Resin-foraging by colonies ofTrigona sapiensandT. hockingsi(Hymenoptera: Apidae, Meliponini) and consequent seed dispersal ofCorymbia torelliana(Myrtaceae)

Abstract

Resins are a critical resource for stingless bees and resin -collecting bees act as seed dispersers in tropical plants. We describe the diurnal foraging patterns of colonies of Trigona sapiens and T. hockingsi on resin and pollen. We also document patterns of waste removal and seed dispersal of Corymbia torelliana. At most, only 10% of foragers collected resin or dispersed seed. Nevertheless, bees dispersed 1-3 seeds outside the nest per 5 minutes, and 38-114 seeds per day for each nest. The proportion of returning bees carrying pollen was highest in the morning for both species. The proportion of foragers returning with resin loads showed no significant diurnal variation in any season. Waste removal activity peaked in the afternoon for T. sapiens and in the morning for T. hockingsi. Seed removal peaked in the afternoon in one year only for T. sapiens. Bees dispersed thousands of seeds of C. torelliana over the season even though only a small proportion of the colony was engaged in seed transport. stingless bees / mellitochory / seed dispersal / resin / Corymbia

Metabarcoding in Diet Assessment of Heterotrigona itama Based on trnL Marker towards Domestication Program

“…Referring to Jaapar et al (2018) [49] and Asma et al (2019) [50], stingless bees collect pollen in the morning from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and then again from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. The worker bees also normally collect resin to produce extrafloral honey before returning to the hive [49,51]. Interestingly, members of Fabaceae, Fagaceae, and Cucurbitaceae normally produce yellowish-colored flowers that are preferably collected by the stingless bees [1], and Fabaceae has been identified as the most frequently visited family for collecting pollen by the stingless bees [52].…”

Chemical Constituents of Kino Extract from Corymbia torelliana

“…C. torelliana is native to rainforest fringes in tropical Australia and it has an unusual mutualism with stingless bees. Stingless bees are strongly attracted to the resin of C. torelliana fruits and the bees subsequently help to disperse the seeds [2,3,4,5], thereby making this tree species invasive where it has been introduced for amenity plantings outside its natural range.…”

Foraging Behaviour of Heterotrigona itama (Apidae: Meliponini) in Residential Areas

“…The liquid loads of resin and pollen were deposited on the corbiculae structure that is located in the hindlegs tibia of foragers (Figure 4). For stingless bees, plant resins are crucial resources for nest defence and construction (Leonhardt & Bluthgen, 2009;Wallace & Lee, 2010) Bluthgen , 2009). This species was found to have taken resin from tapioca leaf stalks and resinous liquids on the bark of mango trees planted at about 50 m from the house yard.…”

“…Trigona sapiens and Trigona hockingsi) may show early morning and mid-afternoon peaks in floral or non-floral materials collection (Wallace & Lee, 2010). Differences in hours of foraging activity within a day may vary depending on resource availability, distance, and ecological factors (Basari et al, 2018;Wallace & Lee, 2010). The foraging activity can also correspond to both plant pollination-related characteristics and eusocial bees (Lichtenberg et al, 2016).…”