Diversity, floral visitation pattern, and conservation of stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini) in the Brazilian Legal Amazon

Abstract

The Amazon Rainforest is one of the most biodiverse regions worldwide and faces significant challenges in conserving its fauna and flora. Stingless bees (Meliponini) play a crucial role as pollinators in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. We aimed to estimate the distribution and diversity of meliponines in the Legal Amazon, assess the number of meliponines species recorded as floral visitors and the number of plants they visited, evaluate the representativeness of meliponines within protected areas, and investigate the influence of the remaining habitat on species richness. We used species distribution modeling to estimate species distribution and derive species richness map. We performed a literature review to compile information of floral visitors. Of the 132 species studied, 77 were floral visitors to 756 plant species, many of which are economically important. Tetragonisca angustula, Trigona spinipes, Tetragona clavipes, and Scaptotrigona bipunctata had the highest number of interactions with plants. Euterpe oleracea, Syzygium malaccense, and Bertholletia excelsa were the most frequently visited plants. Representativeness within protected areas for all meliponines and floral visitors were 37 % and 39 %, respectively. The areas with the highest species richness were along the major rivers of the Amazon basin, mostly outside the protected areas. Regions with the least remaining habitat were found in areas of lower species richness located in the “Arc of Deforestation”. Although the richest areas are outside protected areas, they are far from regions with high habitat loss. Therefore, it is crucial to expand protected areas, especially in the most vulnerable regions.