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String impregnated with vanillin placed inside the forest at a site situated at 600 m a.s.l. in the region of Tarapoto, San Martín, northeastern Peru. A: a group of female Trigona pallens. B: two female Trigona pallens.
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... More specifically, female bees belonging to the genera Trigona and Scaptotrigona were seen to actively collect the seeds and store them in specialized pouches in their hind legs, together with other nest-building materials. Recent studies in the Neotropics have shown that stingless bees are indeed attracted to, and may actively collect, vanillin [71,72]. The fact that seeds of V. odorata and V. planifolia were found on the hind legs of generalist foragers Trigona fulviventris and Scaptotrigona subobscuripennis, respectively, suggests that other stingless bee species may also visit the fruits and potentially remove and disperse seeds while collecting the fruit's pulp. ...
Orchid seeds are predominantly wind-dispersed, often developed within dry, dehiscent fruits that typically release millions of dust-like seeds into the air. Animal-mediated seed dispersal is a lesser-known phenomenon in the family and predominantly occurs in groups belonging to early-diverging lineages bearing indehiscent, fleshy fruits with hard, rounded, dark seeds. In this review, we explore the evolutionary trends of seed dispersal mechanisms in Orchidaceae, focusing on the pantropical genus Vanilla. Notably, certain Neotropical species of Vanilla produce vanillin-aromatic compounds synthesized naturally in their fruits, which plays a pivotal role in seed dispersal. Ectozoochory occurs in dry, dehiscent fruits, whose seeds are dispersed by (i) male euglossine bees collecting the fruit's vanillin aromatic compounds and (ii) female stingless bees collecting the fruit's mesocarp. Endozoochory occurs in (iii) highly nutritious, indehiscent fruits consumed by terrestrial mammals or (iv) fleshy, dehiscent fruits whose mesocarp is consumed by arboreal mammals. Wind dispersal appears to be a derived state in Orchidaceae and, given its predominance, a trait likely associated with enhanced speciation rates. Zoochory primarily occurs in groups derived from early-diverging lineages; occasional reversions suggest a link between dispersal mode and fruit and seed traits. Interestingly, fruit dehiscence and fleshiness in Vanilla lack phylogenetic signal despite their role in determining dispersal modes, suggesting potential environmental adaptability.
... Embora a literatura apresente estudos sobre a qualidade e diversas atividades biológicas em méis de abelhas, ainda, pouco se conhece sobre as espécies das subtribos Trigonina (Tetragonisca angustula e Trigona pallens) e Meliponini (Lestrimelitta limao). Outras espécies como Plebeia droryana e Cephalotrigona capitata (Trigonini) e Melipona quadrifasciata, Melipona scutellarisi e M. asilvai também apresentam estudos sobre a composição físico-química do mel produzido (Nemésio et al., 2013). ...
O Brasil possui uma grande riqueza em espécies de abelhas sem ferrão que produzem mel de alta qualidade. Este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar a qualidade de méis de abelhas sem ferrão em área urbana no município de Rio Verde, Goiás, Brasil. Foram coletadas amostras de méis de Tetragonisca angustula, Trigona pallens e Lestrimelitta limao em apiário na área urbana. Foram realizadas análises físico-químicas e de atividade antioxidante na redução do DPPH usando como controle mel de Apis mellifera também coletado no município, no entanto, em uma área sem a presença de transeuntes. Os méis apresentaram baixo conteúdo polínico, e alto potencial sobre as análises de qualidade físico-químicas, bem como, atividade biológica. Em especial, os parâmetros físico-químicos avaliados para méis de abelhas sem ferrão obedecem a legislação para mel, embora seja sobre os parâmetros para mel de A. mellifera. As amostras de méis de abelhas indígenas Tetragonisca angustula, Trigona pallens e Lestrimelitta limao apresentam valores adequados para o consumo humano, podendo ser utilizados em projetos de preservação de espécies nativas com interesse comercial.
... 25 More recently, evidence for attraction to and collection of vanillin by female Meliponini bees has also been found. 26,27 To confirm the effect of vanillin in this study, we used mature V. planifolia fruits and artificial vanillin as baits at CNP and FC. Both similarly attracted Euglossini and Meliponini bees in a 48-h period. ...
Identifying the mechanisms for seed dispersal and persistence of species is a central aim of ecology. Seed dispersal by animals is an essential form of dissemination in many plant communities, including seeds of over 66% of neotropical canopy tree species. 1 ,2 Besides physical dispersal, animals influence seed germination probabilities through scarification, breaking dormancy, and preventing rotting, so plants often invest important resources in attracting them. Orchids are predominantly adapted to wind dispersal, having dust-like seeds that are easily uplifted. Exceptions include bird-, 3 ,4 cricket-, 5 ,6 and mammal-dispersed 7 species, featuring fleshy fruits with hard seeds that germinate after passing the animal’s digestive system. Given the similarity in fruit and seed morphology, zoochory has also been suggested in Vanilla, 8 ,9 ,10 ,11 ,12 ,13 ,14 ,15 a pantropical genus of 118 species with vine-like growth. 16 ,17 ,18 We test this prediction through in situ and ex situ experimentation using fruits of Vanilla planifolia, and wild relatives, from which vanillin—a widely used natural aroma and flavoring—is obtained. Seeds from dehiscent fruits are removed by male Euglossini collecting fragrances, a unique case in plants, and female Meliponini bees gathering nest-building materials, a first among monocots. By contrast, mammals, mostly rodents, consume the nutritious indehiscent fruits, passing the seeds up to 18 h after consumption. Protocorm formation in digested and undigested seeds proves that scarification in the gut is not strictly required for germination. Multimodal seed dispersal mechanisms are proven for the first time in Orchidaceae, with ectozoochory and endozoochory playing crucial roles in the unusually broad distribution of Vanilla.
... We were able to capture four females and one male of N. dorsalis in the bait traps in the canopy attracted only by cineol. This method occasionally attracts other arthropods such as spiders, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Neuroptera, Orthoptera in addition to many Hymenoptera (mostly bees) (Campos et al., 1989;Melo, 1995;Nemésio & Siqueira, 2011;Nemésio et al., 2013;Alvarez obs. pers.). ...
In this study, we record for the first time the genus Notocyrtus (Heteroptera, Reduviidae) from Argentina based on three species: Notocyrtus dorsalis (Gray), Notocyrtus dispersus Carvalho & Costa, and Notocyrtus foveatus Stål. We also describe and illustrate a mimetic complex comprising the three Notocyrtus species and Tetragona clavipes (Fabricius) (Apidae, Meliponini), that were collected on Bahuinia forficata Link (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae). We include biological comments on the plant-reduvid-bee interaction and hypothesize about the functionality of the mimetic complex described.
