Áreas modificadas são acessíveis aos polinizadores: uma análise do forrageio de Melipona quadrifasciata como indicador de conectividade funcional

• Ano de defesa: 2014
• Autor(a) principal: Souza, Tatiana Machado de [UNIFESP]
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Universidade Federal de São Paulo
• Palavras-chave em Português: Landscape ecology; Pollen; Functional connectivity; Accessibility in agronatural landscapes; Bees; Ecologia de paisagens; Pólen; Conectividade funcional; Acessibilidade em paisagens agronaturais; Abelhas
• Link de acesso: https://sucupira.capes.gov.br/sucupira/public/consultas/coleta/trabalhoConclusao/viewTrabalhoConclusao.jsf?popup=true&id_trabalho=1733003; http://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/47157

Environmental changes can generate landscapes composed of a group of small, isolated patches of natural vegetation, interspersed with different types of land uses and occupation. This process interferes with plant reproduction through pollinators, what is directly linked to functional connectivity and accessibility of environments for these animals. The aim of this study was to estimate the accessibility of natural and cultivated environments of the study area for the species Melipona quadrifasciata by analysing their pollen foraging patterns in order to infer about the preferences of the species in different landscape contexts (more human modified ? over 55% of human modified spots, or less human modified ? under 55% of human modified spots), as well as inferring on the functional connectivity of these environments. For this, we allocated 15 artificial nests of M. quadrifasciata within those two different contexts. Three control colonies were allocated adjacent to the crops, while the others were placed in natural areas between 500m to 2000m away from the crops to assess in what situations the bees would forage mainly in the crops or stay in natural areas. We also made transects around the colonies to estimate available resources and acknowledge the surrounding flora, whith preparation of herbarium specimens with available pollen from natural and agricultural areas. We also collected pollen directly from the bee?s pollen basket, to know the foraging pattern of the species from the resources collected. The diversity of pollens collected by the bees was largely dependent on the distances between the crop and colonies. Collected diversity was further influenced by the association between distance and diversity of environments around each colony. Considering the data obtained and the foraging strategy of the M. quadrifasciata, it is possible to derive an indirect measure of the functional connectivity of the study area for these pollinators, what have direct influence on their movement and hence efficiency as a vector of pollen exchange in natural and farming environments. Maintaining healthy natural areas close to crop fields can be a way to keep the pollination system running in the long term, as this would ensure that natural areas around the colony are accessible enough to provide resources for nesting and food fairly constantly throughout the life of the colonies, ensuring their survival and associated environmental service.