Community structure of native bees in four vegetation types in the dry tropics of Yucatan, Mexico

Artículo

The structure of native bee communities was studied in four vegetation types in the state of Yucatan, Mexico. Community structure was established using indices (dominant, common and rare species), four lifeways and unique species. A total of 5,701 specimens were collected, falling in five families, 55 genera and 140 species. Community structure was equal, and independent of vegetation type. On average, rare species represented 51.2 percent of community structure, common species 31.2 percent and dominant species 17.6 percent, while parasocials represented 50.8 percent, solitaries 30.1 percent, eusocials 9.1 percent and parasitic 7.5 percent. Results suggest that parasocial species are the most important in terms of dominance and richness and that the sampled vegetation associations are rich in social bees. This coincides with descriptions demonstrating that eusocial Apidae and Halictidae are most common and abundant. The bee communities do not differ in the size and composition of dominant, common, and rare species assemblages, or in strata composition. The bee communities differ in richness and evenness values. Differences do exist in specific composition and the number of unique species.