Urban Landscape Influence Orchid Bee Diversity in a Tropical Megacity Amanda F. P. Machado, Pedro H. B. Togni, Sofia Graffigna, Leandro R. Tambosi, Gabriel O. Keller, et al. Journal of Applied Entomology, 2026 The increasing urbanization has affected pollinator communities, such as Euglossini bees, which play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity through the pollination of numerous plants. However, the impact of different levels of urbanization on the diversity of these bees is still not fully understood, especially in large tropical urban areas. This study investigated the diversity and distribution of Euglossini bees in nine urban parks, providing a first systematic baseline for the largest city in South America and analysing how urbanization influences this community. Bees were actively collected using aromatic baits in parks spanning a gradient of urbanization levels. Linear models investigated the relationships between landscape variables and bee diversity. In addition, species composition was evaluated using the Bray‐Curtis coefficient and cluster analysis to identify patterns of similarity between parks. During a single sampling campaign in spring 2024, we sampled Euglossini bees in nine urban parks, recording 427 individuals belonging to 12 species. Euglossa cordata was the most abundant species in parks with a higher urbanization gradient, while Eufriesea violacea showed higher abundance in less urbanized areas. Urban cover in the surrounding landscape tended to be negatively associated with bee diversity indices (Shannon and Simpson), although these relationships were not statistically significant. Nevertheless, consistent negative trends across spatial scales suggest that urbanization may exert a subtle influence on Euglossini diversity. Some parks with medium to high urban cover still supported relatively high diversity, suggesting that urban matrices do not necessarily preclude diverse bee communities when suitable local and landscape resources are present. The results highlight the importance of connectivity with green areas and the conservation of native vegetation to preserve Euglossini bees in urban environments. The study contributes to the understanding of urbanization impacts and provides practical directions for the management of urban parks, aiming to promote biodiversity and pollination services.
Functional diversity of Brazilian bees: revealing the unique patterns of the Neotropics Guaraci D. Cordeiro, Tereza C. Giannini, Patrick M. Consorte, Ana C. J. Costa, Waira S. Machida, et al. Oecologia, 2026 Bees are essential for ecosystem functioning, pollinating many wild and crop plant species. Predicting which species are most vulnerable to global changes, and how their loss may impact ecosystems and human well-being, is critical. Comprehensive information on bee response and effect traits is fundamental to these assessments. However, the Raunkiærian shortfall—insufficient trait data—remains significant for bees, particularly in the Neotropics. Moreover, it remains uncertain whether conservation strategies based on functional diversity from temperate regions can be generalized to the Neotropics. To address this gap, we compiled a comprehensive and validated dataset on Brazilian bee traits, covering 24 traits related to sociality (100% of the species with some information), nesting (88%), body size (71%), and buzzing capacity (42%) on 2,066 Brazilian bee species. The trait data here presented is a crucial resource for evaluating bee species' pollination effectiveness and susceptibility to global change. Comparative analysis with regions with ample trait data—USA, Europe, and China—revealed notable differences. Brazilian bees exhibited a higher prevalence of aboveground nesting species, especially compared to Europe. The proportion of eusocial species was also greater than in Europe and the United States, and more similar to China. Differently from other regions, Brazilian eusocial bees were significantly smaller than their non-eusocial counterparts. These cross-regional comparisons highlight the importance of geographically tailored conservation strategies and underscore the need for extensive trait data to accurately predict regional vulnerabilities and ecological impacts in a rapidly changing world.
Wasps Beyond Bees: Crop Species of Spondias (Anacardiaceae) Vary in Floral Scent and Attract Different Pollinator Taxa Guaraci Duran Cordeiro, Paulo Milet‐Pinheiro, Liedson Tavares Carneiro, Daniela Maria do Amaral Ferraz Navarro, Stefan Dötterl, et al. Journal of Applied Entomology, 2025 Spondias species are increasingly valued for their fruit production, which relies heavily on insect pollination. The flowers of these species are generalised, attracting a diverse array of insect visitors, including bees, beetles, flies, wasps and butterflies. This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of floral scents emitted by three Spondias crop species—Spondias mombin (cajá), S. purpurea (siriguela) and S. tuberosa (umbu) and explores the potential relationships between floral cues and pollinator spectra. We examine the spectrum of floral visitors across these species from both literature and original field observations. Our results reveal significant interspecific differences in both the number and quantity of volatile compounds released, as well as in the relative composition of these scents. Cajá flowers were dominated by (E)‐β‐ocimene, α‐ and β‐pinene, methyl benzoate and benzyl alcohol, whereas siriguela flowers primarily emitted (E)‐β‐caryophyllene, (E)‐4,8‐dimethyl‐1,3,7‐nonatriene, α‐pinene, hexyl butyrate, methoxybenzene and 4‐methylanisol. Umbu flowers predominantly emitted linalool and its derivatives, and (Z)‐3‐hexenyl butyrate. The floral visitor composition varied between species. Bees, particularly from the Meliponini tribe, were the main visitors of cajá (70%), whereas siriguela attracted primarily wasps (80%), especially from the Epiponini tribe. Umbu flowers attracted in similar proportions both wasps (38%) and bees (32%). These findings highlight the importance of a broad range of insect pollinators in Spondias species, particularly the role of non‐bee pollinators like social wasps in the pollination of siriguela and umbu. We propose that variations in floral scent profiles and visual cues among these species are key factors in shaping their specific pollinator communities. This underscores the critical role of diverse insect pollinators in maintaining ecosystem services, reinforcing the need to preserve and support their populations.
Solitary Bees Facing Climate Change Isabel Alves-dos-Santos, Herbeson Ovidio de Jesus Martins, William de Oliveira Sabino Sociobiology, 2025 Solitary bees comprise over 15,000 species. They represent the vast majority of bees on earth (>77%), but they are less studied than the social species. Several threats from the modern world, like agricultural intensification, excessive use of pesticides, urbanization, different types of pollution, and invasive species, are leading the fragile populations of solitary bees to decline. Climate change has become a new stressor for bees, potentially amplifying these previously known threats. Warming temperatures are already causing shifts in some species’ geographical distribution and interrupting the temporal synchrony between the flowering period and the bee developmental cycle, leading to a “phenological mismatch”. As a result, bees starve, and plants fail to reproduce. Pollination of many native and cultivated plants is impaired.
