2022/11/01 by Silver Jonas Alves Farfan, Danielle Celentano, Celso H. L. Silva +13
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Bee Products Chemical Analysis #Insect and Pesticide Research #Plant and animal studies
paper · doi:10.1080/00218839.2022.2137307
crossref issued 2022/11/01 · crossref published 2022/11/01 · crossref published-online 2022/11/01 · openalex publication_date 2022/11/01 · crossref created 2022/11/01 · crossref deposited 2023/10/05 · crossref published-print 2023/10/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Humanity depends on the processes and resources of natural ecosystems, such as natural grassland fields and forests. These ecosystems depend on pollinators, especially bees, to ensure crossbreeding and plant productivity. Faced with deforestation and the fragmentation of forest remnants, meliponiculture plays an important role in biodiversity conservation, ecological restoration, and generating income for family farmers. Little is known about the effect of landscape on the productivity of native tiúba bees (Melipona fasciculata Smith, 1854) in the Baixada Maranhense Environmental Protection Area (APA) in the Brazilian Amazon. This study aimed to evaluate the landscape effect on M. fasciculata honey productivity in APA. We selected 34 stingless beekeepers, mapped and classified landscapes within a 2,000 m radius around the meliponaries, measured honey productivity, and identified the pollen types. We analyzed honey productivity as a function of landscapes and floral origin. Our results show that honeys from forest landscapes have greater richness and abundance of species, indicating more pollination ecosystem services in these landscapes, but have lower honey productivity. The highest productivity occurs in landscapes with a greater percentage of natural grassland fields and a composition dominated by shrubs. Melissopalynology and geographical information from landscape mapping provided ecological dimensioning of M. fasciculata honey productivity in the APA, which can guide conservation, management, and restoration actions in this region, and enhance the recognition of environmental services provided by stingless beekeepers.