Candida Maria Lima Aguiar

Scopus Publications

Diet of Xylocopa grisescens Lepeletier (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in a Semiarid Area Cultivated with Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims)
Jociara Silva Costa, Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar, Marcos da Costa Dórea, Francisco de Assis Ribeiro dos Santos, Pedro Manuel Villa, and Willian Moura de Aguiar
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
The loss and fragmentation of native vegetation harm pollinators and reduce crop productivity. The passion fruit crop is an excellent model for investigating this issue, as its pollinators are especially sensitive to deforestation. This study aimed to investigate food sources used by Xylocopa grisescens Lepeletier in the surroundings of passion fruit orchards. Samples of larval provisions within trap nests and pollen in scopae were collected from August 2019 to March 2020 and were subjected to acetolysis. Additionally, adults were collected while foraging in vegetation surrounding orchards. Twenty-nine pollen types were found in the larval provisions. Mimosa arenosa (TRF = 54.96%) and Anadenanthera colubrina had the highest relative frequencies (TRF). Passiflora edulis pollen type was found in all samples but had low frequency. The trophic niche width (H’) based on larval provisions was 1.34, and H’ based on pollen of the scopae was 1.79. The carpenter bee X. grisescens exploited a diverse set of plants around the orchards but concentrated foraging on a limited number of species, which were replaced over time, indicating generalist foraging behavior and flexibility in selecting sources of floral resources. Our study reinforces the need to conserve native vegetation remnants to maintain carpenter bee populations, which can contribute to increased crop productivity and improved fruit quality.

Susceptibility of Melipona scutellaris Latreille (Hymenoptera: Apidae) to Biopesticides
Joyse Brito Vieira, Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar, Emerson Dechechi Chambó, Marilene Fancelli, Carlos Augusto Dórea Bragança, and Carlos Alfredo Lopes de Carvalho
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
Products based on entomopathogenic fungi are extensively used to control insect pests. These biopesticides can result in lethal or sublethal effects on non-target organisms. This study aimed to evaluate the survival of Melipona scutellaris Latreille workers exposed to commercial products based on Beauveria bassiana (IBCB 66), Metarhizium anisopliae (IBCB 425), and Isaria fumosorosea (ESALQ 1296). Fifty foragers were exposed to B. bassiana at 8.25 x 106 conidia/mL, M. anisopliae at 1.1 x 107 conidia/mL, and I. fumosorosea at 2.5 x 109 conidia/mL, using three routes of exposure (ingestion, contact with a surface, and topical application). Kaplan-Meier survival curves were estimated to determine the proportion of workers surviving after each application of the biopesticides. Workers exposed to B. bassiana, M. anisopliae, and I. fumosorosea presented survival rates of 74%, 34%, and 42%, respectively, after 168 hours of exposure by ingestion. For exposure via contact with a contaminated surface, survival rates were 64%, 70%, and 78%; for topical application, 68%, 66%, and 72% of the workers survived, respectively. The results highlight the variability in toxicity of biopesticides based on M. anisopliae, B. bassiana, and I. fumosorosea for M. scutellaris workers. Although all biopesticides resulted in mortality, bee survival rates varied depending on the exposure route. Understanding the effect of entomopathogenic fungi-based products on M. scutellaris may facilitate the development of strategies (such as timing and frequency of spraying) to reduce their impact on bees.

Nesting biology of Centris (Paracentris) xanthomelaena (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Centridini)
Herbeson Ovidio de Jesus Martins, Patricia Luiza de Oliveira-Rebouças, Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar, Cláudia Inês da Silva, and Vinina Silva Ferreira
Informa UK Limited
Centris (Paracentris) xanthomelaena is a ground-nesting solitary bee endemic to Brazil’s Caatinga biome. In this unprecedented study, we described this species’ nesting biology and other features, such as its architecture, nest building dynamics, sex ratio and adult emergence. We selected five aggregations in a fragment of seasonally dry forest. Nests were established on vertical banks and flat soil. The architecture was branched and the brood cells were linearly arranged. Females spent an average of 1.8 days building and supplying each brood cell (n = 13). The C. xanthomelaena bionomy is similar to that reported in bees of the same genus.

