Identification of Floral Resources Used by the Stingless Bee <i>Melipona beecheii</i> for Honey Production in Different Regions of the State of Campeche, Mexico

The stingless bee <i>Melipona beecheii</i> is experiencing colony decline due to floral resource scarcity caused by deforestation. A study was conducted to identify the floral resources used by <i>M</i>. <i>beecheii</i> using honey samples collected in four region...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Román Alberto León-Canul, Juan Bautista Chalé-Dzul, Arely Anayansi Vargas-Díaz, Juan Javier Ortiz-Díaz, Kelly Cristina Durán-Escalante, Eugenio Carrillo-Ávila, Alberto Santillán-Fernández
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-12-01
Series:Diversity
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/12/1218
Description
Summary:The stingless bee <i>Melipona beecheii</i> is experiencing colony decline due to floral resource scarcity caused by deforestation. A study was conducted to identify the floral resources used by <i>M</i>. <i>beecheii</i> using honey samples collected in four regions of the state of Campeche, Mexico. A melissopalynological analysis of sixteen collected honey samples identified 69 plant species from 24 families, and established that Fabaceae was the main plant family visited. Based on botanical origin, seven samples were classified as monofloral and nine as multifloral. The predominant species were <i>Bursera simaruba</i>, <i>Lonchocarpus longistylus</i>, <i>Piscidia piscipula</i>, <i>Senna pallida</i> and <i>Senna racemosa</i>. Shannon diversity index values (2.06–2.55) indicated moderate diversity in floral resources and Simpson diversity index values (0.82–0.89) indicated a moderate dominance of plant species in the studied regions. The results suggest <i>M</i>. <i>beecheii</i> is polylectic with some degree of specialization. The plant species identified as predominant in the studied honey samples are candidates for use in strategies intended to conserve the food resources used by <i>M</i>. <i>beecheii</i> on the Yucatan Peninsula.
ISSN:1424-2818