Asteraceae Pollen Provisions Protect Osmia Mason Bees (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) from Brood Parasitism
| Autor: | Sarah Silverman, Dakota M. Spear, Jessica R. K. Forrest |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Wasps Parasitism Hymenoptera Asteraceae Biology Generalist and specialist species medicine.disease_cause Oligolecty 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Sapygidae Pollen Botany otorhinolaryngologic diseases medicine Animals Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Brood parasite fungi food and beverages Fabaceae Bees biology.organism_classification Diet 010602 entomology Larva Megachilidae |
| Zdroj: | The American Naturalist. 187:797-803 |
| ISSN: | 1537-5323 0003-0147 |
| DOI: | 10.1086/686241 |
| Popis: | Many specialist herbivores eat foods that are apparently low quality. The compensatory benefits of a poor diet may include protection from natural enemies. Several bee lineages specialize on pollen of the plant family Asteraceae, which is known to be a poor-quality food. Here we tested the hypothesis that specialization on Asteraceae pollen protects bees from parasitism. We compared rates of brood parasitism by Sapyga wasps on Asteraceae-specialist, Fabeae-specialist, and other species of Osmia bees in the field over several years and sites and found that Asteraceae-specialist species were parasitized significantly less frequently than other species. We then tested the effect of Asteraceae pollen on parasites by raising Sapyga larvae on three pollen mixtures: Asteraceae, Fabeae, and generalist (a mix of primarily non-Asteraceae pollens). Survival of parasite larvae was significantly reduced on Asteraceae provisions. Our results suggest that specialization on low-quality pollen may evolve because it helps protect bees from natural enemies. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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