Pollinator-flower interactions in gardens during the covid 19 pandemic lockdown of 2020

During the main COVID-19 global pandemic lockdown period of 2020 an impromptu set of pollination ecologists came together via social media and personal contacts to carry out standardised surveys of the flower visits and plants in gardens. The surveys involved 67 rural, suburban and urban gardens, of various sizes, ranging from 61.18° North in Norway to 37.96° South in Australia, resulting in a data set of 25,174 rows, with each row being a unique interaction record for that date/site/plant species, and comprising almost 47,000 visits to flowers, as well as records of flowers that were not visited by pollinators, for over 1,000 species and varieties belonging to more than 460 genera and 96 plant families. The more than 650 species of flower visitors belong to 12 orders of invertebrates and four of vertebrates. In this first publication from the project, we present a brief description of the data and make it freely available for any researchers to use in the future, the only restriction being that they cite this paper in the first instance. The data generated from these global surveys will provide scientific evidence to help us understand the role that private gardens (in urban, rural and suburban areas) can play in conserving insect pollinators and identify management actions to enhance their potential

Biologia reprodutiva de doze especies simpatricas de Malpighiaceae em mata semidecidua do sudeste brasileiro

Orientador: Marlies SazimaTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de BiologiaResumo: A fenologia reprodutiva, a ecologia da polinização e o sistema de reprodução de doze espécies de Malpighiaceae (Banisteriopsis adenopoda (A.Juss.) B.Gates, B. /utea (Griseb.) B.Gates, B. muricata (Cav.) Cuatrec., B. pubipeta/a (A.Juss.) Cuatrec., Dice/la bracteosa (A.Juss.) Griseb., Heteropterys aceroides Griseb., Mascagnia anisopeta/a (AJuss.) Griseb., M cordifolia (A.Juss.) Griseb., M sepium (A.Juss.) Griseb., Stigmaphy/lon /a/andianum A.Juss., Tetrapterys guilleminiana A.Juss., T. ph/omoides (Spreng.) Nied.) foram estudados em mata semidecídua (Reserva Municipal de Santa Genebra/RSG), em Campinas, SP, durante 5 anos. A ocorrência dos visitantes nas flores destas espécies foi comparada com dados coletados na década de 80. Estas espécies são lianas e crescem sobre a vegetação da borda da mata. Ao longo do ano há espécies com flores, frutos e diásporos em dispersão. A comunidade estudada possue dois picos de floração, ambos fora da estação seca. O auge da frutificação e dispersão ocorreu no final da estação seca e transição para a chuvosa, período mais adequado à dispersão dos frutos anemocóricos da maioria das espécies e à germinação das sementes. As inflorescências são racemosas ou cimosas e formadas por unidades dicasiais densas. As flores são zigomorfas, pentâmeras, de cor amarela ou rosa, diurnas e emitem odor perceptível (exceto em B. /utea e T. phlomoides). As pétalas são ungüiculadas e uma delas, a pétala posterior, difere das demais e serve de guia de orientação e de suporte para os polinizadores. Óleo é o principal recurso floral oferecido aos polinizadores, sendo produzido em glândulas epiteliais (= elaióforos) que ocorrem aos pares nas sépalas; em B. /utea e alguns indivíduos de B. muricata e H aceroides as flores são eglandulosas e oferecem apenas pólen. Flores eglandulosas de B. /utea provavelmente mimetizam flores com glândulas de B. pubipeta/a. Mutualismo floral pode estar ocorrendo entre B. adenopoda e B. muricata. Onze espécies possuem flores hermafroditas, sendo a viabilidade polínica interespecífica bastante variável, entre 57-94%. B. pubipeta/a é ginodióica e na RSG suas flores são funcionalmente femininas (pseudohermafroditas), uma vez que suas anteras não abrem e apresentam pólen com baixa viabilidade. A hercogamia e a presença de cutícula estigmática limitam a ocorrência de autopolinização espontânea nas flores hermafroditas. Seis espécies possuem certo grau de compatibilidade, quatro apresentam, provavelmente, autoincompatibilidade de ação tardia e B. pubipetala é agamospérmica. A fragmentação da RSG parece estar comprometendo a reprodução sexuada das espécies estudadas, fato evidenciado pela baixa taxa de frutificação observada neste estudo. Abelhas da família Anthophoridae dos gêneros Centris, Epicharis, Monoeca, Paratetrapedia e Tetrapedia totalizaram 97,4% das visitas às flores. As espécies de Centris, Epicharis e/ou Monoeca foram os polinizadores principais e coletam basicamente óleo. Ao coletar óleo, estas abelhas pousam sobre a flor, prendem-se com as mandíbulas à pétala posterior, inserem as pernas anteriores e medianas entre as pétalas e raspam o elaióforos; simultaneamente o ventre torácico e/ou abdominal são friccionados contra as anteras e os estigmas. O comportamento de coleta de óleo favorece a ruptura da cutícula estigmática e a deposição de maior carga polínica sobre/dentro dos estigmas. Epicharis affinis, E. fiava, E. schrottkyi e Monoeca sp. 1 coletam pólen por vibração nas flores de algumas espécies. Centris apresentou maior riqueza de espécies (10 spp.), mas as espécies de Epicharis (5 spp.) apresentaram maior taxa de visitação. C. collaris, C. mocsaryi, E. affinis, E. fiava e E. schrottkyi foram os polinizadores principais e/ou secundários da maioria das espécies, totalizando cerca de 50% das visitas registradas. Monoeca