Social Organization and Pollination Efficiency in the Carpenter Bee Xylocopa pubescens (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Anthophorinae)

Keasar, Tamar; Sadeh, Adi; Shilo, Michal; Ziv, Yaron

doi:10.1127/entom.gen/29/2007/225

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…All of the sites from the lowest to highest elevation had daily temperature ranges appropriate for wild bees. Generally, the genus Xylocopa is able to move around well in a daily temperature range of 25-35 ∘ C [22]. This heat tolerance suggests efficient heat regulation ability in carpenter bees, possibly controlled by a thermoregulatory centre in the prothorax [23].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of Wild Bees along Elevational Gradient in an Agricultural Area in Central Java, Indonesia

Widhiono

Sudiana

Darsono

2017

Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

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Increases in mean temperature affect the diversity and abundance of wild bees in agricultural ecosystems. Pollinator community composition is expected to change along an elevational gradient due to differences in the daily ambient temperature. This study investigated the diversity and abundance of wild bees in an agricultural area along an elevational gradient in Central Java, Indonesia. Wild bees were collected using a sweep net in 40 green bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) cultivation sampling locations at seven different elevations (8, 108, 224, 424, 644, 893, and 1017 m above sea level). Species diversity was determined using the Shannon-Wiener diversity index. We identified 932 individuals from 8 species of wild bee belonging to 3 families. The family Apidae was predominant, with 6 species, while only 1 species was found from each of Megachilidae and Halictidae. Across the study sites, diversity increased with increasing elevation (( ) = 1.4, ( ) = 0.25, and ( ) = 0.78 at low elevation to ( ) = 2.04, = 0.13, and = 0.96 at high elevation), and higher numbers of species were found at middle and high elevations. Species richness and abundance increased linearly with increasing elevation, and species diversity was highest at middle elevations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of Wild Bees along Elevational Gradient in an Agricultural Area in Central Java, Indonesia

Widhiono

Sudiana

Darsono

2017

Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

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“…Although incipient social behaviors have been observed in some species in the wild, knowledge is lacking for most species (Handy et al, 2023 ). Female Xylocopa excavates their nests in dry plant tissues, such as trees, dead trunks, and bamboo canes (Junqueira et al, 2012 ), and lay eggs in cells with pollen and nectar (Keasar et al, 2007 ). Unlike social bees, nests of Xylocopa are often reused for several years (Yamamoto et al, 2014 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Xylocopa caerulea and Xylocopa auripennis harbor a homologous gut microbiome related to that of eusocial bees

Wang

et al. 2023

Front. Microbiol.

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BackgroundEusocial bees, such as bumblebees and honey bees, harbor host-specific gut microbiota through their social behaviors. Conversely, the gut microbiota of solitary bees is erratic owing to their lack of eusocial activities. Carpenter bees (genus Xylocopa) are long-lived bees that do not exhibit advanced eusociality like honey bees. However, they often compete for nests to reproduce. Xylocopa caerulea and Xylocopa auripennis are important pollinators of wild plants on Hainan Island. Whether they have host-specific bacteria in their guts similar to eusocial bees remains unknown.MethodsWe targeted the bacterial 16S rRNA V3-V4 region to investigate the diversity of bacterial symbionts in the fore-midgut and hindgut of two carpenter bees, X. caerulea and X. auripennis.ResultsA maximum of 4,429 unique amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were detected from all samples, belonging to 10 different phyla. X. caerulea and X. auripennis shared similar bacterial community profiles, with Lactobacillaceae, Bifidobacteriaceae, and Orbaceae being dominant in their entire guts. X. caerulea and X. auripennis harbor a highly conserved core set of bacteria, including the genera Candidatus Schmidhempelia and Bombiscardovia. These two bacterial taxa from carpenter bees are closely related to those isolated from bumblebees. The LEfSe analysis showed that Lactobacillaceae, Bifidobacteriaceae, and the genus Bombilactobacillus were significantly enriched in the hindguts of both carpenter bees. Functional prediction suggested that the most enriched pathways were involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism.ConclusionsOur results revealed the structure of the gut microbiota in two carpenter bees and confirmed the presence of some core bacterial taxa that were previously only found in the guts of social bees.

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“…Social and solitary nesters that foraged within a greenhouse differed in their food-plant preferences. Social females directed more of their foraging to a pollen source (Portulaca oleracea) than solitary nesters, possibly because of their higher brood production rates [47].…”

Section: Social Organizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Social and solitary nesters had similar efficiency in pollinating this crop: they did not differ in the daily activity patterns and flower visitation rates. Pollination by both types of nesters led to similar fruit sets, fruit mass, and fruit seed number [47]. Carpenter bees are important pollinators of cotton in Pakistan, India, and Egypt [33].…”

Section: Crop Plants That Are Pollinated By Carpenter Beesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large Carpenter Bees as Agricultural Pollinators

Keasar

2010

Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

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Large carpenter bees (genus Xylocopa) are wood-nesting generalist pollinators of broad geographical distribution that exhibit varying levels of sociality. Their foraging is characterized by a wide range of food plants, long season of activity, tolerance of high temperatures, and activity under low illumination levels. These traits make them attractive candidates for agricultural pollination in hot climates, particularly in greenhouses, and of night-blooming crops. Carpenter bees have demonstrated efficient pollination service in passionflower, blueberries, greenhouse tomatoes and greenhouse melons. Current challenges to the commercialization of these attempts lie in the difficulties of mass-rearing Xylocopa, and in the high levels of nectar robbing exhibited by the bees.

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Social Organization and Pollination Efficiency in the Carpenter Bee Xylocopa pubescens (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Anthophorinae)

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Diversity of Wild Bees along Elevational Gradient in an Agricultural Area in Central Java, Indonesia

Diversity of Wild Bees along Elevational Gradient in an Agricultural Area in Central Java, Indonesia

Xylocopa caerulea and Xylocopa auripennis harbor a homologous gut microbiome related to that of eusocial bees

Large Carpenter Bees as Agricultural Pollinators

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