Toxicity of chlorpyrifos, cyflumetofen, and difenoconazole on Tetragonisca angustula (Latreille, 1811) under laboratory conditions
Delzuite Teles Leite, Roberto Barbosa Sampaio, Emerson Dechechi Chambó, Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar, Mauricio Sekiguchi de Godoy, and Carlos Alfredo Lopes de Carvalho
Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Cavity length affects the occupation of trap-nests by centris analis and tetrapedia diversipes (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
Claudia Oliveira Santos, Paulo Enrique Cardoso Peixoto, and Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
The ideal cavity dimensions for neotropical cavity-nesting bees with the potential to be managed as pollinators have not been getting proper attention. We investigated whether the occupancy of trap-nests by Centris analis Fabricius and Tetrapedia diversipes Klug, and other nesting aspects, are affected by different trap-nest length. The used trap-nests were cardboard tubes 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm in length, and Ø 8 mm. Occupation rates of 10-cm trap-nests by C. analis was higher than that of the 5-cm ones (χ2=11.17, gl=1, p<0.001). On the other hand, there was not difference between the occupation rates of 10 and 15-cm long trap-nests (χ2=0.51, gl=1, p=0.48), and between the ones measuring 15 and 20 cm long (χ2=1.36, gl=1, p=0.24). T. diversipes occupied a smaller number of 5-cm trap-nests than the 10-cm ones (χ2=1.52, gl=1, p=0.22), as well as that the 15-cm ones were more occupied than the 10-cm trap-nests (χ2=4.23, gl=1, p=0.04); moreover, there was not difference between the occupation of 15 and 20-cm trap-nests (χ2=0.28, gl=1, p=0.59). Both species showed higher rates of dead immatures in nests set in the shortest trap-nests, whereas these mortality rates were lower in the longest ones. By taking into consideration that there was not significant difference in many of the assessed parameters in comparison to values recorded for 15 and 20-cm long trap-nests, it seems likely to recommend the adoption of 10-cm long trap-nests for C. analis reproduction in agricultural sites that depend on the pollination service provided by this bees species.

Food Niche of Solitary and Social Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in a Neotropical Savanna
Claudia Oliveira dos Santos, Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar, Celso Feitosa Martins, Edson Braz Santana, Flávio França, Efigênia Melo, and Gilberto Marcos M. Santos
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
In this study we investigated the group of floral resources that support bee populations from a bee assemblage in a savanna, and the way in which bee species use these food resources, with an emphasis on the breadth and overlap of trophic niches. The interactions between 75 species of bees and 62 species of plants visited to obtain floral resources were recorded on a Brazilian savanna site. The bee species explored a diverse set of plant species, but concentrated the collection of resources in a few plant species. The distribution of the samples over a long period favored a robust characterization of the food niche of the bee populations. Byrsonima sericea, Serjania faveolata, and Stigmaphyllon paralias were the plant species with the highest number of links with bees. In general, the trophic niche overlap was low, with 75% of pairs of bee species having a niche overlap (NO) less than 0.33. Only four pairs showed high overlap (NO>0.70) and all cases were related to the exploitation of floral resources provided by B. sericea, a key resource for the maintenance of the local bee fauna, an oil and pollen provider.

