Oil collecting bees and Byrsonima cydoniifolia A. Juss. (Malpighiaceae) interactions: the prevalence of long-distance cross pollination driving reproductive success

Abstract

Oil-collecting bees are the natural pollinators of oil-flower plants, but little is known about the pollination process and the effectiveness of their pollination service to the reproductive success of their host plants. In species of Byrsonima the reproductive system have been described as auto-compatible or self-incompatible. We studied the reproductive system of Byrsonima cydoniifolia, the fructification by means of short, medium and long-distance cross pollinations, the morphology and floral biology and the pollination interactions with species of oil-collecting bees. By means of controlled pollinations we found self-incompatibility caused by abortion of most self-pollinated flowers and demonstrated that the prevailing cross pollination ensuring the reproductive success of B. cydoniifolia is the long-distance cross pollination and Centridini bees; Epicharis nigrita, particularly, are the pollinators promoting the gene flow between genetically distinct populations.

Bee-flower association in the Neotropics: implications to bee conservation and plant pollination

“…Malpighiaceae is recognized as the most important and numerous floral source of oil; it is important for the provision of oil-collecting bee larvae (Alvesdos-Santos et al 2007). On the other hand, these bees are responsible for pollination of several plant species (with and without oil-flowers) of natural and farming environments (Frankie et al 2004;Freitas and Paxton 1998;Magalhães and Freitas 2013;Sazan et al 2014). Thereby, we can infer that the maintenance of these plants providing floral oil is essential both to the maintenance of the populations and diversity of oil-collecting bees, as shown by Rosa and Ramalho (2011), and for the maintenance of other plants dependent on these bees.…”

Krameria tomentosa oil flowers and their pollinators: Bees specialized on trichome elaiophores exploit its epithelial oil glands

“…and Stigmaphyllon lalandianum A. Juss. (Gaglianone, 2003;Sigrist and Sazima, 2004;Ribeiro et al, 2008;Bezerra et al, 2009a;Dunley et al, 2009;Sazan et al, 2014) -including the West Indian cherry Malpighia emarginata D.C., an economically important crop in northeastern Brazil (Freitas et al, 1999;Vilhena et al, 2012). Visits on K. tomentosa flowers by C. nitens and C. tarsata were recorded in both the dry and rainy sampling periods (Table 4).…”

The Similar Usage of a Common Key Resource Does Not Determine Similar Responses by Species in A Community of Oil-collecting Bees

“…The total abundance of Byrsonima was variable among the sampled sites (23 to 233 individuals per transect), but in general there were more than 55 individuals per transect. Details on the morphology and floral biology of these plant species can be found in Teixeira and Machado (2000), and Sazan et al (2014). The flowers of B. sericea are attractive to bees for about a day and a half (Teixeira & Machado, 2000), and the flowers of B. cydoniifollia for approximately two days (Sazan et al, 2014).…”

“…Details on the morphology and floral biology of these plant species can be found in Teixeira and Machado (2000), and Sazan et al (2014). The flowers of B. sericea are attractive to bees for about a day and a half (Teixeira & Machado, 2000), and the flowers of B. cydoniifollia for approximately two days (Sazan et al, 2014). In this region, B. sericea flowering season lasts from December to March, while B. cydoniifolia blooms in December and January (personal observation).…”

“…Few plant families provide oil on specialized flower structures (elaiophores), which are accessible only to flower visitors that are able to "scratch" epithelial elaiophores with specialized structures (combs) on their legs, or use specialized setae on their legs to obtain oil from trichomatic elaiophores (Neff & Simpson, 1981;Vogel & Machado, 1991). As consequence of these adaptations, oil-collecting bees and oil-producing plants have interactions of high intimacy: floral oil is essential to feed the larvae and build nests (Vinson & Frankie, 2000;Aguiar & Garófalo, 2004;Michener, 2007), while the pollination services provided by these bees are needed for the plant reproduction (Vogel & Machado, 1991;Sigrist & Sazima, 2004;Costa et al, 2006;Sazan et al, 2014).…”