Long‐term comparison of the orchid bee community in the tropical dry forest of Costa Rica

Bravo, Yanil; Hanson, Paul; Chacón‐Madrigal, Eduardo; Lobo-Segura, Jorge Arturo

doi:10.1111/btp.13067

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…Fourth, we sampled only October–March, though our sample dates included both the late-wet (Dec–Jan) and early-dry (Feb) seasons ( Climate Change Knowledge Portal, 2018 ). This interval spanned a good part of the range of seasonal climatic variation in Belize, but we may have missed species inactive as adults or lower in abundance due to the well-documented seasonality of some orchid bees ( Janzen et al, 1982 ; Ackerman, 1983b ; Roubik & Ackerman, 1987 ; Knoll, 2016 ; Nemésio, Santos & Vasconcelos, 2015 ; Costa & Francoy, 2017 ; Margatto et al, 2019 ; Bravo et al, 2022 ). However, most euglossines are active as adults through most of the year ( Roubik & Hanson, 2004 ; see also Janzen et al, 1982 ), and Ackerman (1983b) found that species composition and relative abundance at lowland sites in Panama were comparable across seasons.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The results provide a biogeographic data-base for future studies that could identify alterations in distribution and relative abundance of orchid bees that result from changes in climate ( Silva et al, 2015 ; Faliero, Nemésio & Loyola, 2018 ; Roubik et al, 2021 ) and land-use patterns ( e.g ., Rincón et al, 1999 ; Schüepp, Rittiner & Entling, 2012 ; Briggs, Perfecto & Brosi, 2013 ; Nemésio, Santos & Vasconcelos, 2015 ; Oliveira, Pinto & Schlindwein, 2015 ; Botsch et al, 2017 ; Storck-Tonon & Peres, 2017 ). For example, two recent studies examined trends in orchid bee communities over 40-year periods in Panama ( Roubik et al, 2021 ) and Costa Rica ( Bravo et al, 2022 , who compared their results to those of Janzen et al, 1982 ). Quantitative distributional data could also be used to identify prime areas for orchid bee conservation ( Miranda et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diversity and distribution of orchid bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Euglossini) in Belize

O'neill

O'Neill

Delphia

et al. 2023

PeerJ

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Background Orchid bees are abundant and widespread in the Neotropics, where males are important pollinators of orchids they visit to collect fragrant chemicals later used to court females. Assemblages of orchid bees have been intensively surveyed in parts of Central America, but less so in Belize, where we studied them during the late-wet and early-dry seasons of 2015–2020. Methods Using bottle-traps baited with chemicals known to attract a variety of orchid bee species, we conducted surveys at sites varying in latitude, historical annual precipitation, elevation, and the presence of nearby agricultural activities. Each sample during each survey period consisted of the same number of traps and the same set of chemical baits, their positions randomized along transects. Results In 86 samples, we collected 24 species in four genera: Euglossa (16 species), Eulaema (3), Eufriesea (3), and Exaerete (2). During our most extensive sampling (December 2016–February 2017), species diversity was not correlated with latitude, precipitation, or elevation; species richness was correlated only with precipitation (positively). However, a canonical correspondence analysis indicated that species composition of assemblages varied across all three environmental gradients, with species like Eufriesea concava, Euglossa imperialis, and Euglossa viridissima most common in the drier north, and Euglossa ignita, Euglossa purpurea, and Eulaema meriana more so in the wetter southeast. Other species, such as Euglossa tridentata and Eulaema cingulata, were common throughout the area sampled. Mean species diversity was higher at sites with agricultural activities than at sites separated from agricultural areas. A Chao1 analysis suggests that other species should yet be found at our sites, a conclusion supported by records from adjacent countries, as well as the fact that we often added new species with repeated surveys of the same sites up through early 2020, and with the use of alternative baits. Additional species may be especially likely if sampling occurs outside of the months/seasons that we have sampled so far.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity and distribution of orchid bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Euglossini) in Belize

O'neill

O'Neill

Delphia

et al. 2023

PeerJ

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Island Biogeography Theory and the Island Rule in Orchid Bees in Panama

Vega‐Rovira,

Bennett‐Vaz,

Araúz

et al. 2024

Journal of Biogeography

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AimThe study of the theory of island biogeographic (TIB) has focused mainly on plants and vertebrates, with support for the predictions that species richness decreases with distance from the mainland and increases with island size. However, less work has been done on invertebrates. Similarly, the study of the island rule has been studied mainly in vertebrates. A group of invertebrates that can facilitate the study of TIB and the island rule are orchid bees (Apidae: Euglossini), because they are easily collected and show powerful flight performances that allows them to travel long distances. We wondered if these bees would follow the predictions of island biogeography, given that their populations may not be isolated across islands. To test if there is an homogenitazion of orchid bee communities across islands, we evaluated orchid bees abundance and species composition across islands. Besides, we tested the island rule by examining body size variations in individuals collected across islands.LocationCoiba National Park (Panama).Time PeriodMay and June 2023.TaxaOrchid bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossini).MethodsBy using traps with chemical attractants, we sampled male bees from five islands and the mainland in Coiba National Park in the Pacific side of Panama. We tested the TIB by evaluating whether richness decreased with distance from the mainland or whether increased with island area. To investigate the island rule, and whether there is variation in body size across islands, we used Euglossa imperialis and Euglossa mixta as models, the two most abundant species in the study area.ResultsFor the overall orchid bee community, we found that our results fit one of the predictions of IBT, increases in orchid bee abundance with island area; however, species richness did not decrease with isolation and did not increase with island area as predicted by TIB. An interesting result was that as distance from the mainland increased few species became more dominant. Regarding the island rule, we found in the two Euglossa species a marked pattern of reduction in body size as distance from the mainland increased, which seems to outweigh the effect of island size, since the largest island and one of the farthest showed some of the smallest body sizes.Main ConclusionsWhether euglossine bees travel long distances across islands in marine environments remain unclear. As distance from the mainland increases, few species become dominant, which may be caused by a decrease of resources that favours generalist species. This increase in abundance may explain the decrease in body size with isolation, as perhaps competition for resources increases. Our study provides novel insights to better appraise the dynamics of orchid bees' communities in insular habitats.

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Long‐term comparison of the orchid bee community in the tropical dry forest of Costa Rica

Cited by 2 publications

References 84 publications

Diversity and distribution of orchid bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Euglossini) in Belize

Diversity and distribution of orchid bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Euglossini) in Belize

Island Biogeography Theory and the Island Rule in Orchid Bees in Panama

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