Morphometric variability among populations of euglossa cordata (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossini) from different phytophysiognomies
Lazaro Carneiro, Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar, Willian Moura Aguiar, Elon Souza Aniceto, Lorena Andrade Nunes, and Vinina Silva Ferreira
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
Geometric morphometrics is a tool capable of measuring the response of organisms to different environmental pressures. We tested the hypothesis that E. cordata wing morphometry, as an indicator of response to environmental pressure, it would vary depending on habitat changes, in the Atlantic Forest, Savanna and dry forest (Caatinga). For analysis of wing shape and size, 18 landmarks were digitized at the intersections of the wing veins 348 individuals. Except for the two populations sampled in Chapada Diamantina, the wing shape had significant statistical variations among the populations (p < 0.05). The wing size variation was also statistically significant among populations (p < 0.05). Although E. cordata is a species tolerant to different environments, the observed morphometric variability may be related to population adaptations to the conditions of each phytophysiognomy.

Species richness and diversity in bee assemblages in a fragment of Savanna (Cerrado) at northeastern Brazil
Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar, Edson Braz Santana, Celso Feitosa Martins, Felipe Vivallo, Cláudia Oliveira Santos, and Gilberto Marcos de Mendonça Santos
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
The conservation of the fauna of bees inhabiting the Brazilian savanna is threatened due to changes in land use in the last decades. We investigated the composition, species richness and abundance of a bee assemblage in the vicinity of the Chapada Diamantina National Park. In addition, we compiled data on composition and diversity from another bee assemblage located in the same portion of the Cerrado, which was previously investigated by one of us almost 30 years ago, in order to produce a more complete panorama on beta diversity of bees in this region. We used a non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination analysis (NMDS) to compare composition of bee assemblages from diff erent types of open vegetation. We recorded 77 bee species (H’ = 2.95; J = 0.68), 42% of them were singletons. We collected slightly more than half of the species and 60% of the genera recorded in the bee assemblage studied three decades ago. H’ was signifi cantly lower in our area than in the previous study (t = 8.588, p <0.001), but equitability (J) was very similar. Several factors may contribute to these diff erences, including local diff erences in bee assemblage composition, diff erences in the probability of capturing the diff erent species (many rare species), factors affecting the sampling itself, and perhaps species loss over the three decades separating the two studies. The magnitude of species loss is difficult to assess because the two studies were not carried out exactly in the same area and there were differences in sampling time and sampling effort.

Editorial

The cavity-nesting bee guild (apoidea) in a neotropical sandy coastal plain
Patricia Oliveira Rebouças, Cândida Aguiar, Vinina Ferreira, Geni Sodré, Carlos Carvalho, and Miriam Gimenes
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
Some solitary bees establish their nests in preexisting cavities. Such nesting behavior facilitates the investigation of their life history, as well as the monitoring of their populations in natural, semi-natural and cropped habitats. This study aimed to evaluate the acceptance of artificial substrates by cavity-nesting bees in a heterogeneous landscape. We investigated the percentage of occupation of the different trap-nests, the monthly fluctuations in the nesting activity, offspring sex ratio, mortality and parasitism, in two phytophysiognomies: herbaceous-shrub restinga (site 1) and arboreal restinga (site 2). We used as trap-nests, bamboo canes, large and small straws of cardboard inserted into solid wooden blocks. Five bee species established 193 nests, from which 386 adults emerged. Centris tarsata Smith was the most abundant species. Large straws were signifi cantly more occupied than small straws (χ² = 19.951; df = 1; p < 0.0001). Offspring mortality rate for unknown reasons was signifi cant diff erent between sites, 11% (site 1) and 20% (site 2) (χ² = 4.203; df = 1; p = 0.04). The cavity-nesting bee guild had similar composition in both phytophysiognomies, there was a similar rate of occupation of trap-nests in both sites, as well as dominance of C. tarsata nests. Offspring mortality and parasites attack rates seem to be the more distinctive aspects between the herbaceous shrub and arboreal restinga sampled. Our study indicated that remnant fragments of coastal native habitats may be important nesting sites for the maintenance of bee populations, some of which have been indicated as candidates for management as pollinators of cultivated plants in Brazil.

