Trigona corvina: An Ecological Study Based on Unusual Nest Structure and Pollen Analysis. (1st October 2009)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Roubik, David W.; Moreno Patiño, J. Enrique
• Other Names: Ginsberg Howard Academic Editor.
• Is Part Of: Psyche. Volume 2009(2009)
• Publication Date: 2009-10-01
• Subjects: Entomology -- Periodicals; Insects -- Periodicals; 595.705
• DOI: 10.1155/2009/268756
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0033-2615

Abstract

Abstract : We found that the nest of Trigona corvina (Apidae; Meliponini) consists mainly of pollen exines from bee excrement, forming a scutellum shield encasing the colony. A 20-year-old nest (1980–2000) from a lowland Panama forested habitat was sawed in half longitudinally, and a 95 cm transect was systematically sampled each 5 cm. Samples subjected to detailed pollen analysis held 72 botanical species belonging to 65 genera in 41 families. Over 90% of scutellum pollen volume was Cecropiaceae and Arecaceae, among> 10 13 grains. Potentially the oldest samples, in the middle of the nest, indicate that Mimosoideae, Euphorbiaceae, and Bombacaceae (now Malvaceae) were lost when Africanized honey bee competitors colonized Panama in 1984. Cecropia deposited in the nest increased markedly after landscape-level vegetation disturbance. Pollen from Cavanillesia demonstrated that the foraging range encompassed 3 km 2 and perhaps 500 plant species. Trigona corvina primarily foraged on plants with large inflorescences, consistent with foraging theory considering their aggressive behavior.