Pollen collected by Tetragonisca angustula in meliponaries from urban areas of Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil

Abstract

Pollen grains collected by bees can serve as a tool for identifying plant species, as well as helping to establish the relationship between pollinators and the local flora. This research aimed to analyze the botanical profile of pollen from the native bee Tetragonisca angustula (jataí) and identify which plants are visited by them. Pollen was collected from the food pots inside the hives from the honey gardens of Curitiba, PR, in two different points of the municipality. The samples were prepared by the acetolysis method, followed by assembly and observation of semi-permanent slides under an optical microscope. Taxonomic identification of pollen grains was carried out with the aid of articles and a palynological database. The qualitative analysis resulted in the observation of 16 types of pollen grains, belonging to the families Acanthaceae, Asteraceae, Amaranthaceae, Brassicaceae, Cannaceae, Fabaceae, Loranthaceae, Myrtaceae, Malvaceae, Poaceae e Solanaceae. The identified pollen originated from native species, corroborating the relationship between the native flora and the stingless bees. Results displalyed a significant difference between the pollen richness of the two study sites, suggesting that one of them, the General Osório square, has little diversity in its afforestation, thus having fewer visitation options for the bees residing this meliponary.