Orchid bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossini) in seasonally dry tropical forest (Caatinga) in Brazil
Lazaro Da Silva Carneiro, Willian Moura Aguiar, Candida Maria Lima Aguiar, and Gilberto Marcos De Mendonça Santos
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
Euglossini bees are important Neotropical pollinators, but there is a lack in the knowledge about this fauna in dry tropical environments. The aims of this study were to evaluate the richness and abundance of euglossine bees in two fragments of seasonally dry tropical forest (Caatinga), as well as to assess the distribution of euglossine species richness in the Caatinga environment. Males were collected along 12 consecutive months, using traps with aromatic baits. The species richness (S=5) was lower than in rainforests and savannas. Euglossa cordata (L.) was the dominant species in the assemblage, representing 70% of the individuals. The highest abundance occurred in the rainy season. Euglossini fauna presents low local species richness in Caatinga areas, however the beta diversity is higher, since assemblages in different habitats have differences in species composition.

Pollen types from colonies of Melipona scutellaris Latreille, 1811 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) established in a coffee plantation
Cátia Ionara Santos Lucas, Weliton Carlos De Andrade, Adailton Freitas Ferreira, Geni Da Silva Sodré, Carlos Alfredo Lopes De Carvalho, Maria Angélica Pereira de Carvalho Costa, and Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar
Informa UK Limited
Abstract Melipona scutellaris is a eusocial bee with potential to be used as a crop pollinator. This study aimed to identify pollen types used by Melipona scutellaris through the analysis of pollen loads and honey samples in colonies established in a coffee plantation. We analysed 117 pollen loads and pollen content of 15 honey samples. In the pollen loads, we identified 40 pollen types. Poincianella pyramidalis, Coffea arabica, Commelina villosa, Mimosa tenuiflora, Myrcia, Senna macranthera, Solanum and Syagrus coronata stood out as predominant pollen. We found a negative correlation between the abundances of the pollen types Coffea arabica and Mimosa tenuiflora during coffee flowering. In the honey samples, we recorded 33 pollen types. Eucalyptus and Machaerium occurred in frequencies of between 16 and 45%. Although Melipona scutellaris gathers resources from several plant species, its diet is based on a relatively narrow subset of plants.

The orchid bee communities in different phytophysiognomies in the atlantic forest: From lowland to montane rainforests
Willian Moura Aguiar, Renata Lee dos Santos Medeiros, Candida Maria Lima Aguiar, and Isaura Gabriela Mendonça Borges
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
To investigate species composition, diversity, richness, and monthly abundance of orchid bees in different types of dense rainforest, placed in different altitudes, the orchid bees were collected for 11 months in three vegetation types: dense montane ombrophilous forest (DMOF), dense submontane ombrophilous forest (DSOF, with two sites points), and dense lowland ombrophilous forest (DLOF). Were collected 1,945 males of 20 species using aromatic traps. The DMOF showed the highest species richness (19), and diversity (H’ = 2.42) , whereas the DSOF_1 showed the highest abundance (775). Euglossa cordata (Linnaeus) was the most abundant species in three areas, and Euglossa ignita Smith was the most abundant species in the DSOF_2 . Abiotic factors were correlated with some community parameters. Our study reveals the importance of preserving different phytophysiognomies within the same biome to conserve orchid bees.

The similar usage of a common key resource does not determine similar responses by species in a community of oil-collecting bees
Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar, Shantala Lua, Maise Silva, Paulo Enrique Cardoso Peixoto, Heiddy M Alvarez, and Gilberto Marcos de Mendonça Santos
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
Variations in abundance and species richness among communities are often determined by interactions between biotic and abiotic factors. However, for communities composed of species that share a common specialization (such as similar foraging adaptations) it may be a key ecological factor involved in the common specialization that affects community variations. To evaluate this possibility, we characterized the guild of oil-collecting bees of a Neotropical savanna in Brazil and tested whether differences in Byrsonima abundance and availability of floral oil explain differences in species richness and abundance of oil-collecting bees of different tribes. Both the number of species and total abundance of Centridini species increased with the abundance of Byrsonima. One plausible explanation for the stronger adjustment between the abundance of Centridini and Byrsonima is that the abundance of these plants affects not only the availability of floral oil, but also of pollen. These findings indicate that the existence of a common specialization among different species does not homogenize their response to variations in a common explored resource.

