Journal
APIDOLOGIE
Volume 43, Issue 5, Pages 515-526Publisher
SPRINGER FRANCE
DOI: 10.1007/s13592-012-0120-6
Keywords
Cerrado; large bees; native pollinator; species richness; Xylocopa
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Funding
- PROBIO/Pollinator/Brazil Environment Ministry [0112-00/2005]
- FAPE-MIG-Research Support Foundation of Minas Gerais [CRA-2037/05, PDJ 0187/09]
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Pollination is an important ecosystem service, especially to self-sterile crops as passion fruit, which depends on the large solitary bee for fruit set. We estimated the species richness of pollinators of yellow passion fruit in Central Brazil and examined whether there was any association with crop yield. We recorded 27 bee species on passion fruit flowers in commercial orchards in the region, from 2004 to 2007. Some 17 species were classified as pollinators (12 as effective and 5 as occasional pollinators). Species richness and frequency of pollinators were positively correlated with reproductive efficacy. Hand pollination substantially increased average fruit set (from 23.3% to 69.8%). Our results indicated that, although native pollinators still maintain economically viable natural fruit set in the region, pollination can be sustained and even enhanced by promoting conservation and management of bee diversity.
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