Opportunistic Occupation of Nests of Microcerotermes spp. Silvestri (Termitidae, Termitinae) by Partamona seridoensis Camargo & Pedro (Apidae, Meliponini) in the Brazilian Tropical Dry Forest
Social bees make use of natural or animal-built structures to protect their colonies from environmental stressors. Here, particularly attractive shelters are active termite nests because they provide a stable climatic environment for inquilines. Several social bee species form obligatory association...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
2016-04-01
|
| Series: | Sociobiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://periodicos.uefs.br/index.php/sociobiology/article/view/975 |
| _version_ | 1818977481049243648 |
|---|---|
| author | Thiago Felipe Fonseca Nunes de Oliveira Luiz Luz da Silva Michael Hrncir |
| author_facet | Thiago Felipe Fonseca Nunes de Oliveira Luiz Luz da Silva Michael Hrncir |
| author_sort | Thiago Felipe Fonseca Nunes de Oliveira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Social bees make use of natural or animal-built structures to protect their colonies from environmental stressors. Here, particularly attractive shelters are active termite nests because they provide a stable climatic environment for inquilines. Several social bee species form obligatory associations with termites, among these the stingless bee Partamona seridoensis (Apidae, Meliponini), whose distribution is limited to the Tropical Dry Forest in the Brazilian Northeast. So far, colonies of this meliponine species have been found mainly in arboreal nests of the termite Constrictotermes cyphergaster, which suggests a tight relationship between these two social insect species. The present study was conducted in an area of the Tropical Dry Forest in the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Norte, where P. seridoensis naturally occurs albeit the absence of C. cyphergaster. We registered 14 colonies of P. seridoensis, all occupying active arboreal nests of termites of the genus Microcerotermes. The only other termites with arboreal nests present in the study area, Nasutitermes corniger, never housed P. seridoensis. This selective preference of the bees for Microcerotermes nests might be due to differences between termites concerning defense mechanisms or concerning thermal stability within the nests. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T16:28:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8bb108e450c14a9e9a46a9a1866bcb89 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0361-6525 2447-8067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T16:28:25Z |
| publishDate | 2016-04-01 |
| publisher | Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sociobiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-8bb108e450c14a9e9a46a9a1866bcb892022-12-21T19:33:20ZengUniversidade Estadual de Feira de SantanaSociobiology0361-65252447-80672016-04-0163110.13102/sociobiology.v63i1.975Opportunistic Occupation of Nests of Microcerotermes spp. Silvestri (Termitidae, Termitinae) by Partamona seridoensis Camargo & Pedro (Apidae, Meliponini) in the Brazilian Tropical Dry ForestThiago Felipe Fonseca Nunes de Oliveira0Luiz Luz da Silva1Michael Hrncir2Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-ÁridoUniversidade Federal Rural do Semi-ÁridoUniversidade Federal Rural do Semi-ÁridoSocial bees make use of natural or animal-built structures to protect their colonies from environmental stressors. Here, particularly attractive shelters are active termite nests because they provide a stable climatic environment for inquilines. Several social bee species form obligatory associations with termites, among these the stingless bee Partamona seridoensis (Apidae, Meliponini), whose distribution is limited to the Tropical Dry Forest in the Brazilian Northeast. So far, colonies of this meliponine species have been found mainly in arboreal nests of the termite Constrictotermes cyphergaster, which suggests a tight relationship between these two social insect species. The present study was conducted in an area of the Tropical Dry Forest in the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Norte, where P. seridoensis naturally occurs albeit the absence of C. cyphergaster. We registered 14 colonies of P. seridoensis, all occupying active arboreal nests of termites of the genus Microcerotermes. The only other termites with arboreal nests present in the study area, Nasutitermes corniger, never housed P. seridoensis. This selective preference of the bees for Microcerotermes nests might be due to differences between termites concerning defense mechanisms or concerning thermal stability within the nests.http://periodicos.uefs.br/index.php/sociobiology/article/view/975stingless beestermitophilyopportunistic associationdefense mechanismsthermoregulationCaatinga |
| spellingShingle | Thiago Felipe Fonseca Nunes de Oliveira Luiz Luz da Silva Michael Hrncir Opportunistic Occupation of Nests of Microcerotermes spp. Silvestri (Termitidae, Termitinae) by Partamona seridoensis Camargo & Pedro (Apidae, Meliponini) in the Brazilian Tropical Dry Forest Sociobiology stingless bees termitophily opportunistic association defense mechanisms thermoregulation Caatinga |
| title | Opportunistic Occupation of Nests of Microcerotermes spp. Silvestri (Termitidae, Termitinae) by Partamona seridoensis Camargo & Pedro (Apidae, Meliponini) in the Brazilian Tropical Dry Forest |
| title_full | Opportunistic Occupation of Nests of Microcerotermes spp. Silvestri (Termitidae, Termitinae) by Partamona seridoensis Camargo & Pedro (Apidae, Meliponini) in the Brazilian Tropical Dry Forest |
| title_fullStr | Opportunistic Occupation of Nests of Microcerotermes spp. Silvestri (Termitidae, Termitinae) by Partamona seridoensis Camargo & Pedro (Apidae, Meliponini) in the Brazilian Tropical Dry Forest |
| title_full_unstemmed | Opportunistic Occupation of Nests of Microcerotermes spp. Silvestri (Termitidae, Termitinae) by Partamona seridoensis Camargo & Pedro (Apidae, Meliponini) in the Brazilian Tropical Dry Forest |
| title_short | Opportunistic Occupation of Nests of Microcerotermes spp. Silvestri (Termitidae, Termitinae) by Partamona seridoensis Camargo & Pedro (Apidae, Meliponini) in the Brazilian Tropical Dry Forest |
| title_sort | opportunistic occupation of nests of microcerotermes spp silvestri termitidae termitinae by partamona seridoensis camargo pedro apidae meliponini in the brazilian tropical dry forest |
| topic | stingless bees termitophily opportunistic association defense mechanisms thermoregulation Caatinga |
| url | http://periodicos.uefs.br/index.php/sociobiology/article/view/975 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT thiagofelipefonsecanunesdeoliveira opportunisticoccupationofnestsofmicrocerotermessppsilvestritermitidaetermitinaebypartamonaseridoensiscamargopedroapidaemeliponiniinthebraziliantropicaldryforest AT luizluzdasilva opportunisticoccupationofnestsofmicrocerotermessppsilvestritermitidaetermitinaebypartamonaseridoensiscamargopedroapidaemeliponiniinthebraziliantropicaldryforest AT michaelhrncir opportunisticoccupationofnestsofmicrocerotermessppsilvestritermitidaetermitinaebypartamonaseridoensiscamargopedroapidaemeliponiniinthebraziliantropicaldryforest |