Exploitation of floral resources and niche overlap within an oil-collecting bee guild (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in a neotropical savannah
Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar, Juliana Caramés, Flavio França, and Efigenia Melo
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
Oil bees exploit host plants for resources to feed the adults and offspring, as well as for the construction of their nests. The aim of the current study is to investigate how the species in this guild distribute their foraging effort, and the range in their niche overlap levels. The bees were sampled for six months, during their visits to the flowers in a savanna (“cerrado”). These oil-bee species explored the floral resources provided by 13 plant species. The trophic niche of the most abundant species, Centris aenea Lepeletier, was relatively narrow, similarly to those of Epicharis species. Low overlap of trophic niches (TrNO≤30%) was most commonly found. The distribution of bee visits to the host plants revealed redundancy in the floral resource exploitation. However, the foraging concentration levels in some key plants were different for distinct oil-bee species, and it contributed to the low overlap of niches between many pairs of species

Oil-collecting bee–flower interaction network: do bee size and anther type influence the use of pollen sources?
Laíce S. Rabelo, Alice M. G. F. Vilhena, Esther M. A. F. Bastos, Cândida M. L. Aguiar, and Solange Cristina Augusto
Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Special issue on stingless bees: Integrating basic biology and conservation
Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar, Denise Araujo Alves, Tom Wenseleers, and Vera Lucia Imperatriz-Fonseca
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
It is easy to see why stingless bees (Meliponini) were chosen for this special issue, entitled Stingless bees: Integrating basic biology and conservation. Interest in these bees is increasing each day, with their role as ecosystem services providers in the pollination of wild and cultivated plants, and their fascinating biology and social behavior. Yet, despite having been kept by the Native Americans for hundreds of years for their honey, they remain much understudied compared to their better known relatives, the bumblebees and honeybees. This is in part due to their massive biodiversity, with known species now numbering over 500 – all with a tropical distribution. The diversity and rich social behavior of the stingless bees has often been compared to the knowledge of the other group of eusocial bees, including the bumblebees (Bombini) and honeybees (Apini). Yet, the development of new scientific techniques and research methods, and progress in deciphering their phylogeny, now allows for an updated interpretation of the evolution, biology and conservation of Meliponini bees.

Pollen consumed by the solitary bee Tetrapedia diversipes (Apidae: Tetrapediini) in a tropical agroecosystem
Cynthia Maria De Lyra Neves, Carlos Alfredo Lopes De Carvalho, Cerilene Santiago Machado, Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar, and Fernanda Silva Das Mercês Sousa
Informa UK Limited
Abstract Pollen analysis of the larval food supply is an important tool for identifying the plants that provide the floral resources used by bees. The present study documents the pollen sources consumed by larvae of the solitary bee Tetrapedia diversipes in a tropical agroecosystem. A total of 60 pollen types were recorded with three families being the most important. Euphorbiaceae (60.5%), Malpighiaceae (16.8%) and Asteraceae (12.2%) pollen had the greatest representation in the samples examined. The pollen of Dalechampia dioscoreifolia predominated in the diet of the larvae of T. diversipes (RF = 56.35%) and indicates the importance of this plant in maintaining populations of this solitary bee.

