Ensuring Pollinator Presence in Expanding Oil Crops: The Case of Mystrops debilis (Nitidulidae) and the Macauba Palm (Acrocomia aculeata, Arecaceae)

Abstract

The macauba palm (Acrocomia aculeata, Arecaceae) is a Neotropical native oil palm, increasingly important in Central and South America due to rising demand for raw materials and its potential for bioenergy. Understanding its pollinator ecology is crucial to identify new areas for cultivation. This study examines the structure of floral visitor communities, assesses pollinator abundances and variations, and highlights key pollinators across A. aculeata populations across different naturalization forms (wild, naturalized, and cultivated). We also projected optimal cultivation areas in Brazil and Colombia based on the presence of Mystrops debilis (Nitidulidae), a primary pollinator. Across all naturalization forms, Coleoptera were the dominant flower-visiting insects, with 49 species recorded in association with A. aculeata inflorescences. Significant differences in species richness were observed between naturalization forms. In all populations studied, M. debilis and Andranthobius sp.1 (Curculionidae) consistently emerged as the dominant and most effective pollinators. Their Pollinator Importance (PI) indices, which quantifies each species' relative contribution to pollination, ranged from 14.7% to 83.2% in Brazil and 85.1% to 9.2% in Colombia. Although the two species can act as efficient pollinators, M. debilis shows greater potential adaptability to human-altered environments due to broader host preferences, being associated with 34 palm species, both native and exotic. Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) analysis identified multiple regions across a 26.6 latitudinal range in Brazil and Colombia as pollinator-sufficient areas for A. aculeata cultivation. In Colombia, these areas were concentrated in the Caribbean, Magdalena Medio, and Orinoquía regions. In Brazil, optimal pollination areas were predicted in the Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Caatinga ecoregions, spanning the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, and Mato Grosso. Incorporating pollinator dynamics into crop planning offers a promising strategy to enhance cultivation success across diverse regions.