Temporal and Spatial Variation of Pollen Content in Pollen Loads of Apis mellifera in the Yungas of Northwest Argentina

Magalí Verónica Méndez; Ana Carina Sánchez; Liliana Concepción Lupo

doi:10.1080/01916122.2022.2139307

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17 May 2023 Temporal and Spatial Variation of Pollen Content in Pollen Loads of Apis mellifera in the Yungas of Northwest Argentina

Magalí Verónica Méndez, Ana Carina Sánchez, Liliana Concepción Lupo

Author Affiliations +

Magalí Verónica Méndezhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2830-4172,^1,*,** Ana Carina Sánchez,^1,2,*** Liliana Concepción Lupo^1,3,****

¹Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA-CONICET/UNJu), Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Jujuy, Argentina
²Cátedra de Botánica Sistematica y Fitogeografia, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Jujuy, Argentina
³Cátedra de Ecologia General, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Jujuy, Argentina

^*CONTACT Magalí Verónica Méndez magalivmendez@fca.unju.edu.ar Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA-CONICET/UNJu), Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Jujuy, Argentina.
^**Magali Veronica Mendez studied at the National University of Salta, Argentina, where he received a doctoral degree in biology in 2019. He is currently working at the National University of Jujuy, Argentina. His research focuses on the study of Apis mellifera trophic resources and their dynamics during the beekeeping season. In addition to protein and polyphenol characterisation.
^***Ana Carina Sanchez is a professor of systematic botany and palynology at the National University of Jujuy. Her research includes the pollen analysis of honeys from Andean ecosystems. Ana's research focuses on melissopalynology, pollen morphology and, more recently, floral biology and pollination.
^****Liliana Concepcion Lupo is an independent researcher at the Institute of Andean Ecoregions (INECOA), CONICET-UNJu. She is a professor of ecology and currently is head of the Laboratory of Palynology at the National University of Jujuy. She has a wide range of research interests which includes paleoecology, melissopalynology and archeopalynology of the mountain region of Central Andes.

Palynology, 47(1):1-10 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1080/01916122.2022.2139307

Abstract

The floral resources used by Apis mellifera as pollen source include those present in natural forests like the Yungas as well as forested areas. The aim of this work was to determine the main pollen resources harvested by A. mellifera and their variation during the honey production season. Forty pollen load samples were randomly collected from apiaries located in four sites (Tilquiza, El Fuerte, Los Alisos and Los Toldos) in spring and summer between 2011 and 2017. Sampling was conducted using pollen traps and the samples were subjected to conventional melissopalynological techniques. Pollen sources were identified using palynological atlases and compared with the reference palynotheca. A total of 70 pollen types distributed in 39 botanical families were identified, with the following families having the highest index of family importance (IF): Asteraceae (23.9), Fabaceae (19), Myrtaceae (12.8), Poaceae (8.3), Euphorbiaceae (8.2) and Vitaceae (4.3). The main resources used were: Mimosa, Eupatorium, Blepharocalyx salicifolius, Baccharis and Sebastiania. A pollen diagram was used to analyze the different pollen resources used throughout the study seasons. Species foraged in spring included B. salicifolius, Anadenanthera colubrina, Parapiptadenia excelsa and Sebastiania and those foraged in summer included Mimosa, Viguiera, Type Cissus and species of the family Poaceae; all of these species are native to the forest. The present results contribute to the knowledge of polliniferous species of the Yungas and evidence the importance of this bee as flower visitor in the forest.

Citation Download Citation

Magalí Verónica Méndez, Ana Carina Sánchez, and Liliana Concepción Lupo "Temporal and Spatial Variation of Pollen Content in Pollen Loads of Apis mellifera in the Yungas of Northwest Argentina," Palynology 47(1), 1-10, (17 May 2023). https://doi.org/10.1080/01916122.2022.2139307

Published: 17 May 2023

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