The diversity of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in heterogeneous tropical dry forest cover in Huila, Colombia.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/9gqvfy52Keywords:
native bees, abundance, diversity, mining, restorationAbstract
Introduction: Tropical forests are one of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems. Tropical Dry Forests (TDFs) exhibit high levels of endemism reflected in their diverse flora and fauna; however, these ecosystems are under threat from human activity. Restoring TDFs ecologically is therefore essential for preserving their biodiversity. In this context, pollination is an essential ecosystem service that needs to be preserved due to its importance for the exchange of genes between vegetation communities. Objective: To characterize the diversity of the bee communities and their association with different types of cover. Methods: In three parcels (La Tribuna, Chaparral and San Francisco) of a fragment of BTS in the Department of the Huila, Colombia, sampling over an 11-month period was taken place from October 2021 and September 2022 using fixed trapping methods (essences and Van Someren-Rydon traps) and manual collection with an entomological net. Results: A total of 1 241 specimens were identified and classified into 74 species of bees from 15 genera for all cover types (vegetation). La Tribuna (representative of one of such TDF’s types) encompassed the highest diversity indices in all cases, while Chaparral (another vegetation type for TDFs) on the other hand, showed the lowest values. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) analysis revealed significant differences in wild bees’ community composition between the three areas under evaluation, suggesting that level of TDF’s restoration impacts community structure. Indicator Value Index revealed seven morph-species with significant associations in total. These morph-species exhibited a high frequency and specificity when analyzed together on two of the cover types (La Tribuna and Chaparral). No indicator species exclusive to San Francisco (the third parcel of cover type) were detected. In terms of functional characteristics, most of the identified species of wild bees were solitary and nested in cavities or soil. A higher proportion of eusocial species were observed in La Tribuna. Conclusions: The ecological restoration of the Eco-Reserve is generating bee communities that are more diverse, functionally complex and structurally coherent, and that are consistent with advanced stages of TDF’s recovery.
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