sp. 3 foi o principal polinizador de H. aceroides. De modo geral, as espécies de Paratetrapedia e Tetrapedia são pilhadoras quando coletam óleo e polinizadores eventuais quando coletam pólen. Quatro espécies da família Apidae também polinizam eventualmente as flores quando buscam pólen. As espécies da família Anthophoridae ocorrem ao longo do ano, mas principalmente no período mais quente e úmido. Após uma década, a riqueza de espécies e o padrão de ocorrência das abelhas da família Anthophoridae nas Malpighiaceae são relativamente semelhantes, sugerindo que as condições da RSG são adequadas para a sobrevivência e permanência destas abelhas. Neste aspecto, as Malpighiaceae são de fundamental importância na RSG pois constituem a principal fonte de óleo para os anthophorídeosAbstract: The reproductive phenology, pollination biology and breeding system of twelve species of Malpighiaceae (Banisteriopsis adenopoda (A.Juss.) B.Gates, B. lutea (Griseb.) B.Gates, B. muricata (Cav.) Cuatrec., B. pubipetala (A.Juss.) Cuatrec., Dicella bracteosa (A.Juss.) Griseb., Heteropterys aceroides Griseb., Mascagnia anisopetala (A.Juss.) Griseb., M cordifolia (A.Juss.) Griseb., M sepium (AJuss.) Griseb., Stigmaphyllon lalandianum A.Juss., Tetrapterys guilleminiana A.Juss., T. phlomoides (Spreng.) Nied.) were studied in semi-deciduous forest (Reserva Municipal de Santa Genebra/RSG), in Campinas, SP, for tive years. The occurrence of visitors to flowers of these species was compared with data collected in the 1980s. These species are lianas and grow over the vegetation at the edge of the forest. There are species with flowers, fruit and diaspores in dispersal throughout the year. The studied community has two flowering peaks, both out of dry season. The peak of fructification and dispersal occurr at the end of the dry season and during the transition to the rainy season, a more appropriate period for the dispersal of anemocorous fruit of the majority of these species and for their seed germination. The inflorescences are racemses or cymoses and formed by dense dichasial units. The flowers are zygomorphic, pentamerous, yellow or pink, diurnal and have perceptible odor (except in B. lutea and T. phlomoides). The petals are c1awed and one of them, the posterior petal, differs from the others and serves as an orientation guide and support for pol1inators. Oil is the main floral resource offered to pollinators, and is produced in epithelial glands (= elaiophores) which occur in pairs in the sepals. In B. lutea and some individuais of B. muricata and H aceroides the flowers are eglandular and offer on1y pollen. Eglandular flowers of B. lutea probably mimic B. pubipetala flowers with glands. Floral mutualism may be occurring between B. adenopoda and B. muricata. Eleven species have hermaphrodite flowers and the interespecific pollen viability is high1y variable, between 57-94%. B. pubipetala is gynodioecious and in RSG their flowers are functionally female (pseudo-hermaphrodite), as their anthers do not open and the pollen has low viability. The herkogamy and the presence of a stigmatic cutic1e, limit the occurrence of spontaneous self-pollination in hermaphrodite flowers. Six species show a certain degree of compatibility, four species present, probably, self-incompatibility of late action and B. pubipetala is agamospermous. The fragmentation of the RSG seems to be compromising the sexual reproduction of the studied species, a fact which is evidenced by the low rate of fructification observed in this study. Bees of the family Anthophoridae, of the genera Centris, Epicharis, Monoeca, Paratetrapedia and Tetrapedia totaled 97,4% ofthe visits to the flowers. The speeies of Centris, Epicharis and/or Monoeca were the main pollinators and basieally they eolleet oil. While eolleeting oil, these bees settle on the flower, grasp the posterior petal with their jaws, insert the anterior and medium legs between the petals and serateh the elaiophores; simultaneously rubbing the anthers and stigmas with their venters. The oil eolleeting behavior favors the rupture of the stigmatie eutiele and the deposition of a large load of pollen over/inside the stigmas. Epicharis affinis, E. fiava, E. schrottkyi e Monoeca sp. 1 eolleet pollen by vibration from the flowers of some species. Centris showed a larger riehness ofspecies (10 spp.) but the speeies of Epicharis (5 spp.) showed a larger visitation rate. C. collaris, C. mocsaryi, E. affinis, E. fiava and E. schrottkyi were the main pollinators and/or the secondary of the majority of the speeies, totaling about 50% of the registered visits. Monoeca sp. 3 was the main pollinator of H. aceroides. Usually, the speeies of Paratetrapedia and Tetrapedia are plunderers when eolleeting oil and aeeidental pollinators when eollecting pollen. Four speeies ofthe family Apidae ean also pollinate the flowers when eolleeting pollen. The speeies of the family Anthophoridae oeeur throughout the year, but mainly in warmer and wet periods. Afier a decade, the speeies riehness and the pattem of oeeurrenee of the Anthophoridae family of bees in the species of Malpighiaeeae are relatively similar, suggesting that the eonditions of the RSG are appropriate for the survival and permanenee of these bees. In this aspeet, the Malpighiaeeae are of fundamental importanee in the RSG beeause they eonstitute the main oil souree for the anthophorid beesDoutoradoDoutor em Biologia Vegeta

