante furtador, formiga furtadora-pilhadora e visitante pilhador. Foram constatadas 48,2 ± 8,84 visitas por fl or, sendo que a guilda polinizador efetivo respondeu por 16,1 ± 8,43 (33,3%) visitas por fl or. Quase 50% das visitas resultaram no furto ou pilhagem de néctar, representando prejuízos à reprodução de S. leucanthum, como a redução da atratividade aos polinizadores e o dano aos tecidos reprodutivos da fl or. Trigona spinipes (Fabr.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) foi considerada a espécie mais prejudicial devido à alta freqüência de pilhagem e de forrageamento, enquanto Bombus sp1 foi provavelmente a espécie que mais polinizou fl ores de S. leucanthum através da polinização cruzada. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Forrageamento, freqüência, polinizador, furto-pilhagem de néctarSparattosperma leucanthum (Vell.) K. Schum. é uma planta nativa do Brasil, típica da Mata Atlântica e da fl oresta semidecídua da Bacia do Paraná, sendo que apenas no Mato Grosso do Sul tornou-se uma séria infestante de pastagens implantadas em área de antigas fl orestas (Lorenzi 2000a). Apresenta rápido crescimento, podendo ser empregada em plantios mistos para restauração da vegetação em áreas de...

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Richards, 1978). 'Trabalho financiado pelo Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientrlico e Tecnológico (CNPq/MCT) (Proc. 400969/83-Z0, 407297183-Z0).