Pollen sources of long-tongued solitary bees (Megachilidae) in the Biosphere Reserve of Quintana Roo, Mexico

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Pollen reference collections and palynological keys were developed for the biosphere of Sian Ka'An, in the south of Quintana Roo state, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Our aim was determining the impact of invasive African honey bee on resident bees. Before African Apis mellifera became common in Yucatan, we studied the pollen provisions of five megachilid bee species that readily came to wooden block trap nests, retrieved each three months from forest sites over two years. All five were generalists on the resources of megachilids, which comprised trees, vines, herbs and shrubs of the Anacardiaceae, Sapotaceae, Euphorbiaceae and legumes in particular. Among the bees, a mean of 75% of their pollen species were also used by other megachilids. Uneven sample sizes for nests of different bee species made clear that the number of "unique" species grew with sample size. Approxoimately 4% of the local flora was utilized by megachilds, and 18 plant species were used by more than one species, while 12 were seemingly used by single species. We suggest that megachilid flora comprise a diverse yet small group of species. eng

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