Plastic nesting behavior of Centris (Centris) flavifrons (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Centridini) in an urban area
Celso F. Martins, Marcella P. Peixoto, and Cândida M. L. Aguiar
Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Density and Distribution of Xylocopa Nests (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Caatinga Areas in the Surroundings of Passion Fruit Crops
C F Martins, K M M de Siqueira, L H P Kiill, I I S Sá, and C M L Aguiar
Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Editorial

Food niche overlap among neotropical carpenter bees (hymenoptera: Apidae: Xylocopini) in an agricultural system
Danielle Mendes Carvalho, Candida Maria Lima Aguiar, and Gilberto Marcos Mendonça Santos
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
In the present study, we used niche overlap analysis and a network approach to investigate the use of floral resources by carpenter bees (Xylocopa spp.). We assessed the frequency of visit to different plant species and the activity time of carpenter bees in an agricultural system. Six species of carpenter bees were collected visiting flowers. Among the 48 interactions that were theoretically possible in the interaction network, only 19 were recorded (Connectance = 39.58%). The temporal overlap between pairs of species measured by the Shannon index (0 to 0.648) was lower than dietary overlap (0 to 0.967). The network analysis also showed that bees separated their niches more strongly in the temporal dimension (E = 0.72, P < 0.001) than in the dietary dimension (E = 0.55, P < 0.001). The levels of dietary and temporal overlap were strongly correlated with each other, as well as the time of highest frequency of visit coincided with the time of availability of resources by the most important plants (Moringa oleifera, Passiflora edulis, and Solanum palinacanthum). The correlation between dietary and temporal overlap is biologically explained by the presence of plants that structure the system by exerting a strong influence not only on the plant choice by foraging bees, but also on the time of resource collection.

Centris aenea (hymenoptera, apidae): A ground-nesting bee with high pollination efficiency in malpighia emarginata DC (malpighiaceae)
Geane Almeida Oliveira, Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar, Maise Silva, and Miriam Gimenes
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
This study aimed to assess the efficiency of Centris aenea Lepeletier as pollinator of Malpighia emarginata DC. The pollination efficiency was determined according to three criteria: 1) the pollen deposition rate of M. emarginata and other plant species on the thorax ventral region of females, 2) the rate of M. emarginata fruit set after a single visit, and 3) the pollen deposition rate on the stigma after one single visit. 59% of the pollen grains deposited on the ventral region of C. aenea came from flowers of M. emarginata. The fruit set after a single visit by C. aenea (21%) was much higher than that reported previously for Centris tarsata Smith. We argue that pollination efficiency of C. aenea can be related to its body size, since that females of C. aenea can carry larger amounts of pollen grains of M. emarginata than C. tarsata, as well females of C. aenea are able to touch a larger stigma area, resulting in higher fruit sets after a single visit. Our study suggests that only one visit by C. aenea ensures fruit set in M. emarginata.

The larval provisions of the crop pollinator Centris analis: Pollen spectrum and trophic niche breadth in an agroecosystem
Ricardo M. Santos, Cândida M. L. Aguiar, Marcos da C. Dórea, Gesline F. Almeida, Francisco de A. R. dos Santos, and Solange C. Augusto
Springer Science and Business Media LLC

A study of pollen residues in nests of Centris trigonoides Lepeletier (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Centridini) in the Caatinga vegetation, Bahia, Brazil
Marcos da Costa Dórea, Cândida Maria Lima Aguiar, Luís Enrique Rodriguez Figueroa, Luciene Cristina Lima e Lima, and Francisco de Assis Ribeiro dos Santos
Informa UK Limited
Abstract Pollen sources used by Centris trigonoides bees were identifıed in an area of the Caatinga vegetation by analysing the pollen residues encountered in their nests. Twenty-eight pollen types were identifıed, and the most frequently found were Chamaecrista ramosa (46.45%; Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae), Solanum paniculatum (16.65%; Solanaceae) and Zornia echinocarpa (10.27%; Leguminosae-Papilionoideae). The identifıcation of the pollen types and information about the resources offered by the plants indicated that many species were visited as nectar sources rather than as pollen or oil sources by Centris trigonoides.

Candida Maria Lima Aguiar

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Scopus Publications