Souza_et_al.2018-Journal_of_Ecology_Suplementar_file_species_data_networks

We collected data on plants and potential pollinators in four communities with distinct vegetation types located in the Central region of Brazil, being all characterized by a marked seasonality: Cerrado woody grassland (Campo sujo), Chaco vegetation, Palm swamp (Vereda) and Pantanal Wetland

Data from: Temporal variation in plant-pollinator networks from seasonal tropical environments: higher specialization when resources are scarce

The temporal dynamics of plant phenology and pollinator abundance across seasons should influence the structure of plant-pollinator interaction networks. Nevertheless, such dynamics are seldom considered, especially for diverse tropical networks. Here, we evaluated the temporal variation of four plant-pollinator networks in two seasonal ecosystems in Central Brazil (Cerrado and Pantanal). Data were gathered on a monthly basis over one year for each network. We characterized seasonal and temporal shifts in plant-pollinator interactions, using temporally discrete networks. We predicted that the greater floral availability in the rainy season would allow for finer partitioning of the floral niche by the pollinators, i.e., higher specialization patterns as previously described across large spatial gradients. Contrary to these expectations, we found that dry season networks, although characterized by lower floral resource richness and abundance, showed higher levels of network-wide interaction partitioning (complementary specialization and modularity). For nestedness and species level indices, though, this between-seasons difference was not consistent. Reduced resource availability in the dry season may promote higher interspecific competition among pollinators leading to reduced niche overlap, thus explaining the increase in specialization. Importantly, we also show that targeted data collection during peak flowering generates higher estimates of network specialization. Hence, depending on the period of data collection, different structural values for the networks of interactions may be found. Synthesis: Our study suggests that networks of tropical environments have structural properties that vary according to seasons, which should be taken into account in the description of the complex systems of interactions between plants and their pollinators in these areas

Pollinator-flower interactions in gardens during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown of 2020

During the main COVID-19 global pandemic lockdown period of 2020 an impromptu set of pollination ecologists came together via social media and personal contacts to carry out standardised surveys of the flower visits and plants in gardens. The surveys involved 67 rural, suburban and urban gardens, of various sizes, ranging from 61.18° North in Norway to 37.96° South in Australia, resulting in a data set of 25,174 rows, with each row being a unique interaction record for that date/site/plant species, and comprising almost 47,000 visits to flowers, as well as records of flowers that were not visited by pollinators, for over 1,000 species and varieties belonging to more than 460 genera and 96 plant families. The more than 650 species of flower visitors belong to 12 orders of invertebrates and four of vertebrates. In this first publication from the project, we present a brief description of the data and make it freely available for any researchers to use in the future, the only restriction being that they cite this paper in the first instance. The data generated from these global surveys will provide scientific evidence to help us understand the role that private gardens (in urban, rural and suburban areas) can play in conserving insect pollinators and identify management actions to enhance their potential